Vacant property

Stop paying for the empty house

An empty house still costs you every month. Stop paying for it. Taxes, insurance, utilities, and mowing do not care that nobody lives there.

What selling a vacant house usually looks like

Vacant houses drain money on a schedule: insurance that costs more because the house is empty, utilities kept on so pipes do not burst, a lawn that tells the whole street nobody is watching.

And they are hard to sell the usual way. An empty room photographs cold, and every month on the market is another round of bills.

How we handle it

No need to be here

Plenty of vacant-house sellers live hours away. The whole process, from offer to closing, can happen without a trip back.

As it stands, dust and all

No staging, no utilities juggling for showings, no cleanup. We buy the house exactly as it stands today.

The bleed stops at closing

Pick a date inside 10 days and the carrying costs end there. One wire, one signature, done.

How unpaid property taxes work in Arkansas

A vacant house still owes property taxes every year. When those taxes go unpaid, Arkansas moves the property along a set path with fixed dates and required notices. Here is that path, so you can see where your house sits on it.

Taxes come due each year

Arkansas property taxes are due at the county collector's office between the first business day of March and October 15. Anything unpaid after October 15 is delinquent, and the collector adds a ten percent penalty. You may pay in installments instead: a quarter by the third Monday in April, a quarter by the third Monday in July, the last half by October 15.
The county holds it, then certifies it to the state

Each county collector delivers a list of delinquent land to a legal newspaper by December 1, and the paper prints it within seven days. The collector then holds the land one year from the date it went delinquent. If it is not redeemed by the county's certification date, capped by law at no later than July 1 of the following year, it goes to the state. Title then vests in the State of Arkansas, in the care of the Commissioner of State Lands.
The state sends notice and sets a sale date

The sale date must be no earlier than one year after certification. Before it, the Commissioner notifies the owner by certified mail about the right to redeem. If that mail is refused or comes back unclaimed, notice goes by regular mail. For an in-person auction, the owner and any interested parties also get regular mail at least thirty calendar days out. It all goes to the last known address the county has on file, which owners of empty houses often miss.
Redeeming ends before the sale, not after

Anyone may redeem the parcel after it is certified, up until 4 p.m. central time on the last business day before the sale date. Business day here means Monday through Friday that is not an official state holiday. Redeeming means paying the taxes, penalties, interest, fees and costs due. Inside the last thirty days the payment must be certified funds, postmarks are not accepted, and a payoff quote is good for only thirty calendar days.
The auction, and any money left over

The Commissioner holds public auctions once a year, in the county where the property sits or one next to it. The minimum bid equals the delinquent taxes, penalties, interest, fees and costs. The buyer receives a Limited Warranty Deed, which the state itself calls limited in nature and often needing later court action before the buyer holds full marketable title. Any action contesting that deed must be filed within ninety days after the date of conveyance.

Your options with a vacant house

You have more than one way out of this, and most of them do not involve us. It is worth seeing all of them before you pick one.

Pay it off, or let someone else pay it off

If you can cover the taxes, penalties, interest, fees and costs, redeeming is the cheapest way to keep the property. You can do it online through the Commissioner of State Lands or by petition. Arkansas lets anyone redeem, not just the owner, so a relative or a lender can pay it. Paying does not transfer ownership, so put any such arrangement in writing.

Sell on the open market

A traditional sale can bring the highest price when the house shows well and you have time. An empty house usually needs cleanout, repairs and utilities back on first, and buyers using a loan may need it to meet condition standards. Taxes and liens come out of your proceeds at closing, so the real risk is time, because a set sale date does not wait on a buyer's financing.

Do nothing and let it go to auction

Some owners choose this when a property is worth less than what is owed against it. If the sale brings more than the debt, that money is held for you, but you have to apply for it. Arkansas rules also bar a former owner from bidding on or buying that same parcel at the tax auction, directly or indirectly, so buying it back cheap is not an option.

Sell it to us as-is

We buy vacant houses as they are, so there is nothing to clean out, mow or repair first. You get a guaranteed cash offer within 24 hours, and we can close in less than 10 days. Taxes and liens are normally paid out of the sale at closing, so you do not front that money.

Same promise as every house we buy.

A guaranteed cash offer within 24 hours. No repairs, no showings, no fees. Close in less than 10 days, or on your timeline. See the whole process.

Get my cash offer

Questions sellers ask us

How long can taxes go unpaid before the state sells my house?

There is no single number, because the dates chain together and vary by county. The collector holds the land a year after it goes delinquent, certification happens no later than July 1 of the following year, and the sale comes no earlier than one year after that. Roughly two years at the very fastest, and commonly longer. Your county collector can tell you where your parcel actually stands.

I read that I get 10 days after the auction to buy my house back. Is that still true?

No. That was Arkansas law before Act 241 of 2023, which carries an act date of March 9, 2023, and plenty of older pages still repeat the old rule. Under current law, redeeming ends at 4 p.m. central time on the last business day before the sale, with no window afterward.

Can I sell a house that has back taxes on it?

Yes. Owing back taxes does not block a sale. What is owed is normally paid from the sale proceeds at closing so the buyer takes clear title. You can sell right up until the state sells the parcel, since redemption stays open until 4 p.m. the last business day before the sale.

The city keeps mowing my vacant lot and billing me. Can they do that?

Yes, where the city has an ordinance for it. Cities can order weeds cut and rubbish removed, and after seven days' written notice they can do the work and charge you. The city gets a lien, filed with the circuit clerk within 120 days of finishing, and can certify the amount plus a ten percent penalty to the county collector, where it lands on the tax books as delinquent taxes.

If my house sells at the tax auction for more than I owed, do I get the difference?

Yes, but you have to claim it. Money above the taxes, penalties, interest, fees, and costs is held for whoever held record title on the sale date. Apply to the Commissioner of State Lands: the funds are held two years before passing to the county. If a company offers to claim it for you, Arkansas rules cap its fee at ten percent of the excess.

Do I need to clean out the house?

No. Take what you want and leave the rest. We handle everything that stays behind.

Do you really buy houses in any condition?

Yes. We buy houses with bad roofs, foundation problems, fire or water damage, and houses full of belongings. You do not need to repair, clean, or clear anything out.

How fast will I get my offer?

We call you with a guaranteed cash offer within 24 hours of getting your property details.

We buy houses, we are not attorneys, so please have a lawyer look at anything specific to your property before you act on it.

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Get your guaranteed cash offer today

Tell us about your house. We will call within 24 hours with a real number.