If you’re a Connecticut resident who owes back child support, selling your home can seem daunting and complex. You may have questions about how the unpaid support payments affect the sale and what options you have to sell quickly. Here is what you need to know about selling a house in Connecticut when you owe child support.
Will Selling Your Connecticut House Affect Child Support?
No, it won’t! Your child support amount is based on a percentage of your income. If you are paying child support regularly, then the sale of your house will not affect it. However, the debt will be paid from the sale proceeds if you have unpaid child support. Since this situation has many variables, an experienced lawyer can guide you better.
How Child Support Debt Can Affect Selling Your House in Connecticut
In Connecticut, the Support Enforcement Services division of the Department of Social Services is in charge of enforcing and collecting unpaid child support. If you need to catch up on your mandated child support payments, they can take action to recover the owed funds.
One method is placing a lien on your property, including your home. A lien gives them a legal claim on the property for the value of the debt owed. In practice, this means that if and when you sell your home, a portion of the sale proceeds must first go toward paying off the child support lien before you receive any payout.
Child support liens in Connecticut do not prohibit you from selling your home – you can still market and sell it even with a lien attached. However, potential buyers and their lenders will know about the lien’s existence. Since a property with a lien is considered “unmortgageable,” your pool of prospective buyers shrinks.
How Much Back Child Support Must Be Owed for a Lien?
The Department of Social Services does not place a lien on a property when a resident falls behind on child support payments. Liens are only pursued once a substantial amount is owed. According to Connecticut state law, a lien requires at least $500 in overdue support.
Even when hundreds or thousands are owed, the Department typically starts with other enforcement methods first, like wage garnishment or intercepting tax returns. Liens on property are usually reserved for cases of significant long-term nonpayment where other techniques have failed.
Still, it’s important to note that unpaid child support is considered a debt, even without a formal lien. If you sell your home with outstanding payments owed, the debt does not simply disappear – you are still responsible for paying it.
How to Sell Your Home When You Owe Child Support in Connecticut
If you move forward with selling your Connecticut property while owing back child support, here are a few key steps you can take.
Find a Cash Buyer
The lien placed on your house makes it difficult to mortgage it. A cash buyer is your only option, as they don’t have to rely on a financial institute to cover the amount for the home. However, cash buyers tend to negotiate hard to get a better deal.
Sell To Neighbor Joe
Neighbor Joe is your local cash home buyer ready to buy your property with a lien due to child support. We do not care about the legal status of your home and offer you cash for it. We will provide a fair market value to your home so you can quickly sort out your finances. Contact us today; we will help you sell your house in three simple steps. There is no waiting for buyers or lengthy negotiations.
Step 1: Arrange for us to come and visit your property. Don’t worry about preparing, repairing, or cleaning it. We will assess your property and provide a cash offer within 24 hours of viewing. The offer comes to you for free and without any obligation. You can take your time to decide and let us know if you want to go ahead.
Step 2: Once you decide to accept our fair cash offer, we can start closing. We can close in as little as seven days and get cash in your hand. If you need more time to sort out your affairs or have a moving timeline decided, we can also accommodate that.
Step 3: Sign the paperwork, hand over the keys, and receive your cash. Use the proceeds from the sale to pay the overdue child support and prepare for a new beginning. We handle all the closing costs and fees to get you maximum equity.
Advantages of Selling to Neighbor Joe
Here are some advantages of selling your house to Neighbor Joe.
Streamlined Selling Process
Neighbor Joe has a streamlined sale process that makes it easy to sell your house regardless of the situation or status. Sell your home to us in three simple steps. Sit back and relax while we handle everything from the offer to closing. We can close the deal in as little as seven days and get cash for your home.
Save yourself the time, cost, and hassle of listing your house with an agency. Sell your home on your timeline without waiting months for a buyer.
No Inspection
Neighbor Joe buys your home without any inspection. Inspections add to the cost and time of selling your house. The inspector will highlight the problems with the house that can be very expensive to fix. We do not care about the condition of the house. You can sell as-is, knowing that we will purchase your home as long as you want to sell. Whether your house needs minor fixes or major repairs, we will offer a fair cash offer.
No Cleaning
Save yourself the hassle and expense of cleaning and decluttering your house before selling. Neighbor Joe will buy your property in cash, even if it requires deep cleaning. Once you accept our cash offer, just move out your personal belongings, and we will handle any needed cleaning, painting, or trash removal after closing.
No Repair or Maintenance
You don’t need to repair or maintain your house when you sell to Neighbor Joe. Repairing and maintaining your house before selling can take a considerable chunk of your home’s equity. Whether your home needs minor repairs like fixing light fixtures or major ones like roof and floor repairs, we will buy it and pay you in cash. There is no need for any upgrades or renovation with our as-is offer. We will handle any required repairs or upgrades after closing.
No Financing
Neighbor Joe buys your home for all cash offers, so you do not have to worry about financing. Our offer doesn’t rely on loans or other forms of funding. We do not get any financial institutions involved in buying your house. Since we are ready with the cash for your home, you can close at a convenient time. Sell even the most “unmortgageable” homes with us.
No Closing Costs, Commissions, or Fees
Neighbor Joe is not a real estate agency, and we do not charge any brokerage fee or commission on the sale of your house. Closing fees range from 4% to 6% of the sale amount, which is significant. You can sell your home without worrying about hidden costs or surprise charges. You don’t have to pay anything out of pocket; we will also cover all the closing costs. The full amount of the sale will go straight to you without any deductions.
No Negotiations
Most buyers will want to renegotiate if they know your house has issues. Whether the problem is lien due to unpaid child support or repair and maintenance issues, they will try to bring down the price of the home. Neighbor Joe believes in getting a fair price for your home without haggling. You don’t have to deal with lengthy negotiations or a lowball offer. Our offer is based on the fair market value of your home.
Sell your house quickly to Neighbor Joe, regardless of its legal or financial situation. We are your trusted local cash buyer, serving Connecticut since 2018. Contact us or call us at 203-590-9487 to schedule a home visit today!