How to Sell a House With Delinquent Property Taxes in Georgia
Behind on property taxes in Georgia? You can still sell — and clear them at closing.
Property taxes are one of those bills that grow quietly until they feel impossible. In Georgia, when they go unpaid the county issues a Fi.Fa. — a tax execution that becomes a lien — and the property can eventually be sold at a public tax sale. If you are watching that balance climb, the word that starts circling is foreclosure. Here is what most owners do not know: delinquent property taxes do not stop you from selling. In a sale, the back taxes are simply paid from your proceeds at closing — the closing attorney handles it, and you walk away with the rest.
POH Group LLC is a local, Lawrenceville-based cash buyer owned by Mark Brown, with 12 years and more than 115 homes bought across Metro Atlanta. We buy houses directly, with our own funds, as-is, in any condition and any situation, including homes with back property taxes hanging over them. This guide explains how Georgia tax sales work, how a property-tax lien is cleared, and how a direct cash sale resolves it before the clock runs out.
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Get Your Free Offer TODAY!
Fill In This Form To Get Your No-Obligation All Cash Offer Started!
How Back Taxes Actually Get Handled When You Sell
Here is the mechanism that removes most of the fear. When you sell, the closing attorney orders a payoff from the county tax commissioner that shows the exact amount of taxes, interest, penalties, and costs owed. That amount is paid from your sale proceeds at closing — it comes off the top before you receive your balance, so you are not writing a check up front to clear it. Once the county is paid and the lien is satisfied, clear title passes to the buyer. You do not have to find the money first, and you do not have to fix the house before you start.
How Unpaid Taxes Turn Into a Tax Sale in Georgia
When property taxes are not paid, the county issues a Fi.Fa. (short for fieri facias) against the property and the owner of record as of January 1 — a tax execution that operates as a lien under O.C.G.A. 48-3-1. Once the Fi.Fa. is issued, the property can be levied on and sold at a public tax sale. Georgia is a redeemable tax-deed state, which means even after a sale the owner keeps a right to redeem for a set period. The longer the balance sits, the more it grows and the closer the sale gets, which is why acting early protects more of your equity.
Why a Cash Sale Beats Waiting for the Tax Sale
A tax sale ends with the county selling your house at auction to satisfy the debt, often for far less than it is worth. A direct cash sale beats that outcome because it closes fast — in as little as about a week — and pays the county from the proceeds, satisfying the taxes before the auction ever happens. You keep control of the timing, you avoid the auction, and you keep whatever equity is left instead of handing it to a tax-sale bidder.
What the Process Looks Like
Step 1: Tell us about the property. Fill out the form or call us at 770-559-5660. Tell us the address and roughly what is owed in back taxes — you do not need exact numbers; the closing attorney will pull the official payoff.
Step 2: We make a no-obligation cash offer. A written offer, as-is, with no financing contingency. Getting the offer costs nothing and commits you to nothing — it is information you can use to decide.
Step 3: The closing attorney orders the county payoff. We open title, the attorney requests the exact tax payoff from the county tax commissioner, and we set a closing date that fits your deadline.
Step 4: We close and the taxes are paid from proceeds. The back taxes, interest, penalties, and costs are paid at the closing table, clear title passes to us, and you receive your balance — the debt resolved instead of growing.
Read More About Your Specific Situation
- Facing a Gwinnett County tax sale? How the Fi.Fa. and first-Tuesday tax sale work — and how to stop it in time. Read the guide
- Worried about the tax lien? When the lien attaches, why it outranks most other liens, and how it clears at closing. Read the guide
- Already lost the house at a tax sale? Your 12-month right of redemption in Georgia, and how to act before the window closes. Read the guide
Get a No-Obligation Cash Offer
However far behind you are on property taxes, a written cash offer this week is information you can act on. No repairs, no clean-up, no commissions, and the back taxes handled at closing. One offer, one closing date, the county paid.
Get Your Free Offer TODAY!
Fill In This Form To Get Your No-Obligation All Cash Offer Started!
POH Group LLC purchases homes throughout Lawrenceville and across Georgia — with back taxes, with liens, in any condition. Local. Direct. As-is. Owner: Mark Brown.