{"id":26412,"date":"2026-03-10T04:19:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T11:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=26412"},"modified":"2026-03-12T02:08:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T09:08:57","slug":"can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Sell a House With Back Taxes Owed? 5 Options to Weigh"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you <\/span>inherited a property<\/span><\/a> with back taxes attached as a lien? Or accumulated unpaid property taxes due to recent financial struggles? Perhaps you\u2019re dealing with an investment property facing tax debt, or a second home with overdue taxes. Regardless of the situation, you might be asking: Can I sell a house with back taxes owed?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n \"homelight\n <\/div>\n \n

Connect with a Top Agent to Help Maximize Value<\/h3>\n

Even rockstar agents can’t make your tax liability disappear, but HomeLight data shows that the top 5% of agents across the U.S. help clients sell their home for as much as 10% more than the average real estate agent, helping offset the tax bill.<\/p>\n \n

\n Find Agent<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Greg Clark<\/span><\/a>, a top <\/span>real estate agent in Waco, Texas<\/span><\/a>, gives us a scenario: \u201cI had a listing where there was about $75,000 in back taxes on the property,\u201d Clark says. \u201cThat\u2019s problematic if there\u2019s not enough equity, but there happened to be enough equity in the house that we could pay it out of proceeds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While unpaid taxes will add a layer of complexity to the sale, real estate agents and attorneys encounter this situation more often than you might realize \u2014 and they have the solutions to help. If you’re worried that back taxes might hinder your sale, you do have options.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve put together this thorough guide to selling a house with back taxes.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can you sell a house with back taxes owed? If you\u2019re concerned that it could be a blocker to your sale, you do have options to pursue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":46257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[343,322],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finances","category-logistics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 Options to Sell a House With Back Taxes Owed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Can you sell a house with back taxes owed? If you\u2019re concerned that it could be a blocker to your sale, you do have options to pursue.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can You Sell a House With Back Taxes Owed? 5 Options to Weigh\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Can you sell a house with back taxes owed? If you\u2019re concerned that it could be a blocker to your sale, you do have options to pursue.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-10T11:19:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-12T09:08:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed-.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Valerie Kalfrin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@valerie-kalfrin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Valerie Kalfrin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Options to Sell a House With Back Taxes Owed","description":"Can you sell a house with back taxes owed? If you\u2019re concerned that it could be a blocker to your sale, you do have options to pursue.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Can You Sell a House With Back Taxes Owed? 5 Options to Weigh","og_description":"Can you sell a house with back taxes owed? If you\u2019re concerned that it could be a blocker to your sale, you do have options to pursue.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/","og_site_name":"HomeLight Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","article_published_time":"2026-03-10T11:19:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-12T09:08:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":563,"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed-.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Valerie Kalfrin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@valerie-kalfrin","twitter_site":"@gohomelight","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Valerie Kalfrin","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/"},"author":{"name":"Valerie Kalfrin","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/234e3147a305073d2c8cb21d61865465"},"headline":"Can You Sell a House With Back Taxes Owed? 5 Options to Weigh","datePublished":"2026-03-10T11:19:28+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-12T09:08:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/"},"wordCount":190,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed-.png","articleSection":["Finances & Tax Implications","Logistics"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/","name":"5 Options to Sell a House With Back Taxes Owed","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed-.png","datePublished":"2026-03-10T11:19:28+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-12T09:08:57+00:00","description":"Can you sell a house with back taxes owed? If you\u2019re concerned that it could be a blocker to your sale, you do have options to pursue.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed-.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed-.png","width":1000,"height":563,"caption":"Source: (Athitat Shinagowin \/ Shutterstock)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-back-taxes-owed\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can You Sell a House With Back Taxes Owed? 5 Options to Weigh"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","name":"HomeLight Blog","description":"Real Estate Advice from America's Top Agents","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HomeLight","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","width":1348,"height":262,"caption":"HomeLight"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","https:\/\/x.com\/gohomelight","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/homelight\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCimugR9XF17-OZ7B9fNnxWw","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HomeLight"],"description":"Everything you need to know to sell your house faster and for more money. Articles, guides, and advice from top agents all over the U.S.","email":"support@homelight.com","telephone":"(888) 688-0350","legalName":"HomeLight","foundingDate":"2012-01-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"201","maxValue":"500"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/234e3147a305073d2c8cb21d61865465","name":"Valerie Kalfrin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/86b69a0e8a73ca97e0cc84bf6294e479059bce7b41ed89cec2bbacf27469f4b6?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/86b69a0e8a73ca97e0cc84bf6294e479059bce7b41ed89cec2bbacf27469f4b6?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Valerie Kalfrin"},"description":"Valerie Kalfrin is a multiple award-winning journalist, film and fiction fan, and creative storyteller with a knack for detailed, engaging stories.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/valeriekalfrin\/","https:\/\/x.com\/valerie-kalfrin"],"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/author\/valerie-kalfrin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/76"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}