Sell your Dover house fast, as‑is, for cash
We buy houses in Dover, Camden, Smyrna and the rest of Kent County in any condition, from rentals and vacant houses to inherited homes. You get a written cash offer and a closing date that fits a Levy Court sale calendar, an estate or a lease.
Get your free cash offer
Takes 2 minutes. Zero obligation. We respond within 1 hour during business hours.
No fees, no commissions, no obligation. Your cash offer comes in writing.
Rather talk it through? Call or text (215) 703-9223
- Written cash offer, no obligation
- Vacant or tenant-occupied, as it stands
- No commissions or listing fees
- Closing date set around your deadline
Selling a house in Dover: what's different here
Dover is both the state capital and the Kent County seat, so the courthouse, the Levy Court building and the Register of Wills are all a short drive apart. The City adds its own transfer tax, rental licensing and a vacant building fee schedule. Each item below links to the office that publishes it.
General information from official court, county and state sources, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 19, 2026.
- Court
- Foreclosures in Kent County are filed in the Superior Court at the Kent County Courthouse, 38 The Green, Dover, as a writ of scire facias on the mortgage (10 Del. C. § 5061). If you live in the one- to four-unit home, no judgment can be entered until the state's automatic mediation program has run (hotline 800-220-5424).
- Sheriff sales
- The Kent County Sheriff holds both mortgage and tax sales at 10:00 a.m. in the Levy Court building, 555 Bay Road, Room 203. Every bidder registers first with $4,000 in certified funds (cashier's check, certified check or money order), and a mortgage-sale winner owes 20% that day (Kent County, Property Sales). The next foreclosure sale listed is November 5, 2026.
- Unpaid county taxes
- Kent County runs monition (tax) sales on the last Tuesday of January, April, July and October. After the sale is confirmed the owner has a 60-day redemption period, and a buyer who is redeemed out gets the price back plus 15% (Monition Sale Procedures).
- City transfer tax
- The City of Dover charges 1.5% of the sale price, half from the seller and half from the buyer (City of Dover brochure). With the state's 2.5%, the total is 4%, and the state return treats it as split equally, so a seller pays 2%.
- Downtown seller exemption
- Under the City's transfer tax rules, a seller can be exempt from the City share when selling to a qualifying first-time buyer, but only inside the area from Mary Street to Loockerman Street and Governors Avenue to West Street.
- Vacant buildings
- A building unoccupied for more than three consecutive months must be registered with the City within 30 days. Fees climb from $375 in the first year to $5,000 after five years, but a building that is actively for sale, or is in probate, is exempt from the fee (Vacant Building Ordinance brochure).
- Rental licenses
- A City Rental Dwelling License is required before a tenant moves in, landlord and tenant both sign the Safe Communities lease addendum, and Code Enforcement inspects rentals annually under the 2009 Property Maintenance Code.
- Probate and free counseling
- Kent County Register of Wills, 555 Bay Road, 2nd Floor, Room 214 (302-744-2330); opening an estate takes an appointment. NeighborGood Partners (363 Saulsbury Rd.) and First State Community Action Agency (500 W. Loockerman St.) are on HUD's list for default counseling.
How a cash sale works in Kent County
Most of the paperwork runs through two buildings in Dover: the Levy Court complex on Bay Road and City Hall on Loockerman Plaza.
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Tell us where it sits
Inside the Dover city limits, outside them, or in another Kent County town? The answer decides who collects the local transfer tax and whether City rental or vacant-building rules touch the sale.
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See the number in writing
We walk the house once and put a cash price on paper. Mention any sale date posted by the Sheriff, an open estate or a tenant's lease end, and we build the timeline around it.
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Settle with a Delaware attorney
In Delaware a settlement attorney usually runs the closing. They pay off the mortgage and any county or City balances, collect the state and local transfer tax, and record the new deed on Bay Road.
Situations we see around Dover
What Kent County's process means for each one, and where selling directly fits in.
Foreclosure papers just arrived
If you live there, the mediation notice comes with the complaint and judgment waits until mediation is done. That window is the time to weigh a workout against a sale that clears the loan. Read how Delaware foreclosure works.
A Levy Court sale date is posted
Kent County mortgage sales have no redemption period afterwards, so the sale date is the real deadline. A settlement that records before it pays the lender and stops the auction.
Behind on county taxes
Monition sales happen four times a year. Selling first means the back taxes come out of your proceeds at settlement, instead of a bidder paying them and starting the 60-day clock.
A Dover rental you're done with
Annual licensing, inspections and the lease addendum add up. We buy with tenants in place and take over the license paperwork after closing.
The house has sat empty
After three months a vacant Dover building needs registering, and the yearly fee rises the longer it stays empty. A quick cash sale ends that before it compounds.
Settling a Kent County estate
The personal representative appointed by the Register of Wills signs the deed. We can wait for that appointment and close after it, with nothing to clear out first.
Realty transfer tax on a Dover sale
Delaware's statute divides the tax evenly between seller and buyer. In the City of Dover the local share goes to the City.
| Sale price | State (2.5%) | City of Dover (1.5%) | Total (4%) | Seller's half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $3,750 | $2,250 | $6,000 | $3,000 |
| $250,000 | $6,250 | $3,750 | $10,000 | $5,000 |
| $350,000 | $8,750 | $5,250 | $14,000 | $7,000 |
Rates from the City of Dover, 30 Del. C. § 5402 and the Division of Revenue's RTT-TAX instructions, which describe 2.5% to the state and 1.5% to the municipality or county. Outside the City, the local 1.5% goes to the county or town instead; confirm with your settlement attorney. The dollar figures are arithmetic, not a quote.
Where we buy in Kent County
Selling a house in Dover: common questions
Still have a question? Call or text (215) 703-9223 or email info@eternalhomebuyers.com.
How much transfer tax does a seller pay in Dover?
Inside the City of Dover the total is 4%: 2.5% to the state and 1.5% to the City. Delaware splits it evenly, so the seller's half is 2% of the price, or $5,000 on a $250,000 sale.
When and where are Kent County sheriff sales?
At 10:00 a.m. in the Kent County Levy Court building, 555 Bay Road, Room 203. Bidders register with $4,000 in certified funds, and a mortgage-sale winner pays 20% that day. You can still sell before the sale date.
Can I get the house back after a Kent County sheriff sale?
Not after a mortgage foreclosure sale: the County says there is no redemption period. After a tax (monition) sale there is a 60-day redemption period from confirmation, repaying the buyer's price plus 15%.
Do I have to register a vacant house in Dover?
Yes, once a building has been unoccupied for more than three months it must be registered with the City within 30 days. A house that is actively for sale, or in probate, is exempt from the fee, which otherwise starts at $375.
Where do I open an estate for a Kent County house?
With the Kent County Register of Wills, 555 Bay Road, 2nd Floor, Room 214, Dover (302-744-2330). Appointments are needed to open and close an estate. The personal representative then signs the sale.
Where can I get free foreclosure help near Dover?
HUD lists NeighborGood Partners on Saulsbury Road and First State Community Action Agency on West Loockerman Street for mortgage default counseling. Delaware's mediation hotline is 800-220-5424.
More for Dover sellers
Sources
Official pages we used for the local facts on this page, checked October 19, 2026.
- Delaware Superior Court, court locations
- Delaware Code, Title 10, Chapter 49, Subchapter XI (§ 5061 scire facias; § 5062C mediation)
- Delaware Department of Justice, Automatic Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program
- Kent County Levy Court, Property Sales (Sheriff's sales)
- Kent County Finance, Monition Sale Procedures
- City of Dover, Transfer Tax
- City of Dover, First Time Home Owner Tax Incentive brochure (1.5% City rate)
- Delaware Code, Title 30, Chapter 54 (§ 5402 realty transfer tax)
- Delaware Division of Revenue, Form RTT-TAX instructions (PDF)
- City of Dover, Code Enforcement
- City of Dover, Vacant Building Ordinance brochure
- City of Dover, Rental Dwelling Housing Inspections guide
- Kent County Register of Wills
- HUD housing counselor search, within 5 miles of Dover
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, rates and sale dates change; confirm with the office linked above, an attorney, a tax professional or a HUD-approved housing counselor. Last reviewed October 19, 2026.
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