We buy houses for cash in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida, in any condition and in hard situations. Each card below gives a two-sentence answer and links to the full guide, with official sources, and to the local pages that apply.
If you're behind or a case has been filed, these are the steps and deadlines in each state.
Most servicers can't make the first foreclosure filing until you're more than 120 days behind, and they must reach out about options in the first 45 days. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware also require a state warning letter before the lawsuit.
A Pennsylvania foreclosure goes through the county Court of Common Pleas and usually takes many months, starting with an Act 91 notice that gives you 33 days to meet a HEMAP-approved counselor. In Philadelphia, owner-occupied cases can't go to sheriff sale until a conciliation conference has been held.
Every New Jersey foreclosure goes through the Superior Court, starting with a Notice of Intention at least 30 days before the lender files. You get 35 days to answer the complaint, and the sheriff sale must be held within 150 days of the writ.
A Delaware foreclosure is a Superior Court lawsuit that usually takes many months. For an owner-occupied 1–4 family home, the lender must send a notice of intent at least 45 days before filing, and no judgment can be entered until the day after an automatic mediation conference.
Every Florida foreclosure goes through circuit court, and a judge must enter a final judgment before the house can be sold. Until the clerk files the certificate of sale, you can usually still sell or pay off the judgment.
A regular sale only works if you can cover the shortfall at closing; otherwise the main alternatives are a short sale or a deed in lieu, and both need the lender's approval. Either can leave you owing the difference unless the lender waives it in writing.
Someone needs legal authority before an inherited house can be sold. These guides cover each state's probate office and rules.
Someone first needs letters from the county Register of Wills; once they're granted, that personal representative can generally sign the deed. Pennsylvania inheritance tax, 4.5% when a child inherits, becomes delinquent nine months after death.
Someone first needs letters from the Surrogate in the county where the owner lived. The state's inheritance tax lien must also be released with a tax waiver before the sale closes.
You usually need to open an estate with the Register of Wills in the county where the owner lived. Delaware's small-estate affidavit can't be used if the owner held Delaware real estate alone or as a tenant in common.
Someone usually needs authority from the probate court first, either a personal representative or an order of summary administration. Since July 1, 2026, summary administration is available for Florida estates of $150,000 or less, less exempt property.
State intestacy law decides who inherits, and someone usually needs letters of administration, with the surviving spouse first in line in all four states. In Delaware, and for a Florida homestead, a surviving spouse can end up with a life estate, so more people may need to sign.
After the servicer's due-and-payable notice, heirs have 30 days to pay off, sell or deed the house to the lender, and more time can be approved to finish a sale. If the loan is more than the house is worth, heirs can sell for as little as 95% of the appraised value.
When both spouses own the house, both have to sign, and the money is divided under your written agreement or a court order. If you can't agree, the divorce court divides marital property and can order a transfer or sale.
A sale doesn't end a lease. These guides cover what the buyer takes over and what notice each state requires.
You can sell with tenants in place, and the buyer takes over as landlord. In New Jersey a sale by itself isn't a good-cause ground to remove most tenants; Pennsylvania has no statewide good-cause rule, but its notice periods still apply.
The buyer generally takes the property subject to the lease, and Florida law requires the security deposit and advance rent to move to the new owner. To end a month-to-month tenancy, Florida requires written notice at least 30 days before the end of a monthly rental period.
Houses that need work or have problems on the title can still be sold. These guides cover what you have to disclose and what gets paid at closing.
You can sell a Philadelphia house with open violations; the City's Property Sales Certification discloses them to the buyer. In suburban towns that require a resale use and occupancy certificate, state law lets the buyer take a temporary certificate and fix violations after closing.
You can sell a damaged house after repairs or as-is, but report the loss to your insurer first, because the claim is often worth money either way. With a mortgage, the insurance check is usually made out to you and your lender together.
Selling as-is means you won't make repairs, but you generally still have to tell the buyer about serious problems you know about. Pennsylvania and Delaware require a written disclosure for most home sales, New Jersey applies its Consumer Fraud Act, and Florida courts require disclosure of known hidden defects.
Liens are usually paid from the sale price at closing, and the buyer gets clear title. An IRS lien needs full payment or a certificate of discharge, and if the liens are more than the price, lienholders have to agree to take less.
Unpaid property taxes follow different paths in each state. Selling before the deadline lets the overdue amount come off the top at closing.
Outside Philadelphia, unpaid taxes go to the county Tax Claim Bureau, and if they aren't paid within the one-year discharge period the home can be sold at an upset sale. There's no right to redeem after an upset sale, so act before the sale date.
A New Jersey tax sale sells a lien certificate, not the house, and you can redeem through the municipal tax collector until a court enters a final judgment. A private holder can sue to foreclose the right to redeem two years after the sale; a town can sue after six months.
A tax deed can be applied for no sooner than 2 years after April 1 of the year a tax certificate was sold. Until the tax deed is issued, you can usually redeem by paying the Tax Collector the certificate amount plus interest and costs.
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