Selling Land With Back Taxes or Title Problems

Delinquent property taxes

Unpaid taxes on rural acreage are common, especially on land that was inherited or has not been visited in years. In most transactions the amount owed is paid out of the sale proceeds at closing, so the seller does not have to bring money to the table. What matters is where the parcel sits in the state process. Arkansas moves delinquent parcels to the Commissioner of State Lands after a set period, and Missouri counties run their own delinquent tax sales. Once a parcel has been through a tax sale, redemption rules and deadlines control what an owner can still do, and those are determined by the county and the state, not by us.

Liens and other clouds on title

A title search often turns up items the owner had forgotten or never knew about: old mortgages that were paid but never released, judgment liens, unpaid contractor liens, estate or probate gaps, a missing heir's signature, an easement recorded across the tract, or an old oil, gas or mineral reservation. Some of these clear quickly with a release or an affidavit. Others take real work and time.

We are not a law firm or a title company and we do not decide what clears a title. A title professional or an attorney does that. Our part is reviewing whether the property still makes sense for us given what the search shows.

What to tell us upfront

Disclose what you know. Approximate amount owed, whether the county has sent notices, whether the land has already been through a tax sale, and any liens or ownership questions you are aware of. Known problems are far easier to work with than problems that surface in the middle of closing, and they do not automatically disqualify a property. Each one is reviewed individually and some will not fit our criteria.

Related pages

If the deed is still in a relative's name, start with selling inherited land. If you are unsure what paperwork you need, see documents needed to sell land.