A Seller’s Experience With ELS
Hear a homeowner describe what it was like to work with us.
StatewideLewiston • Auburn • Lisbon • Greene
24 HoursFrom address to written offer
$0Commission and fees charged by us
Since 2021Buying houses directly from Maine owners
We can help
Lewiston Situations We Buy Through
Most of the Lewiston homeowners we work with are dealing with one of these six. None of them stops us from making an offer.
Urgent deadline
Foreclosure and Court Deadlines
Maine foreclosures run through court, and the redemption clock starts at judgment. Call before the deadline that protects your equity runs out.
Town tax debtDelinquent Property Taxes
A Maine tax lien can foreclose automatically after 18 months. Selling or redeeming before then is what keeps your equity under your control.
Estate propertyProbate and Estate Homes
We work with personal representatives through Probate Court, including estates that sat unopened for years.
Occupied propertyLandlords Ready to Be Done
A Portland or Lewiston multi-family wearing you out? We buy with tenants in place and handle the deposit transfer at closing.
Two owners, one houseDivorce and Separation
Turn the house into one clean number both sides can divide, without months of showings and price reductions on a schedule neither of you set.
As-is conditionVacant Houses and Camps
An empty Lewiston house through a January freeze is a burst-pipe claim waiting to happen. We take it exactly as it sits.
Also helping with inherited homes, fire damage, hoarder homes, occupied rentals, code violations, and job relocation. Pick your Maine region below for local detail.
Simple process
Three Steps From an Address to a Closing Date
No listing, no showings, and nothing you have to fix first.
- 01
Send us the address
Tell us the Maine town or county, the rough condition, who is living there, anything outstanding against the property, and whether there is a court date or deadline we should be working against.
- 02
Review a written offer
We price it against condition and recent sales in your own Maine town, then put a written, no-obligation cash offer in front of you within 24 hours.
- 03
Choose a workable date
Say yes and pick the date. We line up the closing agent and title work, and coordinate everything around a date that works for you.
Meet your buyer
Learn more about the company →
Meet the Buyer
Diego Santiago is a Brooklyn native who has been in real estate since 2019. He founded Expert Land Sellers in 2021 to give Lewiston homeowners a direct option when repairs, tenants, title problems, or timing make a traditional listing difficult. The company buys across Greater Portland, Lewiston-Auburn, Southern Maine, the Midcoast, and Down East, with offers available statewide.
Call about a Lewiston property and you get Diego. Not a call center, and not a lead form that gets resold three times. Foreclosure deadlines, town tax notices, estates moving through Probate Court, landlords ready to hand over the keys to a multi-family, and owners with a camp they no longer use are the calls he takes every week. You get a straight answer and a real number, with no pressure to take it.
A written offer, not a phone number
You choose the closing date
No repairs, no showings
Our approach in Lewiston, stated plainly
Expert Land Sellers evaluates each Lewiston property based on its actual condition, occupancy, title, legal use, and seller timeline.
Two ways to sell
Listing With an Agent, Compared With Selling Directly
Neither one is better. They answer different questions, and the honest way to choose is to see them side by side.
| Listing with an agent | Selling directly to Expert Land Sellers | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is buying | No buyer yet. You sign the listing agreement first, and your agent represents you while a buyer is found. Who that turns out to be is unknown on the day you sign. | We are. The offer comes from us, and Diego is who you talk to. |
| Who pays the commission | Whatever your listing agreement says. Read it before you sign and ask what the total is, who it is shared with, and what is negotiable. | There is no commission. We are the buyer, not an agent, so there is no listing agreement and nothing comes out of the price for one. |
| Repairs required before sale | Your decision, made before the property goes on the market. Ask what should be done first, what it will cost, and what your options are if a buyer’s inspection turns something up. | None. We buy the property exactly as it stands, and we handle everything after closing. Take what you want and leave the rest. |
| Showings and open houses | Selling on the open market means giving buyers a way to see the property. Ask how showings will be scheduled and how much notice you will get. | None. There is no listing, no staging, and no open house to get ready for. |
| Financing contingency and appraisal risk | A buyer who needs a mortgage brings a lender into the sale. Ask what happens if the appraisal comes in under the price or financing does not come through. | No lender is underwriting our purchase, so there is no appraisal to pass and no financing contingency to wait on. |
| Who chooses the closing date | There is no date to choose until there is a buyer, and it is agreed with the person who buys the property. | You pick the date. The schedule is set by the title work rather than by a loan approval, and we will tell you on the first call whether the date you need is reachable. |
| Closing costs charged to the seller | Maine’s real estate transfer tax and other recording fees can apply. Ask your agent or closing attorney to put your expected costs in writing before you list. | We cover the ordinary closing costs on our purchase. What is owed against the property is separate and is paid from the sale proceeds at closing. |
Neither column shows what you take home. Whichever route you take, the price is a price for the house and not the amount you walk away with. What comes out of the sale proceeds in a sale to us is set out under “What you actually take home.”
Questions Maine sellers ask us
Selling a Lewiston House to a Cash Buyer, Answered
Straight answers, with the Maine specifics that generic guides leave out.
How fast can you close on my Lewiston house?
Seven to fourteen days when there is a real deadline, and closer to thirty on a normal timeline. What drives it is the title work, an unopened estate, a town lien, or a shoreland septic question can add days. Tell us the deadline on the first call and we will say honestly whether we can beat it.
How does foreclosure work in Lewiston?
Through the courts. Maine is a judicial foreclosure state, so your lender has to file a civil action and obtain a judgment before the property can be sold. Before it can accelerate the loan it must first send you a notice giving you 35 days to cure the default.
Maine also runs a foreclosure mediation program for owner-occupied residential property of four units or fewer that is your primary residence. You have to request it, both sides must show up and negotiate in good faith, and the program fee is placed on the lender.
When exactly does my time run out?
Your statutory right to redeem runs 90 days from the date of the foreclosure judgment, not the auction. After that it expires, and only then does the lender publish notice of sale. If a judgment has been entered against you, call us with that date in hand.
I’m behind on town property taxes. What happens?
Your tax collector records a tax lien certificate and you generally have 18 months from that filing date to pay. If you do not, the lien forecloses by itself. There is no lawsuit, no hearing, and no auction. Selling or redeeming before the 18-month mark is what keeps your equity in the sale price.
If the town takes my property, do I lose all my equity?
Maine law provides a surplus process for tax-acquired property, but selling beforehand is the better position. You keep control of the price and the closing date rather than waiting for the town’s process.
I inherited a house in Lewiston. Can I sell it?
Usually. Maine uses the term personal representative, and a PR generally has authority to sell estate real estate unless the will restricts it or a court order says otherwise. Your title company may still want to see the appointment and recorded paperwork.
Maine’s small estate affidavit covers personal property only, so it cannot transfer a house. If the house has sat unprobated for years, speak with a Maine attorney early.
I live out of state. Will Maine take a cut at closing?
Maine may require withholding when the seller is a nonresident. The exact amount depends on the transaction and your exemption status, so we flag it early and your closing professional can confirm the correct filing.
There are tenants in the building. Can you still buy it?
Yes. We buy Portland and Lewiston multi-families with tenants in place and no showings required. A sale does not automatically erase a lease, and security deposits have to be accounted for and transferred properly at closing.
Do I have to fill out a disclosure form?
Maine generally requires a written property disclosure no later than the time you accept an offer, covering items such as water supply, heating, waste disposal, known defects, access, road maintenance, flood history, and shoreland zoning issues. If you are unsure whether an exemption applies, ask your attorney rather than guessing.
Do I pay any fees, commissions, or closing costs?
No commission and no fees from us. Maine’s real estate transfer tax and any other transaction costs will be shown by your closing professional on the settlement statement.
No obligation
Get a Cash Offer on Your Lewiston House
Send us the address and we will come back within 24 hours with a real number. A court deadline, town tax lien, an estate, tenants, a camp, or a house that needs everything. Bring it.
Expert Land Sellers. Call or text 603-704-1007Offer in 24 hoursNo repairsNo agent commission charged by usNo obligationYou pick the date
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