We Buy Houses with Liens in Southern California — Even Red Tag Properties

Liens and violations don’t stop a cash sale. We pay off what’s attached to your title at closing and buy the house as-is — no fines to settle, no repairs, no fees. Walk away clear with cash in hand.

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We Offer Cash for Code Violation Properties in Southern California

Dealing with liens, code violations, or a red tag property in Southern California? We buy houses with property liens, code violations, unpermitted work, and red tags. You don’t need to fix violations, pay fines, or bring your house up to code. Selling a house with code violations is simple with us — we buy it as-is and close your home sale fast.

When the city tags your property or sends violation notices, selling your house through the traditional market becomes nearly impossible. Banks won’t finance homes with active code violations, and most buyers won’t touch red-tagged properties. Bringing a house up to code can cost $10,000–$100,000+ in repairs, permits, and inspection fees — expenses many homeowners simply can’t afford. That’s where we come in.

We buy SoCal homes with code violations, unpermitted work, and city enforcement issues exactly as they are. No repairs, no permits, no fines — we handle everything and close fast, so you get a clean exit out of a stressful situation. We’ve been buying SoCal homes with liens and violations since 2017.

SoCal’s Go-To Homebuyer Since 2017

  • Highest Off-Market Price
  • Liens Paid Off at Closing
  • Zero Fees
  • No Closing Costs
  • Cash Offer in 24 Hours
  • Sell As-Is. No Repairs. No Permits
  • No Fines to Settle First

Types of Liens We Can Pay Off at Closing

A lien doesn’t stop us from buying your house. Whatever is attached to your title, we work with our escrow and title company to pay it off from the sale proceeds at closing — you don’t need to settle anything before you sell to us.

1

Properties with tax liens from the county or the IRS can be difficult to sell traditionally. We buy houses with tax liens and work to resolve them at closing, so the debt gets paid from your proceeds — not out of your pocket.

4

If someone won a lawsuit against you, that judgment can attach to your home as a lien. You can still sell — the judgment gets paid from the sale proceeds at closing, and the title clears for transfer.

2

City fines from code violations can pile up fast and turn into recorded liens (official claims filed with the county recorder that attach to your title and public record). We resolve code violation liens and unpaid fines as part of the house purchase, so you sell without having to settle these issues first.

5

Behind on HOA dues? Your association can place a lien on your home for unpaid assessments — and in California, an HOA lien can eventually lead to foreclosure. We buy houses with HOA liens before it gets that far and clear the debt at closing.

3

Did a contractor file a mechanic’s lien over an unpaid bill or a dispute? California contractors and subcontractors use these liens often, and they ‘cloud’ your title (meaning they create a claim that stops you from transferring clean ownership) until they’re released. We buy houses with mechanic’s liens and handle the payoff and lien release through escrow.

6

Unpaid child support in California can turn into a lien against your home, recorded by the state’s child support agency. It works like any other lien at closing — the overdue amount gets paid from your sale proceeds through escrow, the lien is released, and the sale moves forward. No need to pay it down before you sell.

1

Properties with tax liens from the county or the IRS can be difficult to sell traditionally. We buy houses with tax liens and work to resolve them at closing, so the debt gets paid from your proceeds — not out of your pocket.

3

Did a contractor file a mechanic’s lien over an unpaid bill or a dispute? California contractors and subcontractors use these liens often, and they ‘cloud’ your title (meaning they create a claim that stops you from transferring clean ownership) until they’re released. We buy houses with mechanic’s liens and handle the payoff and lien release through escrow.

5

Behind on HOA dues? Your association can place a lien on your home for unpaid assessments — and in California, an HOA lien can eventually lead to foreclosure. We buy houses with HOA liens before it gets that far and clear the debt at closing.

2

City fines from code violations can pile up fast and turn into recorded liens (official claims filed with the county recorder that attach to your title and public record). We resolve code violation liens and unpaid fines as part of the house purchase, so you sell without having to settle these issues first.

4

If someone won a lawsuit against you, that judgment can attach to your home as a lien. You can still sell — the judgment gets paid from the sale proceeds at closing, and the title clears for transfer.

6

Unpaid child support in California can turn into a lien against your home, recorded by the state’s child support agency. It works like any other lien at closing — the overdue amount gets paid from your sale proceeds through escrow, the lien is released, and the sale moves forward. No need to pay it down before you sell.

1

Properties with tax liens from the county or the IRS can be difficult to sell traditionally. We buy houses with tax liens and work to resolve them at closing, so the debt gets paid from your proceeds — not out of your pocket.

2

City fines from code violations can pile up fast and turn into recorded liens (official claims filed with the county recorder that attach to your title and public record). We resolve code violation liens and unpaid fines as part of the house purchase, so you sell without having to settle these issues first.

3

Did a contractor file a mechanic’s lien over an unpaid bill or a dispute? California contractors and subcontractors use these liens often, and they ‘cloud’ your title (meaning they create a claim that stops you from transferring clean ownership) until they’re released. We buy houses with mechanic’s liens and handle the payoff and lien release through escrow.

4

If someone won a lawsuit against you, that judgment can attach to your home as a lien. You can still sell — the judgment gets paid from the sale proceeds at closing, and the title clears for transfer.

5

Behind on HOA dues? Your association can place a lien on your home for unpaid assessments — and in California, an HOA lien can eventually lead to foreclosure. We buy houses with HOA liens before it gets that far and clear the debt at closing.

6

Unpaid child support in California can turn into a lien against your home, recorded by the state’s child support agency. It works like any other lien at closing — the overdue amount gets paid from your sale proceeds through escrow, the lien is released, and the sale moves forward. No need to pay it down before you sell.

Types of Code Violations We Handle

As a company that buys houses for cash in Southern California, we purchase properties with all types of building code violations and city enforcement issues. No matter what violations your Southern California home has, we want to make you a cash offer, so you can sell your house quickly and move forward.

1

Has your SoCal home been red tagged by the city? We buy red tag properties where the city has declared the structure unsafe or uninhabitable. You won’t need to make costly repairs or go through the appeals process.

3

Did you discover unpermitted additions, renovations, or construction during a sale attempt? We buy houses with unpermitted work as-is. You don’t ever have to get retroactive permits or bring the work up to code.

2

We buy houses that aren’t up to code, including electrical, plumbing, structural, and mechanical violations. Whether you’ve received a notice of violation or failed an inspection, we can help.

4

Facing the stress of code enforcement? We buy Southern California properties with property maintenance violations, zoning issues, and other city code violations.

1

Has your SoCal home been red tagged by the city? We buy red tag properties where the city has declared the structure unsafe or uninhabitable. You won’t need to make costly repairs or go through the appeals process.

2

We buy houses that aren’t up to code, including electrical, plumbing, structural, and mechanical violations. Whether you’ve received a notice of violation or failed an inspection, we can help.

3

Did you discover unpermitted additions, renovations, or construction during a sale attempt? We buy houses with unpermitted work as-is. You don’t ever have to get retroactive permits or bring the work up to code.

4

Facing the stress of code enforcement? We buy Southern California properties with property maintenance violations, zoning issues, and other city code violations.

When Should You Sell a House with Violations?

Consider selling your property to us if:

  • You’ve received a red tag or violation notice from the city
  • Your property failed inspection due to code violations
  • You discovered unpermitted work that’s killing your traditional house sale
  • Code enforcement is threatening fines or legal action
  • Repair costs to fix violations are more than you can afford
  • You inherited a property with code violations or unpaid city fines
  • You’re facing tax liens or city liens you can’t resolve on your own
  • A contractor, court judgment, or HOA has placed a lien on your title
  • Traditional buyers keep backing out due to title issues or violations
Get Started OR CALL (951) 720-7197
Paper notice taped to the front door of a house
Paper notice taped to the front door of a house

How to Sell Your House with Liens to Us

Step 1

Contact Us About Your Liens

Reach out by phone or form. Tell us about the liens, violations, red tags, or code enforcement issues you’re facing. We’ll explain how we can help.

Step 2

Get Your Cash Offer

We’ll inspect your Southern California property and assess any liens and violations. Within 24 hours, you’ll receive a fair cash offer with no obligation. We factor in lien issues — you don’t fix anything.

Step 3

Close and Move On

Accept our offer and we handle the rest. We can close in as little as 7–10 days, so your lien headaches end and you walk away with cash in your hands.

Get Your Cash Offer Now

See How We’ve Helped SoCal Homeowners Sell with Liens & Violations

  • I was lost and needed help with selling my fathers house after his passing and there was a man named Javier that helped me out tremendously and took a lot of stress off my back with his expertise. Javier reached out to me about the home and was helpful from the start with everything and handled everything because he knew what had to be done and he did it, for me, and I am sure plenty of other folks will get the help they need too. Javier is the epitome of a professional.
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    Zachary K.
    Google Verified Review
  • Working with Javier was a pleasure. He was an honest, smart and reliable business man. I would highly recommend working with Exclusive SoCal Homes.”
    Google logo icon
    Gio N.
    Google Verified Review

Reviews originally published on Google for Exclusive SoCal Homes LLC, doing business as Exclusive SoCal Home Buyers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. A lien is a legal claim against your property for an unpaid debt — and it doesn’t block a sale, it just has to be paid when the title transfers. When you sell to us, the lien gets paid straight from the sale proceeds through escrow. You don’t need to come up with the cash first, and in most cases you never deal with the lien holder yourself — the title company handles it. We buy Southern California homes with tax liens, judgment liens, mechanic’s liens, and HOA liens all the time.

Yes. A federal tax lien makes a traditional sale harder, but it doesn’t make your home unsellable — the IRS mainly wants to get paid. If your sale proceeds cover the tax debt, the lien is paid off through escrow like any other lien. If you owe more than the sale will cover, the IRS has a process to release the property from the lien so the sale can still close, while you work out the remaining balance separately. That process takes extra time, so tell us about an IRS lien early — we’ll build the timeline around it.

Yes. While traditional buyers usually won’t purchase homes with code violations, and many banks won’t finance them, we buy houses in Southern California with code violations regularly. You can sell your property without fixing violations or bringing it up to code.

If you don’t address code violations, your city can impose fines, place liens on your property, or in severe cases, declare it uninhabitable with a red tag (meaning everyone, including the owner, is ordered to move out immediately). Sell to us and you avoid these very stressful situations without spending money on repairs.

Yes. Red-tagged properties are one of our specialties. We buy houses that have been declared unsafe or uninhabitable by the city. You don’t need to make repairs, go through appeals, or bring the property up to code.

Through escrow, in a set order. Once you accept our offer, the title company runs a title search to find every lien recorded against your property — including ones you may not know about. At closing, the sale money pays them off by priority: property taxes and your mortgage come first, then the remaining liens down the line. Whatever is left after the payoffs goes to you. Each lien holder then records a lien release, which clears your title for the transfer. You never write a check yourself, and you walk away with the debt behind you.

Yes. When someone wins a lawsuit against you, they can record that judgment against your home — in California this happens through an abstract of judgment filed with the county. It becomes a judgment lien on the property, and like every other lien, it gets paid from your sale proceeds at closing. If the amount is disputed or the judgment looks wrong, the escrow company can hold funds aside while it gets sorted out, so the sale itself doesn’t have to wait.

Absolutely. We buy houses that aren’t up to code all the time. Whether it’s electrical issues, plumbing violations, structural problems, or unpermitted work, we buy properties that don’t meet current building codes. You sell as-is without lifting a finger.

In extreme cases, yes. If code violation fines go unpaid long enough, the city can place a lien on your property — and in rare situations, that can lead to a lien foreclosure. Sell to us and you avoid this outcome entirely. We handle properties with outstanding fines and work to resolve them as part of the purchase, so you move forward without the weight of rising penalties.

We buy houses with unpermitted work all the time. You don’t need to get retroactive permits, hire engineers, or bring anything up to code. We purchase the property as-is with full knowledge of any unpermitted work.

Get Started Today Call for Offer (951) 720-7197