How to Remove Squatters before Foreclosure
When a trustee in Chandler, Arizona inherited a home with a hostile occupant, animals living in filth, and a looming foreclosure date, he feared the worst. But with the right guidance, he took back control—and turned a nearly lost asset into a successful sale.
How to Sell a House in Foreclosure Limbo
The house sat in Chandler. Paid off, mostly. Tucked into a quiet neighborhood. From the street, you might not guess anything was wrong.
But the trustee knew better.
Inside was a family member—someone who had once been a beneficiary to the trust but had since forfeited her rights by refusing to cooperate. She wasn’t just living in the house illegally. She was resisting every effort to leave. Police had removed her more than once, only for her to break back in. Each return made it harder to maintain control.
There was a green pool in the backyard, two side gates busted open and left unlocked, and two neglected pets inside the house—a dog and a cat that had begun defecating indoors. The smell of urine and rot was seeping through the structure.
Water stains. Vandalism. No access to the property.
The trustee wasn’t just dealing with a squatter. He was managing a slow disaster—one that was now scheduled for auction in thirty days. The mortgage company had issued a foreclosure date. If nothing changed, the home would be lost to the bank—along with hundreds of thousands in equity. He needed to remove the squatter quickly before tens of thousands of dollars in equity evaporated.
Selling a House With no Time, Access, or Pictures
The trustee turned to his attorney, who’d handled the estate’s administration since day one. The Attorney had used Unbiased Options real estate services on situations like this multiple times and knew they were the best solution for removing squatters quickly and effectively when real estate needs to be sold.
For the squatter experts, at first, the situation sounded like dozens of others. But, the more they learned the more they realized it was worst case scenario because of the legal complexities, safety issues, no clean access to the home, inability to walk-through, no photos to sell or verify condition, and no signs that the unauthorized occupant would leave willingly- no matter how many times she was forced out.
What was at stake wasn’t just the condition of the house—but the very ability to sell it before the foreclosure hit. And with each passing day, the risk of losing everything got higher.
Taking Back Control from the Squatter
The moment Unbiased Options took over, they took quick action and began implementing security and safeguards as well as coordinating with law enforcement for a blitz on the property to get the occupant out and keep her out.
Security cameras were installed around the exterior of the home. The home was secured, rekeyed, gates repaired and locked down, and windows secured all A 24-hour security guard company was hired to monitor the property the moment the occupant was removed. The security guard was authorized to stay inside the home and protect it for the inevitable re-entry attempt.
And this time, when she came back to re-enter, she was surprised as she tried to make her way through the gate to the back of the house and could not get through. The open window had been boarded up, and her keys to the front door didn’t work.
As she began to break into the house, the door opened and she was met with more than a broken lock. Armed security preventing her entry and recorded evidence making her situation worse. Realizing the stakes had been raised and that she was not prepared to retake a property occupied with security, she fled and did not return.
For the first time, the trustee had full, uninterrupted control of the home. No more break-ins. No more uncertainty. Just a property that could finally be addressed.
The pets were safely removed and re-homed. The interior was cleared of trash and contaminated items. Odors, clutter, and waste were professionally handled and removed in lightning speed.
It wasn’t about restoring the house to perfection but quickly removing the squatter and eliminating chaos allowed the house to sold—fast.
Avoiding Foreclosure, A Win Against the Clock
With the home secure, cleared out, and safe to enter, it was listed on the open market as-is—no repairs, no renovations.
The strategy was simple: price it smart, disclose the condition, and move quickly.
Within two weeks, the trustee had multiple offers. One came in above asking, with a buyer who was ready to close before the foreclosure date.
That offer was accepted.
The house that had once seemed unsellable—trapped behind locked gates and legal obstacles—was now a done deal.
Results
- Unbiased Options Removed the Squatters and protected the property
- The home sold before the foreclosure date.
- The trust kept the equity that would have been lost.
- No money was spent out of pocket by the trust or beneficiaries.
- No remodels were needed to sell quickly.
And the trustee, once overwhelmed by setbacks and uncertainty, walked away with the outcome he’d hoped for from the beginning: resolution, equity preserved, and a clear win for the estate.
The Trustee remarked, “I was completely overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. The team at Unbiased Options stepped in, took control of a terrible situation, and helped us move forward with peace of mind. I hope no one has to go through what we did—but if they do, I’d tell them to call Max.”
