Who actually decides whether the house can be sold
When a bankruptcy is filed, the house generally becomes part of the bankruptcy estate, and a trustee is appointed. Selling estate property usually requires the trustee's involvement and often court approval.
So the first call is your bankruptcy attorney, and the second is also your bankruptcy attorney. We are a buyer. We do not advise on the bankruptcy, we do not talk to your trustee on your behalf, and we would be suspicious of any buyer who offered to.
Which chapter you are in changes the answer
The two chapters put a house in quite different positions, and general advice about "selling in bankruptcy" is close to useless without knowing which one applies.
We are not going to summarize bankruptcy law on a page selling houses. Your attorney will tell you where your particular filing leaves the property, what exemptions apply, and whether a sale helps or hurts the plan. Ask that question specifically, because the answer determines whether the rest of this page is relevant to you at all.
The Westbury market underneath this
The Westbury median has barely moved year over year as of 2026-05, at 3.35%. Flat is the hardest market to price a fixer into, because there is no upward drift to cover a mistake and no urgency pushing buyers to overlook a problem. At a $801,000 median, Westbury buyers are paying enough that they expect the house to be finished. A dated kitchen is a deduction in a cheaper market and close to disqualifying in this one, which is why unrenovated houses here sit while the renovated ones move. The median house goes under contract in about 41 days, which is not slow - but it describes houses that were already showable on day one.
A four-bedroom on Sunnyside Lane. A three-bedroom on Montauk Court. A house on Lewis Avenue. All of them in Westbury, all bought by us.
Why cash suits a Westbury court timeline
Court-approved sales run on the court's schedule, and a financed buyer is a poor fit for that. Rate locks expire, approvals go stale, and a buyer who has waited two months for a hearing frequently walks.
We are not borrowing, so there is nothing on our side that expires. We can wait for a date, and we can hold a number while the process runs. On top of that there is no appraisal contingency and no financing contingency, which removes the two most common reasons an approved sale still falls apart afterward.
The condition of the Westbury house does not matter to us
Deferred maintenance is the norm in this situation rather than the exception, and we price Westbury houses in that condition every week. Whatever has been put off, say so at the start.
The reason to be upfront is not politeness. A number that changes after the trustee has seen it is a much bigger problem in a court-supervised sale than in a private one, and the way to avoid that is to price the house accurately the first time.
What you do not pay when you sell a house in bankruptcy
Each of the following comes with a retail listing of a house in bankruptcy, and none of it comes with ours.
- Agent commission
- $40,050 at 5% of the Westbury median none
- Seller closing costs
- About $16,020 on a $801,000 sale. We can cover these. none
- Repairs to make it listable
- Whatever it takes to make it listable, paid in advance none
- Cleanout and removal
- Per truckload, before anyone views it none
- Carrying costs while it waits
- Taxes, insurance and utilities across the 86 to 101 days it takes to find a buyer and then wait on their lender none
What to bring your attorney
Your attorney will do the legal work. What slows these sales down is usually missing paperwork, and most of it is easy to gather early.
A current mortgage payoff statement from your servicer, the latest property tax bill, the deed if you have it, and our written offer with proof of funds. With those in hand your attorney can tell you quickly whether a sale fits your filing, and the trustee has what they need to look at a specific Westbury transaction rather than a hypothetical one.
How selling a house in bankruptcy in Westbury works
- 1
You give us the address
The street address in 11590 and a sentence or two about the condition, by phone or the form. No photos needed, and nothing has to be cleaned or repaired first.
- 2
One short visit
One of us comes by once, usually for less than half an hour. On a cape cod or colonial like most of Westbury, what we look at closely is the roof, the boiler and the wiring, not the finishes.
- 3
A written offer within 24 hours
One figure, in writing, inside 24 hours. Not a range. Show it to a Nassau County agent if you want a second view; if the house is already in good enough shape to list, an agent may get you more, and we will say so.
- 4
You pick the closing date
Fast if you need fast, or months out if you are waiting on probate, a tenant, or somewhere to move to. Either way you skip the 86 to 101 days a listed Westbury house spends finding a buyer and then waiting on that buyer's mortgage.
When the Westbury house is behind on payments too
Many people file for bankruptcy with the mortgage already behind, and some file with a foreclosure already started. The filing can change where that foreclosure stands, and your attorney will tell you exactly where yours is.
What matters for a sale is that the arrears, the mortgage and any fees all come off the proceeds at closing, like any other payoff. If there is equity in a Westbury house, a sale approved inside the bankruptcy can protect more of it than letting a foreclosure finish.
Common questions
Can I sell my house while in bankruptcy?
In many cases, yes. The house normally becomes part of the bankruptcy estate when you file, so the trustee has a say and the court often has to approve the sale. That makes your attorney the first call, before any buyer, including us.
Do you deal with the trustee for me?
No. Your attorney deals with the trustee and the court, and that is how it should be. We give your attorney the offer, the proof of funds and anything else they ask for, and we work to the date the court sets.
Will you wait for court approval?
Yes. With no lender involved there is no rate lock or commitment letter running out while you wait for a hearing, so a court calendar does not put the sale at risk the way it can with a financed buyer.
Does the condition of the house matter?
No. We buy as-is, and repairs that were put off are expected here. Just as important, the number we give is the number we close at. A court-approved figure that a buyer then tries to reduce is a problem nobody needs.