How We Buy Houses, Step by Step

How does selling your house to us work?

You make two decisions: whether to take the offer, and what day to close. We and the title company handle the rest.

1. Call, text or send the form. Reach us at (267) 551-5554 or use the 1-minute form. A real person from our local team answers.
2. Answer a few questions. The condition, whose name is on the deed, whether anyone lives there, any mortgage or liens, and your timing. This shows early whether anything, like an estate or a lease, needs sorting out before closing.
3. Show us the house once. One visit, or photos or a video walkthrough. We look at the roof, heating, electrical, plumbing, basement, kitchen and baths. Leave everything as it is.
4. Get a written offer, usually within 24 hours. We pay all the closing costs, and your written offer shows exactly what you walk away with before you sign.
5. Review it with family or an attorney. No pressure and no rush from us. Compare it with other offers or an agent's opinion.
6. Sign, and the title company gets to work. A title company or settlement attorney searches the public records for anything that must be paid or fixed first, such as a mortgage, back taxes, liens or judgments, and prepares the deed.
7. Pick your closing day. Set it far enough out to pack and plan your move. The paperwork decides how soon closing can happen, and we will tell you plainly if anything affects it.
8. Sign and get paid at closing. You sign the deed in front of a notary. The title company pays off your mortgage and any liens from the sale money, takes out any costs your offer says you pay, and pays you the rest.

What do you do, and what do we handle?

What happens at closing in Pennsylvania?

A title company or settlement attorney runs the closing, and the new deed is recorded with the county's Recorder of Deeds. In Philadelphia, that office is the city's Department of Records, which requires the deed to be notarized.

Pennsylvania charges a 1% state realty transfer tax, collected when the deed is recorded, and local governments often add their own. In Bucks County, for example, the total is 2%. In Philadelphia, the combined rate has been 4.578% since July 1, 2025: 3.578% for the city plus 1% for the state.

State law holds the buyer and the seller both responsible for the tax, so the sale agreement decides who pays. In Philadelphia, it is usually split evenly, though that is not a legal requirement. In a sale to us, the written offer states who pays it.

Pennsylvania's Real Estate Seller Disclosure Law also applies: most sellers must give the buyer a signed statement of the material defects they know about before the agreement of sale is signed. Executors selling as part of an estate are one exception. Selling as-is means we take the house with its problems; you still tell us about the ones you know.

What happens at closing in New Jersey?

A title company or settlement attorney runs the closing, and the deed is recorded with the county clerk. The Camden County Clerk's Office, for example, files the county's deeds and mortgages. Three New Jersey rules differ from Pennsylvania:

• The seller pays the Realty Transfer Fee. New Jersey puts this fee on the seller by law, and the amount depends on the price. Your written offer shows who pays what.
• Every seller signs a GIT/REP form. This state income tax form goes with the deed. Sellers who live outside New Jersey generally make an estimated tax payment at closing, listed by the state as 2% of the price, unless an exemption applies.
• Flood risk must be disclosed. Before the buyer is bound by the contract, sellers must say whether the property is in a FEMA flood hazard area and what they know about its flood risk.

What can slow a closing down?

Delays usually come from paperwork, not from the condition of the house:

• The owner on the deed has passed away. Estate paperwork may need to be finished first. See our guides for Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
• More than one owner. Everyone on the deed needs to agree and sign.
• Liens, judgments or back taxes. They are paid from the sale money, once the title company confirms the amounts.
• A sheriff sale or foreclosure date. Closing has to happen before the sale date, so call early. Read how to stop a sheriff sale in Philadelphia or foreclosure in New Jersey.
• Tenants. Leases and notice rules affect timing. See selling a house with tenants.

None of these stop us from making an offer. They affect how soon you can close.

★★★★★

“I had a very pleasant experience selling my house with Vivid Properties. Their representative, Aaron, was extremely professional and guided me through the entire process, even though the house was in my grandmother's name. I even referred a childhood friend, who is now selling his house with them. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would definitely give them a 10.”

What should you have ready?

Nothing, to get an offer. Before closing, gather a photo ID for everyone who will sign, your latest mortgage statement, the deed if you have it, any estate papers, and leases if the house is rented.

How do you know the offer is fair?

Check the math: our page on how we calculate our offer shows every line for a sample Philadelphia rowhome. Then compare: get another offer or an agent's opinion, and read our cash sale vs listing comparison. If listing is the better choice for your house, we will say so.

What do we buy, and where?

Single-family houses (rowhomes, twins and singles) and small buildings with 2 to 4 units, in any condition. We buy in Philadelphia, Delaware County, PA, Bucks County and Montgomery County, PA, and in South Jersey: Camden, Burlington and Gloucester counties. See every area we buy in.

Questions about the process

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