Sell Land With Clouded Title or Old Liens in Knoxville, TN
Knox County's records go back far enough that we regularly see unreleased deeds of trust from the 1970s and legal descriptions that reference fences and trees. Our closing attorney handles the curative filings at the Register of Deeds downtown at our cost, including quiet title suits when that is what the chain requires.
What you are dealing with
Sound familiar?
- A title search that came back with exceptions nobody can clear
- An old deed of trust that was satisfied but never released
- A gap in the chain of title or a defective legal description
- Judgment liens against a previous owner with a similar name
Where we see this around Knoxville
We buy land across Knox County, around Downtown, Old City, Fourth & Gill, Fort Sanders, Sequoyah Hills, and near the University of Tennessee.
- Downtown
- Old City
- Fourth & Gill
- Fort Sanders
- Sequoyah Hills
- Holston Hills
- Lonsdale
- Mechanicsville
Zip codes: 37902, 37909, 37912, 37914, 37915, 37916, 37917, 37918, 37919, 37920, 37921, 37922, 37923, 37924, 37931, 37932
How it works in Knox County
The local process, step by step
- Step 1
The search
The attorney examines the chain of title in the register of deeds' records, typically thirty to sixty years, and lists exceptions.
- Step 2
Curative work
Most exceptions are cured with releases, affidavits, quitclaim deeds, or corrective instruments recorded in the county.
- Step 3
Quiet title
When curative documents cannot be obtained, a quiet title suit in Chancery Court asks the court to declare ownership. It takes months, not weeks.
Knox County offices involved
- Deeds and plats
- Deeds, plats, easements, and mineral reservations for Knox County are recorded with the Knox County Register of Deeds at the City County Building downtown, and the chain is searchable back well over a century.
- Planning and zoning
- Zoning and subdivision review inside the city and the county run through the Knoxville-Knox County Planning commission, with separate city and county zoning ordinances governing minimum lot size, setbacks, and hillside disturbance.
- Septic and soils
- Septic and soil evaluations for parcels outside sewer service are handled through the Knox County Health Department's environmental health program under state rules.
- Delinquent taxes
- Delinquent property taxes are collected by the Knox County Trustee. Parcels that stay unpaid are turned over to the Clerk & Master and sold at tax sale through Chancery Court, and a tax-sale purchase carries a one-year redemption period.
- Probate
- Probate is handled by the Knox County Chancery Court, Probate Division, at the City-County Building at 400 Main Street downtown. An executor with letters testamentary can sign a sale contract once the court has appointed them. Tennessee has no statutory right of redemption after a foreclosure sale in most deeds, but tax-sale purchases carry a one-year redemption period. Probate in Tennessee typically runs 6-12 months; a house can be sold during probate with court approval or by the executor once appointed.
Legal notes
- • Judgment liens attach to real property owned in the county where the judgment is recorded.
- • Tennessee has statutes that can help clear ancient mortgages and stale claims -- ask an attorney what applies.
- • Title insurance may cover some defects for a buyer but does not cure them for a seller.
- • This is general information, not legal advice.
Your options
- • Hire an attorney to run the curative work yourself
- • File a quiet title action
- • Sell for cash to a buyer who takes the title risk and pays for the fix
How we handle it
Selling this parcel to us in Knoxville
We buy land with title problems and we pay to fix them. Our closing attorney handles releases, corrective deeds, affidavits, and quiet title actions where they are needed, at our cost. If the fix takes months, we will wait -- and where the risk allows, we will close before it is fully resolved.
We are based here, so a Knoxville walkthrough usually happens the same day you call.
Our process
Three steps, no surprises
- 1
Tell us about the house
Call or send the address. We ask about condition, timing, and what is going on -- not for photographs or a clean house.
- 2
We walk the property
We look at it ourselves as a licensed contractor and price the repairs from real numbers instead of a padded guess.
- 3
Written offer, your date
You get a written, no-obligation offer, usually within 24 hours. You pick the closing date; we can close in as little as seven days.
FAQ
Clouded Title Land in Knoxville: common questions
- Where are Knox County deeds and easements recorded?
- Deeds, plats, easements, and mineral reservations for Knox County are recorded with the Knox County Register of Deeds at the City County Building downtown, and the chain is searchable back well over a century.
- How well do you know land around Knoxville?
- Well enough to price it. We buy across Knox County, including near the University of Tennessee and around Downtown, Old City, Fourth & Gill. We are based here, so a Knoxville walkthrough usually happens the same day you call.
- Are utilities available on Knoxville area land?
- Water, sewer, and electric availability varies sharply by parcel here -- KUB serves much of the urban area while outlying parcels depend on utility district lines and well or septic.
- A previous owner has a judgment against them. Is that my problem?
- It can be if it attached while they owned the parcel. The attorney checks whether it actually encumbers your land or is a name-match only.
- Will you close before the title is cleared?
- Sometimes, depending on the defect. We are willing to carry risk that a retail buyer's lender never would.
- Who pays for a quiet title suit?
- We do, when we are the buyer.
No obligation
Get your Knoxville land offer
No survey, no soil test, no cleanup, no commission. Send the parcel number and we will come back with a written number.
Clouded Title Land in Knoxville
No obligation, no fees, no repairs. Tell us about the property and you get a written cash offer within 24 hours of the walkthrough.
Related
Other land situations we buy in around Knoxville
Have the parcel number? Call (865) 277-6808 and we will look it up.
Call (865) 277-6808