We Buy Houses in Clifton Heights and Westbrook Park

Which town is my Clifton Heights house actually in?

Check your property tax bill or deed. A Clifton Heights address only tells the mail carrier where to go. In the 2020 Census, about 23,700 people lived in the 19018 ZIP code, and only about 29 percent of them lived in Clifton Heights Borough. About 39 percent lived in Upper Darby Township, which takes in Westbrook Park and parts of Primos and Secane. Aldan had about 18 percent, and Ridley Township about 14 percent.

That matters when you sell, because each town runs its own resale inspection, with its own fees and paperwork. Here is who to call.

What are the houses like in Clifton Heights Borough?

Mostly rowhomes and other attached houses, with some single homes and a few apartment buildings, on a small footprint: the borough had 6,863 people in the 2020 Census. Its own history page traces it back to Thomas Kent, who settled here in 1839 and started the J. and T. Kent Company carpet yarn mill where the Baltimore Turnpike crosses Darby Creek. Trolleys started running on Baltimore Avenue in 1894, and the high point on Oak Avenue, between Baltimore Avenue and Springfield Road, was once known as Tin Kettle Hill.

In houses this age, the repairs that move the price are usually the roof, the sewer line to the street, old wiring and plumbing, the heater, and water in the basement. Clifton Heights Borough and Westbrook Park are both in the Upper Darby School District, which serves Upper Darby Township, Clifton Heights and Millbourne.

What does Clifton Heights Borough require before you sell?

A certificate of occupancy for settlement. The borough's code office lists these steps:

1. Apply. Fill out the borough's Application for Real Estate Transfer. The fee is $100 per unit, so a duplex costs more than a single house.
2. Get inspected. Schedule the inspection. The inspector gives you a report of items to correct.
3. Follow up. Schedule the follow-up inspection. The first follow-up is included, and each extra inspection is $50.
4. Settle. The inspector issues the certificate you need for settlement.

The borough inspects to the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code. Its summary list is a good preview of what gets written up: smoke detectors on every level including the basement, plus inside and outside sleeping areas; carbon monoxide alarms if the house has gas or oil appliances or an attached garage; handrails and sound steps; gutters and downspouts; no peeling paint; grass under 10 inches; a visible house number; window screens from May 1 to September 30; a relief valve tube on the water heater and furnace; a grounding jumper at the water meter; and heat that reaches 65 degrees in every habitable room. If you rent the house out, the borough also requires every rental to be registered.

Westbrook Park: what should sellers know?

Westbrook Park is a neighborhood of brick rowhomes in Upper Darby Township, a short way northwest of Clifton Heights Borough. Its houses carry Clifton Heights 19018 addresses, but they are in Upper Darby and follow Upper Darby's rules. Its streets include Westbrook Drive, Westpark Lane, Gramercy Drive, Whitehall Drive, Westley Drive and Alverstone Road, and Westbrook Park Elementary School sits at 199 Westbrook Drive.

The neighborhood went up all at once after World War II. Listing records for Westbrook Park homes commonly show build years of 1949 and 1950, and nearly every house is a rowhome. That gives the blocks a uniform look, and it means most of these houses are now about 75 years old.

Westbrook Park is one of our favorite neighborhoods to buy and renovate in. We know these blocks especially well, and we are especially interested in buying here, whether the house is move-in ready or needs everything.

What does Upper Darby require when you sell a Westbrook Park house?

A U&O permit before settlement. Upper Darby requires one for every property transfer, and it puts getting the certificate on the seller. The main points:

• File a complete application at least 14 business days before settlement. The township recommends 4 weeks because of volume.
• Include a sewer lateral certification from a licensed, Upper Darby approved contractor. The lateral is the pipe from your house to the sewer main.
• Expect a visual, non-invasive inspection. You get a final certificate, a temporary U&O certificate for minor violations (the buyer has one year to fix them), or a temporary access certificate for serious ones, which means no new occupants until those are fixed.
• If the buyer takes on the repairs, Upper Darby wants a notarized letter of intent from the buyer.

One new rule matters a lot here. Under Ordinance 2026-08, starting January 1, 2027, Upper Darby's transfer inspection includes a lead inspection for houses built before 1978, which covers essentially all of Westbrook Park. The house needs a Lead-Safe or Lead-Free certification. If work is needed first, the owner turns in the lead inspector's report and lab results, and the township says a missing certification does not, by itself, stop the transfer. Our Upper Darby page walks through the township's full process.

Can I still sell as-is if the inspection finds problems?

Yes. Pennsylvania's Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act, as changed by Act 133 of 2016, tells every town that requires a use and occupancy certificate what to do. Minor violations get a temporary use and occupancy certificate. Violations that make the house unfit to live in get a temporary access certificate, which lets the buyer in to make repairs. Either way, the buyer has 12 months from the purchase to bring the house up to code, and the town cannot demand an escrow or a bond to issue the certificate.

So a long inspection report is a repair list, not a dead deal. When you sell to us as-is, you still file for the inspection, but you do not make the repairs: we take on the list after closing. Our guide to selling a house as-is covers the details.

How does a cash offer compare with listing?

A cash, as-is offer is usually lower than what the same house would bring fully renovated on the open market. The difference covers the repairs, the risk of what we cannot see behind the walls, the months of taxes, insurance and utilities while we work, and the cost of selling it again. In return you skip the repairs before the inspection, the showings and the agent commission, you pay no fees to us, and you pick the closing day. We pay all the closing costs, and your written offer shows exactly what you walk away with before you sign.

If your house is in good shape and you have time, listing with an agent may net you more, and we will tell you so. See how we calculate our offer and our cash sale vs listing comparison.

Where are probate and sheriff sales handled?

In Media. Estates go through the Delaware County, PA Register of Wills at the Government Center, 201 W. Front Street, and sheriff sales are held on the third Friday of each month at 11 a.m. in the County Council Meeting Room there. Our Delaware County, PA page explains both.

Who usually calls us from Clifton Heights and Westbrook Park?

Most calls fit a few situations. A family inherits a rowhome with older systems and needs to settle the estate; our guide to selling an inherited house in Pennsylvania covers the state steps. A landlord is tired of the paperwork: Clifton Heights requires rental registration, and Upper Darby licenses and inspects rentals on a regular schedule, with lead inspections coming for pre-1978 rentals too. See selling a house with tenants. Or a listed house gets a long U&O report, the buyer's lender balks, and the seller wants a sure thing.

How does selling to us work here?

1. Call, text or send the form. A real local person answers at (267) 551-5554.
2. We see the house. We walk through it as it is. No cleaning, no fixing.
3. You get a written cash offer, usually within 24 hours, with no pressure to take it.
4. You pick the closing day. We plan around the borough's or Upper Darby's inspection timing so the paperwork is ready for settlement.

Get my cash offer Text or call (267) 551-5554

What nearby areas do we also buy in?

Questions Clifton Heights sellers ask

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. For your situation, talk to a Pennsylvania attorney or tax professional.