Sell a House With Back Taxes or a Tax Lien in St. Louis

Sell a House With Back Taxes or a Tax Lien in St. Louis

Can you sell a house with back taxes or a tax lien? Yes. In most sales, the unpaid taxes are paid off from the sale at closing, and you keep what’s left. We buy houses with back property taxes for cash, as-is, and we can close in as little as 7 days, which can be before a tax sale date, or on a date you choose. You won’t pay commissions, and we cover the closing costs.

We’re Swift Home Buys, a local, family-owned home buyer that has helped St. Louis-area homeowners for over 10 years. Falling behind on property taxes happens for all kinds of reasons, from a job change to an inherited house nobody kept up with. We won’t judge, and we’ll be straight with you about your options.

How Back Property Taxes Work in Missouri

When property taxes go unpaid in Missouri, they become a lien on the house. If they stay unpaid, the county collector can eventually offer the property at a tax sale. Each area runs its own process:

• St. Louis County: the County Collector of Revenue holds a yearly tax sale of delinquent properties. In 2026 it was held in late August.
• City of St. Louis: the Collector of Revenue files a land tax suit, and according to the city’s tax sale page, the sheriff’s sale happens about one year after the suit is filed.
• St. Charles, Jefferson, Franklin and Lincoln counties: each county collector runs its own tax sale.

Missouri law gives owners some time to pay and redeem after certain tax sales, but the rules are technical and the deadlines matter. If your house is already on a tax sale list, talk with your county collector and a real estate attorney right away. This isn’t legal or tax advice.

Selling before a tax sale

If you have equity, selling before the tax sale lets you pay off the back taxes and keep the rest, instead of risking the house at auction. Your title company gets the exact amount owed from the collector, and the taxes, penalties and interest are paid from the sale at closing.

Other tax liens

Other liens, like federal or state tax liens, usually have to be paid off or released before the buyer gets clear title. The title company works with the agency to get a payoff amount. These can take longer to sort out, so tell us about any lien early. This isn’t tax advice, so check with a tax professional about your situation.

How a Sale to Us Works

Tell us about the house and what’s owed, we visit once, and you get a no-obligation cash offer with our math explained. Our offers are below full market value because we take on the repairs and the risk, and we’ll always be upfront about that. Then we schedule closing around any deadline you’re facing. See every step on our How It Works page.

Behind on the mortgage too? Read about selling before foreclosure. If the house was inherited, see selling an inherited house. We buy houses across St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, and Jefferson, Franklin and Lincoln counties.

A Sale You Can Count On

When a tax sale date is coming, you need a buyer who will actually close. We buy with our own money, so there’s no buyer’s loan that can fall through, and we close through a title company that pays the collector directly. Many “we buy houses” companies are wholesalers who sign a contract and then try to resell it, which can burn time you don’t have. Read Don’t Be Fooled by Advertising for the warning signs.