We Buy Houses in South Philadelphia

Do you buy houses in South Philly?

Yes, all over South Philadelphia and in any condition: the rowhome your family has owned for fifty years, the one with a tenant upstairs, the one empty since Mom passed.

Vivid Properties is a local, family-owned real estate investment company based at 2614 Amber St, in the Kensington and Fishtown area. We buy directly for cash. We are not agents and we do not list houses. You get a fair written offer, usually within 24 hours, and you pick the closing day.

Which parts of South Philly do you buy in?

All of it. Here is the map the way neighbors talk about it.

What are South Philly houses like, and what needs work?

Almost everything is a brick rowhome, and many are old. Most of the rows on Christian Street west of Broad went up between the 1860s and the 1890s. The porch-front twins in Girard Estate date from about 1906 to 1915. With houses that age, the money usually goes to flat roofs and the seams where your roof meets the neighbor's, rear walls and back additions, basements that take water, and original wiring and plumbing.

One cost surprises a lot of owners. In Philadelphia, the water line from the main in the street to your house, and the sewer lateral from your house drain to the city sewer, are the owner's responsibility, not the city's. If the Water Department finds a problem, it sends a notice of defect with a repair deadline. Homeowners facing a shutoff after that notice may qualify for its zero-interest HELP loan.

How much have South Philly values gone up?

A lot, and not evenly. Here are the city's own assessments for the same houses.

Long-time owners cluster in the south end: in the 2010 census, the South District's most owner-occupied tracts included tracts in Girard Estates and Whitman, two above 80%. New building landed elsewhere, with Point Breeze getting 38.5% of the district's new homes permitted from 2006 to 2014. So a family house that needs everything often sits next to a brand-new build.

Want to stay put? Look at the city's tax help first. Our River Wards page explains the Homestead Exemption, LOOP and the senior tax freeze.

Inherited a house in South Philly?

Start with one question: who has the legal right to sign? Nobody can sell until someone does.

Inherited house

Keith, South Philadelphia

Keith inherited his mom's house in South Philadelphia. He tells the story in his own words in the video.

1. Open the estate. The Register of Wills probates the will, or issues letters of administration if there was no will. It is also the agent for filing and paying inheritance tax.
2. Keep the empty house legal. An unoccupied house needs a Vacant Residential Property License, $202 a year, unless it is being renovated.
3. Watch the tax bill. The Homestead Exemption takes $100,000 off the taxable assessment, but only for an owner who lives there, and the city asks for a new application when the deed changes. If no heir moves in, plan on a bigger bill.
4. Give everyone the same numbers. Put our written cash offer next to a realistic list price from a local agent, and decide together.

Old deeds are common here. One seller wrote:

Our guide to selling an inherited house in Philadelphia covers every step.

Is my South Philly house in a historic district?

Probably not, but two well-known pockets are. Girard Estate was designated in 1999. Christian Street/Black Doctors Row, designated in 2022, runs from just west of Broad to 20th Street, mostly three-story brick rows.

Designation does not stop a sale. It means any owner, including us, needs Historical Commission approval before work that needs a building permit or changes the outside, like a porch or windows. The city also says sellers should tell buyers, for example on the seller's disclosure form.

What does selling to us cost?

Honestly, a cash, as-is offer is usually less than the same house would bring fully fixed up and listed. The difference covers repairs, the months we carry taxes and insurance, our risk, and our resale costs. In return you skip repairs, the cleanout, showings, commissions and a buyer's mortgage falling through. We pay all the closing costs, and your written offer shows exactly what you walk away with before you sign.

1. Call, text or fill out the form. A real local person answers.
2. We see the house as it is. No cleaning out, no fixing first.
3. You get a written cash offer, usually within 24 hours, with no fees from us. See how we calculate it.
4. You pick the closing day. If listing would clearly net you more, we will say so (see cash sale vs listing).

The realty transfer tax is 4.578% (3.578% city plus 1% state), which the city says is usually split evenly between buyer and seller, though it does not have to be. Our Philadelphia page covers the Register of Wills, sheriff sales and L&I. Behind on taxes? Read how to stop a sheriff sale in Philadelphia.

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

Where else nearby do you buy?

Close to South Philly, see West Philadelphia (19104) across the Schuylkill, our home base in Kensington, Fishtown and Port Richmond, and Camden County, NJ over the Walt Whitman Bridge.

South Philly seller questions

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