Your mother died. Or your uncle, or your grandfather. And now you have keys to a Philadelphia rowhome and no idea what to do with it.
This is one of the most common calls we get. In the last 4 years, we've closed 17 inherited-house deals in Philly. Most of the time, the people calling us are dealing with a lot more than just the house — grief, siblings, taxes, bills. The house becomes another thing on a pile.
Here's what to do, in order, and how to think about your real options.
First 30 days: secure the house
Before you make any big decisions, make sure the house is protected.
- Lock it up. Change the locks if keys were floating around to people who aren't authorized anymore.
- Keep utilities on. At least electric and water. A house without heat in winter or without water in summer deteriorates fast. Check on the boiler/furnace before the first cold night.
- Call the insurance company. Tell them the owner passed away. Most policies will continue for 30-60 days, then require conversion to vacant-property coverage (which is expensive). Don't let the policy lapse.
- Collect mail. Check for tax bills, mortgage statements, homeowners insurance, utility bills. You'll need all of them.
Weeks 4-8: start probate
In Pennsylvania, you can't legally sell an inherited house until someone has Letters Testamentary (if there was a will) or Letters of Administration (if there wasn't).
Letters come from the Philadelphia Register of Wills, located in Room 185 of City Hall. The filing process requires:
- Death certificate (you'll need multiple copies — order 10)
- Original will, if there is one
- Petition for probate
- Filing fee (varies with estate size)
Most people hire a probate attorney at this point. It's worth it unless the estate is very simple. Expect 4-8 weeks from filing to receiving Letters.
While you wait: figure out what you own
During probate, pull together everything about the house:
- The deed. You can pull this online from the Philadelphia Recorder of Deeds.
- Mortgage balance. Call the lender and ask for a payoff statement.
- Property tax status. Check tax-services.phila.gov. If there are back taxes, they need to get paid at sale.
- L&I violations. Check eclipse.phila.gov. Open violations transfer with the property.
- Water bill. Call 215-686-6995 for the current balance.
- Repair needs. Walk through the house with a contractor friend or investor. Get a realistic estimate of what it needs.
Your four options
Once you have Letters and you know what you own, you have four real options.
Option 1: Keep the house and rent it out
If the house is livable (or can be made livable for reasonable cost), you can become a landlord. This requires:
- Getting a Philadelphia rental license
- Running it as a rental (tenant screening, leases, maintenance, repairs, evictions)
- Carrying the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and maintenance
Works for some families. Doesn't work for most heirs, because the time commitment is real and landlord work in Philly is hard.
Option 2: Keep the house and live in it
Obviously requires you (or another heir) to actually want to live there. Simple, but only if it fits your life.
Option 3: Fix it up and sell it traditionally
Costs money up front (paint, minor repairs, cleanout, staging) and takes 3-5 months to sell through an agent listing. Typically nets the most cash to the heirs.
Works if:
- The house is structurally sound and cosmetic
- You have $10,000-$30,000 to fix it up
- You can wait 4-6 months
- Heirs agree on the process
Option 4: Sell as-is to a cash buyer
We're one of the cash buyers that does this. You'd get:
- A written cash offer, usually in 24 hours
- No cleanout required
- No repairs required
- 30-60 day close
- Lower than retail — typically 25-55% of fixed-up value
Works if:
- The house needs significant repairs
- You're out of state
- Heirs want speed over maximum dollar
- You need to distribute cash to multiple family members
- Ongoing holding costs are draining the estate
How to pick between them
The right answer depends on three things: time, money, and family.
- Time: Can you wait 4-6 months? If yes, a traditional sale probably makes more sense.
- Money: Do you have cash to fix it up? If yes, traditional sale again.
- Family: Do all the heirs agree on the path? If not, the faster clean sale often matters more than the extra dollars.
What not to do
- Don't sign anything before Letters issue. You don't have legal authority until the Register of Wills has granted Letters.
- Don't let the house sit vacant for a year. Insurance lapses. Pipes freeze. L&I files violations. Squatters move in.
- Don't rush the first offer that comes in. Get at least 2-3 quotes from cash buyers, or one cash offer plus an agent's listing estimate. Compare the net proceeds.
- Don't ignore the inheritance tax. Pennsylvania has a state inheritance tax — 4.5% for children inheriting from parents — that's typically due within 9 months.
When to call us
Call us if the house needs real work, if you're out of state, if family wants to distribute cash quickly, or if the carrying costs are eating the estate. We'll give you an honest offer and walk through the math. If an agent listing would net you more, we'll say so.
Watson Saintsulne is the Director of Sales at The Covenant Real Estate Investment Group LLC. Covenant works with probate attorneys and estate executors to close inherited-property sales in Philadelphia.