Liens, judgments and title problems
A house with liens against it is close to unsellable on the open market. A retail buyer's lender will not fund it, and the buyer walks. This is exactly the kind of file we are built for.
- Tax, water, mechanic and construction liens
- Judgments, old unreleased mortgages, clouded title
- Prosperity Abstract is our own title company
Ask about a house with liens
Free, no obligation, and we answer fast.
Why liens kill normal sales
A lien is a claim recorded against the property. When a buyer gets a mortgage, their lender requires clear title, so every recorded claim has to be paid off or released before settlement. If the payoff is more than the seller can cover out of pocket, the deal stops there.
Common ones in Philadelphia: delinquent real estate taxes, unpaid water and sewer, judgments from old debts, mechanic's or contractor's liens, and mortgages that were paid but never formally released.
The mistake people make
Trying to refinance out of it, or paying a lien off personally before selling. Both often make things worse — you drain cash you need, and the underlying problem (a house you want to be rid of) is still there. Liens are normally paid at settlement out of the sale proceeds. You usually do not need to bring money to the table.
What we do differently
We own Prosperity Abstract, a title company formed in 2017. When a search turns up a forty-year-old judgment or an heir nobody knew about, we do not join a queue behind someone else's forty files. We resolve it in-house.
And because we pay cash, there is no lender demanding clear title before funding. We can commit to the purchase while the title work is still being untangled.
Bring us the ugly one. A stack of liens is a reason to call us, not a reason to assume nobody will buy it.
Also see: foreclosure, administering an estate, and squatters.
How selling to us works
Tell us about the house
Two minutes on the form or one phone call. Address, rough condition, and what is going on. You do not need to have anything cleaned up or figured out first.
We check the numbers
We pull the comparable sales, the tax and lien position, and whatever else is on record for the property. Usually same day, always within one business day.
You get a real cash offer
A written, no-obligation number with the math behind it, so you can see how we got there. No fee to hear it and no pressure to take it.
You pick the closing date
Two weeks, two months, or after the holidays. We settle at a title company, you get certified funds, and you leave whatever you do not want behind.
Other situations we handle
Facing foreclosure
Stop the clock. We can close before the sheriff sale date and settle what you owe.
Inherited a property
A house you did not ask for, in a city you may not live in. We handle it end to end.
Administering an estate
Executor duties, probate, and a house to deal with while you are still grieving.
House needs work
Roof, water damage, full gut, hoarder cleanout. We buy it exactly as it stands.
Problem tenants
Not paying, will not leave, trashing the place. Sell it with them still in it.
Squatters
Someone is living in your property who has no right to be. We deal with it.
Moving to senior care
Free up the equity to pay for care, on a timeline that fits the move-in date.
Out-of-state owner
You do not have to fly in. Everything can be handled remotely and notarized where you are.
Relocating for work
A start date in another state and a house that has not sold yet.
Find out what your house is worth in cash
It takes about two minutes to ask and there is no fee for the answer. If a cash sale is not your best move, we will say so.