Scared of losing your home because of unpaid property taxes?
You have good reason to hold fear, but if you make smart and decisive moves, you can walk away unscathed. The following page explains everything you need to know about how to handle unpaid property taxes on your home.
You have options available to avoid foreclosure, consolidate all of your debt including unsecured and secured debt and in some cases even do a quick sale of your home to avoid foreclosure. Golden Financial Services is offering to purchase select properties, depending on where you live and the overall situation that you’re dealing with.
The easiest way to keep up with your property taxes is to have your mortgage lender draft the taxes on a monthly basis, along with your mortgage payment. Your mortgage lender can hold onto your property taxes inside a trust account, and the mortgage company will then make sure to pay your property taxes when they are due. This route takes the extra responsibility out of your hands, and the mortgage company is now responsible for paying your property taxes.
Receive a Notice in the Mail Saying You’re Property Taxes Are Delinquent?
If you received a tax bill saying your taxes weren’t paid, but you thought they were being paid inside your monthly mortgage payment, don’t just take the taxing authorities’ word on it. Call your mortgage company and verify whether or not your property taxes have been getting paid. Sometimes, even the taxing authorities make mistakes and have inaccurate records.
What happens if I don’t pay my property taxes on my home?
After you’re late on paying your property taxes, you’ll usually have 1-2 years to catch up on the payments. Each town and city has its own set of rules, but for example, in Orange County New York, once you go late on your property taxes, you’ll have two years to catch up. If you didn’t catch up to be current on your property tax payments within that two year period, the town would take your home and sell it at the auction.
If you have overdue property taxes, the delinquent amount becomes a “lien on your property,” and your home could now get foreclosed. Foreclosure is a process used by the lender, an individual or the taxing authorities, where they take your house and sell it. With the money they get from selling your home, they use those proceeds to pay off any existing debt, including your overdue property taxes.
Delinquent Property Taxes Can Turn Into a “Tax Deed Sales”
The taxing authority or municipal can take your home for unpaid property taxes by using foreclosure in most states. Your house would then be sold at the auction. The new purchaser of your property then gets the deed and owns the home.
Every dollar that you invested in this property could go down the drain. Foreclosure is every homeowner’s worst nightmare. Besides for the devastating effect that foreclosure has on a person’s credit score, as a homeowner – you lose everything, your entire investment!
Golden Financial Services can help you reduce and resolve all of your unsecured debt through one of our consolidation programs and repair your credit with credit repair. Additionally, we will consider purchasing your home, helping you escape foreclosure. Email Info@GoldenFS.org about possibly making a quick sale of your home to avoid foreclosure.
Option 2: Delinquent Property Taxes Can Turn Into a “Tax Lien Sale”
The taxing authorities may decide to sell your tax lien instead of foreclosing on your property. Now keep in mind, this sale of your lien is publicly advertised, meaning, where you work, friends and family members can all see this information online. This is called a “tax lien certificate sale.”
Whoever buys the tax lien, could then add extra fees and interest to the claim on your property, raising your property tax liability even higher. The purchaser of the tax lien does not get the deed to your property, so you still have a chance to get your property back. What the purchaser of the property tax lien does arrive, is the right to come after you by using legal force and the power of the court system. After what’s called the redemption period, if you still haven’t paid off the debt your home can be foreclosed.
Option 3: Overdue Property Taxes Can Be Paid Off Through Your Mortgage Lender
Your mortgage lender may go ahead and cover the delinquent property taxes that you owe. Your mortgage company is loaning you the funds to pay your overdue property taxes and help you avoid foreclosure. However, you’ll then owe your mortgage lender, and if you fail to pay them back, they can pursue foreclosure on your property. Mortgage lenders will usually work with homeowners to pay back the delinquent property debt over 12-months, making it more affordable to pay.
All three of these options either lead to your home getting foreclosed on or you paying the owed property taxes.
Either way, your property is at serious risk of being foreclosed on if you have unpaid property taxes. It is essential to prioritize getting these delinquent taxes “paid in full” so that you can eliminate the risk of having your home foreclosed. Don’t worry, there are options, and Golden Financial Services might be able to help. You can have a Certified Debt Counselor pull your credit report and give you a free consultation. Ask about making a quick sale of your home to avoid foreclosure and resolve your overdue property taxes, the debt counselor you’re on the phone with will then refer you to that department.
Can I sell my home if I owe back taxes and have delinquent property taxes?
Yes, you can sell your home, but you need to move fast. Often, your home can only be sold at a discounted price, since there’s a property tax lien on your property. Once the buyer purchases your property, at that same time, they will pay off the property tax debt through a separate all-cash payment.
Reduce Delinquent Property Taxes
Property taxes are based on the assessed value of your home. If they have your home’s value overpriced, your taxes will be higher than what they should be. You can dispute your homes assessed value, and if successful and your home’s assessed value is lowered, your annual property taxes will also go down.
Check the tax assessor’s website online or review your property tax bill to learn about the specific procedures, as well as what sort of documents and evidence you’ll need to challenge the value the assessor placed on your home.
Each state has its own set of property tax abatement and exemption options. There are additional options available that are specifically for seniors, people with a disability, military families and for people who are experiencing financial hardship. Again, check your state’s tax assessor’s website to see what options are available.
Golden Financial Services Can Help Resolve Your Property Taxes
Here at Golden Financial Services, we can help you in a multitude of ways. We can offer to buy your home and pay off your delinquent property taxes in some cases. By making a quick sale, you’ll avoid getting your home foreclosed on and can walk away with some money in your pocket. If you also have unsecured debt, like credit cards, student loans, we can combine all of your debt into one affordable monthly payment, much lower than what you’d be paying when current on payments. Credit repair is included in most plans, at no extra cost, allowing you the opportunity to address both your debt and credit problems all-in-one plan.
So, let’s suppose you’re currently paying $625 per month towards $25,000 in unsecured debt (like on credit cards and medical bills). Our debt relief programs can reduce your monthly payment from $625, down to $347 and you’ll have all of your credit card debt resolved within 36 months.
We can include credit repair in the debt relief program, repairing your entire credit report. So, we will buy your home, consolidate your unsecured debt and reduce the payment and rebuild your credit, basically giving you a fresh start.
Depending on your needs and goals, will determine what option is best for you.
Email Info@GoldenFS.org about possibly making a quick sale of your home to avoid foreclosure.