Sell a House Before Foreclosure
If you are behind on the mortgage, you may still be able to sell the house before a foreclosure sale and use the proceeds at closing to pay what the lender is owed. KindKey Home Buyers LLC, based at 640 1st St SW in Auburn, buys houses directly from owners in King County and Pierce County. We are a principal buyer, not a real estate agent, broker, or foreclosure-rescue service.
A notice of default or a trustee-sale notice does not, by itself, tell you which options are still open. Deadlines can be short, and they depend on the paperwork you received and on which county the property is in. Auburn, Kent, and Federal Way houses are often in King County. Tacoma and Puyallup houses are in Pierce County. Some Auburn parcels are in Pierce County even though the mailing city says Auburn. Confirm the county with the title company or your attorney instead of guessing from the city name.
KindKey does not provide legal or tax advice. If foreclosure, an estate, or other financial pressure is part of the sale, talk with a Washington attorney before you sign. Washington has distressed-property rules under RCW 61.34. KindKey does not interpret those rules or tell you whether they apply to your sale.
How selling before foreclosure works
Tell us the address, the condition of the house, and the timeline you are working with. You do not have to repair the property, evict occupants, or catch up the mortgage before we look. We review the house and send a written cash offer. If you accept, the closing agent orders payoff figures and a title report and prepares a settlement statement.
The closing date has to work with the deadline in your notice and with the time the lender and closing agent need for payoffs. KindKey can aim for a faster closing when that is realistic, or a later date if your attorney says you have room. We do not promise that a sale will stop a foreclosure. Your attorney and the closing agent are the people who can match a closing date to the notice you received.
What we can buy in this situation
We buy houses that are behind and houses that already have a sale scheduled, when title can still transfer. Deferred maintenance, fire damage, code cases, tenants, and vacant houses are all eligible. You can leave personal property you do not want.
KindKey is not your advisor on loan modification, bankruptcy, or reinstatement. Ask a Washington attorney before you choose among those paths. If you want a sale, KindKey buys as a principal and does not charge you an agent commission or a separate assignment fee.
- Houses with a notice of default or a scheduled trustee sale, when a sale can still close in time
- Vacant houses where the payment default and the condition piled up together
- Inherited houses with a mortgage the heirs do not want to keep
- Houses with tenants, when the lease stays in place or the parties handle occupancy lawfully
- Houses that also need heavy repairs, so a retail listing is not realistic on this timeline
King County and Pierce County are not the same office
A King County house and a Pierce County house are not processed by the same recorder, treasurer, or superior court. That matters when a payoff, a tax lien, or a court case has to be cleared before a deed can record. Federal Way and Kent are in King County. Tacoma, Puyallup, and Edgewood are in Pierce County. Milton is in both counties. Auburn sits on the county line, so the parcel — not the neighborhood name — controls which county records apply.
We buy in all of those cities. Local pages for Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Tacoma, and Puyallup cover the housing and the county context in more detail. None of those pages is a substitute for advice about your notice.
What the offer does and does not include
The written offer is a proposal to buy the property. It is not a promise to cure the default or negotiate with your lender. If the payoff is higher than the offer, the sale may depend on the lender. The closing agent shows payoffs, liens, taxes, and allocated closing costs on a settlement statement before you close.
Washington’s distressed-property law is RCW 61.34. KindKey will not tell you what it requires. Bring the offer and the notice to an attorney.
Related pages
- Sell before foreclosure in AuburnHome base on the King and Pierce county line.
- Sell before foreclosure in KentKing County, from the valley to East Hill and West Hill.
- Sell before foreclosure in Federal WayKing County houses along I-5 and SR-18.
- Sell before foreclosure in TacomaPierce County, including older neighborhoods and South Tacoma.
- Sell before foreclosure in PuyallupPierce County, downtown and the South Hill area.
- Can I sell my house before foreclosure in Washington?What to ask an attorney, and how a cash sale is different from a listing.
KindKey Home Buyers purchases properties as a principal buyer and is not acting as the seller’s real estate agent. KindKey does not charge the seller an agent commission or a separate service or assignment fee. Responsibility for escrow, title, excise tax, recording, and other closing costs will be clearly stated in the written purchase agreement and may vary by transaction. The seller’s final proceeds may be reduced by mortgage payoffs, liens, taxes, prorations, utility balances, or other obligations associated with the property. Escrow or the closing agent will provide the seller with a settlement statement showing all charges and final proceeds before closing.
Frequently asked questions
Request a cash offer before the deadline gets tighter
Share the address and the timeline on your notice. Talk with an attorney before you sign.
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