We Buy Houses in Kensington, Fishtown and Port Richmond

Do you really buy houses right here?

Yes, and this is the part of Philly we know most closely. Vivid Properties is a local, family-owned real estate investment company with its home base at 2614 Amber St, on a block of East Kensington rowhomes. When you call or text (267) 551-5554, a real local person answers. Michael Neavson and Jen Gorsen are two of the people you may talk with.

We buy directly for cash, as-is. We are not agents and we do not list houses. You get a fair written offer, usually within 24 hours, with no fees from us, and you pick the closing day. Sellers rate us 4.6 stars on Google and 5.0 on Facebook.

Which River Wards neighborhoods do you buy in?

All of them, from the edge of Northern Liberties up to Bridesburg.

What are River Wards houses like?

Old, mostly small, and almost all rows. City planners describe the River Wards as dominated by single-family rowhouses, and 72.1% of its homes were built before 1939. This was mill country: 19 textile buildings here are on the National Register as the Kensington Textile Thematic District, and some old mills now hold homes. In Fishtown the blocks get small and irregular, what planners call a village-like feel.

The new is mixed right in. In city records, about 1 in 4 single-family houses in East Kensington and 1 in 6 in Fishtown are new-style rows. Port Richmond and Bridesburg have changed less: planners called parts of Port Richmond and all of Bridesburg stable middle-class areas, and Bridesburg's most common house is a twin.

In houses this age, the money goes to old brick and pointing, rear walls and back additions, roofs and the flashing along party walls, water in the basement, and damage to a shared wall when the house next door is torn down or rebuilt.

Some blocks near Kensington Avenue have had a hard few years. If your house sits empty, has been broken into, or you no longer feel safe there, we buy it as it is. Keep in mind the city requires a Vacant Residential Property License for an unoccupied house unless it is being renovated.

My house is worth more and my taxes went up. What can I do?

First, know the numbers. Here is how the city's assessments moved for the same typical rowhomes.

At the 1.3998% rate the city lists for 2025, every $100,000 of taxable assessment costs about $1,400 a year. If you want to stay, the city has real help:

• Homestead Exemption. Takes $100,000 off the taxable assessment of the home you live in, which the city says saves most owners up to $1,399 a year. The final deadline each year is December 1.
• LOOP. For owners who have lived in the house at least 10 years, whose assessment rose 50% in one year or 75% over five years, who are under the income limit (for example $103,050 for one person), and who are current on taxes or in a payment plan. You cannot have LOOP and Homestead at the same time. Applications for 2027 are due September 30, 2027.
• Senior tax freeze. If you are 65 or older with income of $33,500 or less (single) or $41,500 or less (married), your tax bill can stop going up.
• Payment agreement (OOPA). If you live in the house and fell behind, you can pay past-due property taxes in monthly amounts based on your income.

We would rather see you keep the house if that is what you want. If you are ready to cash out, be clear-eyed: a house in good shape in Fishtown or East Kensington may well bring more listed with an agent than we would pay, and we will tell you so.

Inherited a rowhome, or tired of renting one out?

Both are common here. Between 2000 and 2010, the share of occupied River Wards homes that were rented rose from 27.8% to 38.6%. We buy inherited and rented houses as-is, with tenants in place if need be. Start with our guides to selling an inherited house in Philadelphia and selling a house with tenants.

Probate for any Philadelphia house runs through the Register of Wills in City Hall, Room 180, and sheriff sales are held online by the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office. Our Philadelphia page has the details. Facing a sale date? Read how to stop a sheriff sale in Philadelphia.

How does selling to us work in the River Wards?

The honest version: our cash offer for an as-is house is usually below what it could sell for fully renovated. That gap covers the repairs, the months we carry the house, our risk and our resale costs. You skip the repair bills, the cleanout, showings, commissions and the risk of a buyer's financing falling apart. We pay all the closing costs, and your written offer shows exactly what you walk away with before you sign.

1. Call, text or send the form. Tell us the address and the situation.
2. We see the house as it is. No cleaning, no repairs.
3. You get a written cash offer, usually within 24 hours. See how we calculate it and our cash sale vs listing comparison.
4. You pick the closing day. No pressure, ever.

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

Where else nearby do you buy?

Up the river, see Mayfair and Northeast Philly, including Frankford, Juniata and Tacony. We also buy in South Philadelphia, Germantown, and Camden County, NJ over the Betsy Ross Bridge.

River Wards seller questions

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