How to Sell Your House in Pennsylvania Without a Realtor (2026)

Updated October 2026. Pennsylvania statutes, Department of Revenue and county transfer tax pages checked on October 23, 2026.

Yes, you can sell your house in Pennsylvania without a realtor. As of October 2026, you’ll hand the buyer the state seller disclosure before the agreement of sale, and you’ll usually split a 2% realty transfer tax ($5,742 on a typical $287,100 home, so $2,871 each). Beycome lists you on Bright, Pocono, Lehigh Valley or West Penn MLS for $99, with $0 at closing.

Jump to: 🪜 Steps · 💲 Transfer tax · 📍 Disclosure law · 🤝 Settlement · 🏠 Realtor? · ❓ FAQ

What are the steps to sell a house by owner in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania calls the contract an “agreement of sale” and the closing “settlement.” The words differ from other states, but the path is familiar. Here’s the order we’d follow.

1. Look up your county and local transfer tax rate, so your net number is real from day one.
2. Complete the Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement, sign it and date it.
3. If you’re in an HOA or a condo, ask the association for the resale certificate now.
4. Price from recent nearby sales. Our home value calculator gives you a range.
5. List on the MLS that covers your area, so buyers’ agents and Zillow, Realtor.com and Redfin see it.
6. Give each buyer the signed disclosure before anyone signs the agreement of sale.
7. Negotiate price, deposit, inspections, financing and who pays the transfer tax.
8. Go to settlement at a title company, sign the deed and collect your proceeds.

For the contract itself, our for sale by owner contract guide explains who drafts it and which clauses matter. For the rest of the file, work from our paperwork checklist for selling without an agent. Need your parcel number or tax bill? Our Pennsylvania property tax search guide lists each county’s lookup.

Which MLS will your Pennsylvania home go on?

Pennsylvania has several regional MLSs. Buyers’ agents mostly search the one for their area. Beycome lists on four of them (Beycome internal data, October 2026):

• Bright MLS, for Philadelphia and the southeast.
• Pocono Mountains MLS, for the Poconos.
• Greater Lehigh Valley MLS, for Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.
• West Penn MLS, for Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania.

If your home sits outside these areas, check coverage on our Pennsylvania page before you sign up. We’d rather tell you upfront than list you on an MLS local agents don’t use.

How long does the listing last? In Pennsylvania, up to 12 months. That’s the maximum the state and MLS allow here, and it’s shorter than the 24 months we offer in most states. If the home hasn’t sold in a year, you can relist. To see how a by-owner MLS listing works step by step, read how to list on the MLS without a realtor.

How much is the realty transfer tax, and who pays it?

Pennsylvania charges a 1% state realty transfer tax on the value of the property. Your town and school district usually add their own. The county Recorder of Deeds collects both when the deed is recorded.

The Department of Revenue says buyer and seller are “jointly and severally liable” for the tax. No law says who pays which part. Bucks County puts it plainly: in most sale agreements, the seller and buyer divide the tax. Philadelphia says the same, that it’s “usually split evenly,” though that isn’t a legal requirement. Write the split into your agreement of sale.

Here’s the math on $287,100, the typical Pennsylvania home value in September 2026 (Zillow Home Value Index):

Philadelphia raised its city share from 3.278% to 3.578% on July 1, 2025, so older guides quoting 4.278% are out of date. In Allegheny County, local rates put the total between 2% and 5%. Your title company will confirm the exact rate for your address.

The rest of your settlement sheet is the usual list: mortgage payoff, property tax proration, any association fees, title company charges, and any buyer’s agent pay you agree to. Our guide on who pays closing costs goes line by line.

What does the Pennsylvania seller disclosure law require?

A signed statement before the agreement of sale

The Real Estate Seller Disclosure Law, 68 Pa.C.S. § 7301 and following, says you disclose known material defects on a form that meets the State Real Estate Commission’s requirements. A signed and dated copy goes to the buyer before you both sign the agreement of sale. It applies to residential sales whether or not a broker is involved.

The exceptions are narrow. One is a sale by an estate, guardianship or trust. The other is some new homes that no one has lived in, sold with a warranty. Condo and co-op sellers disclose only about their own unit.

What’s on the form

The statute lists 17 subjects. They include the roof, basement, termites, structure, water and sewage, plumbing, heating, electrical, hazardous substances and legal issues with the title. Since a 2015 amendment, the form also asks about sinkholes and about storm water facilities, including who maintains them.

No disclaimer shortcut

Some states let you sign a short “as is” disclaimer instead. Pennsylvania doesn’t. You can still sell as is, but you complete the disclosure, and you can’t make statements you know are false. You don’t have to hire an inspector to fill it out. If something changes before settlement, such as a new roof leak, you tell the buyer.

Skipping the form doesn’t cancel the sale, but a seller who willfully or negligently fails to comply can owe the buyer actual damages. The buyer has 2 years after settlement to sue.

HOA and condo resale certificates

In a planned community, you give the buyer the declaration, bylaws, rules and a resale certificate with fees, reserves and any pending suits. The association must provide it within 10 days of your request. Until the buyer gets it, and for 5 days after, the buyer can void the agreement. Condos follow a similar resale rule.

Lead paint for older homes

For homes built before 1978, add the federal lead-based paint disclosure and the EPA pamphlet. The buyer gets 10 days to test, unless they waive it in writing.

Who runs settlement in Pennsylvania?

Most Pennsylvania sales settle at a title company. It’s a licensed title agent. It checks the title, draws up the settlement sheet, collects the tax and records the deed. Some attorneys run settlements through their own title agency. Many by-owner sellers settle without their own attorney, and you can always hire one to review the agreement of sale.

In most sales the buyer picks the title company, since the buyer buys the owner’s title policy. You can check any title agent’s license on the Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s licensee search.

Do you need a realtor to sell your house in Pennsylvania?

No, it’s not required; it’s your choice. Either way can work well.

An agent handles pricing, showings, buyers’ agents and the negotiation, and is paid for it. As an example, a 3% listing fee on $287,100 would be $8,613. Selling with a flat fee listing, you do more of that work yourself and keep the difference.

Beycome Basic is $99. Artur, our AI assistant, helps you read and answer offers, and every package includes e-signature, unlimited listing changes and ShowingTime where your MLS offers it. Support runs 7 days a week, with Artur AI 24/7. If you’d like a dedicated expert to negotiate while you keep the final say, Beycome Concierge is $999 through October 31, 2026 (list price $1,399), then $1,399 from November 1, 2026. Both are $0 at closing.

Moving within the state? Our buyer program is open to every buyer on homes listed by other agents, with no upfront fee (the commission credit can’t apply where no buyer-agent commission is offered, like most FSBO homes, or on homes listed by Beycome sellers). For pricing, photos and showings in more depth, see our guide on how to sell a house by owner. When you’re set, start on our Pennsylvania flat fee MLS page.

Pennsylvania FSBO questions

Reviewed by Beycome Brokerage Realty LLC, licensed real estate brokerage (PA #RB070477). Licenses: beycome.com/faq/how-to/are-you-a-licensed-broker/.