Get An Offer Today, Sell In A Matter Of Days
Relocating puts you on two clocks at once. One is the new job, the lease, the school year, the report date. The other is a Philadelphia house that doesn’t care about any of it. The gap between those two clocks is where the money goes — and it’s usually bigger than people plan for.
“I’ll just rent it out” — what Philadelphia actually requires
This is the first idea most people have, and in Philadelphia it’s harder than it sounds. Before you can legally rent your house you need a Rental License from L&I, and there’s a catch that specifically affects people who are moving away:
- You can’t self-manage from out of town. Out-of-city owners generally can’t complete the Rental License application without designating a local managing agent. If you’re moving to Charlotte or Houston, you’re not licensing this property in your own name from there — you’re hiring someone, which is typically 8–10% of rent, ongoing.
- Lead certification for anything built before March 1978. That’s most of Philadelphia’s housing stock. The property has to be certified lead-free or lead-safe by a certified inspector, and the certification has to stay current at renewal.
- Certificate of Rental Suitability. You have to give every new tenant a certificate issued by L&I no more than 60 days before the lease starts.
- Clean record required. You must be current on all city taxes and fines with no outstanding L&I violations — and L&I re-verifies that at every renewal.
None of that is impossible. It’s just a real, ongoing job with real cost, being performed from several states away, on top of whatever the new city is already demanding of you. A lot of owners talk themselves into it, then sell eighteen months later after a bad tenant and a violation they found out about by mail.
What the gap actually costs
While the house sits empty and unsold you’re still carrying the mortgage, the taxes, the insurance — and vacant-property insurance is more expensive and harder to get than the policy you have now. Add utilities you have to keep on so the pipes don’t freeze, and somebody local you’re paying to check on it.
A vacant Philadelphia rowhome also attracts attention. Scrappers, squatters, and code violations don’t wait for you to fly back. If it sits long enough you’re solving a bigger problem than the one you left.
Selling when you’ve already moved — or are about to
You do not need to be in Philadelphia to sell a Philadelphia house. Pennsylvania permits remote online notarization, documents move electronically, and proceeds get wired. If it’s easier, a power of attorney lets someone you trust sign at the table for you. We’ve closed with sellers who were already in another time zone and never came back for it.
What you should know about your net: Philadelphia’s realty transfer tax is 4.578% of the sale price in total (city plus state) as of July 2025. By local custom it’s usually split between buyer and seller, but it’s negotiable — and it’s a line most people relocating from outside the region have never encountered at that size. It’s worth knowing before you assume a number.
Listing versus selling direct, when you’re on a deadline
Listing with an agent is the right move if the house shows well, you have months of runway, and you can manage showings remotely or leave it empty and staged. You’ll likely net more.
Where it gets painful is the deadline. A listing that drags means you’re paying for two places while fielding calls about a house you can no longer walk into. Financed buyers fall through, inspection requests turn into repairs you have to arrange from a distance, and the closing date slides. If your relocation date is fixed, certainty is worth something real — and that’s worth pricing out rather than guessing at. Here’s the honest comparison between a cash offer and listing, and how cash offers are calculated, so you can put both columns side by side.
How we work with people who are moving
We buy Philadelphia houses as-is — no repairs, no cleanout, no fees or commissions, no showings. Leave behind the furniture, the garage, the basement, all of it. We close on the date you choose, which for relocations is the part that matters most: we can close before you go, or hold the date until after you’re settled, whichever fits your move.
Getting a number costs nothing and doesn’t obligate you. Even if you end up listing or renting, it’s the cleanest way to find out what the “just be done with it” option is worth before you commit to being a long-distance landlord. Already renting it out and tired of it? That’s a different page, and a common way this ends.
This page is general information — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Transfer tax treatment and licensing requirements depend on your specific situation; confirm with your closing attorney or agent.
Moving and need the house handled? Get your fair cash offer today, or call or text us at (215) 515-7799.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you close around my moving date?
Yes — this is the main reason people call us during a relocation. You pick the date. We can close in as little as 14 days if you’re leaving soon, or hold the closing until weeks after you’ve gone if that’s cleaner. We work backward from your move, not the other way around.
Can I sell after I’ve already left Philadelphia?
Absolutely, and it’s routine. Pennsylvania allows remote online notarization, so documents can be signed from wherever you are and funds wired to you. A power of attorney is an option too. You don’t need to fly back.
Do I need to make repairs or empty the house first?
No. We buy as-is and handle the cleanout ourselves. Leave whatever you don’t want to move — furniture, appliances, a basement full of things you were dreading. That’s often worth more to a relocating seller than a slightly higher price with conditions attached.
Should I rent it out instead?
Sometimes that’s the right call, especially if you have real equity and might come back. But price the whole thing honestly first: a Philadelphia rental license you generally can’t hold from out of town without a local managing agent, lead certification for a pre-1978 property, the Certificate of Rental Suitability, staying current on city taxes and violations, plus management fees and vacancy. Run those numbers against a clean sale before deciding.
What if the house needs work I don’t have time to do?
That’s the normal case, not the exception. We buy houses that need roofs, systems, or full renovations, and it doesn’t slow the closing down. You don’t need to arrange a single contractor from your new city.