1The first call: ten minutes, no pitch
Once you reach out, Aidan calls you from (484) 880-1788. Save the number so you know it's him. The call is short and it's mostly questions, because we can't give you a real number until we understand the house and what you're hoping for.
What we'll ask:
- Beds, baths, and roughly how big the house is.
- How you'd rate the condition, and what it would take to make it a ten. You know the house better than any inspector.
- Roughly when the roof, heat, and water heater were last replaced, if you know.
- Who's living there: you, a tenant, nobody.
- What's got you thinking about selling now, and when you'd like to be done.
- Whether you have a number in mind. You don't have to, and we won't hold you to it.
Sometimes the call ends with us saying we're not the right buyer. We'd rather tell you in ten minutes than waste your week.
2Photos: the part that gets you a better number
Without photos we have to assume the worst about condition, and the number comes in lower than it should. Five or six phone pictures usually fix that. More is better. Don't clean up for them. We price the house, not the housekeeping.
What to shoot
- Kitchen, from the doorway
- Every bathroom
- Each bedroom and living area
- Basement or crawlspace, if you can get to it
- Front of the house from the street
- Back of the house and the yard
- The roof, as best you can from the ground
- Water heater and furnace or boiler
- The electrical panel with the door open
- Anything damaged, leaking, or half-finished
How to make them useful
- Hold the phone sideways. We see more of the room.
- Turn the lights on and open the blinds.
- Don't hide problems. Showing us the water stain now means no surprise later, and no renegotiation.
- If there's a sticker on the furnace or water heater with a date, photograph it.
- Hate taking photos? Record a slow 60-second video walking through the main rooms and narrate what you know. That works just as well.
How to send them
Send to (484) 880-1788. Several texts of a few photos each is fine.
Send to aidan@reliablerootsproperties.com. On an iPhone, if the attachments are large, choose "Mail Drop" when it asks.
iPhone tip: if someone says they can't open your photos, go to Settings, Camera, Formats, and choose "Most Compatible." That saves JPEGs instead of HEIC files.
We'll confirm by text the moment they come through.
3The number, within two business days
Once we have the photos, our underwriting partner reviews them, pulls recent sales near you, and we call you with a number within two business days. Not an email, not a letter. A conversation, so you can ask anything.
How we get to it
It's simple math, and we'll walk you through it: what the house would sell for fixed up, minus what it costs us to fix it, minus our costs to hold and resell it. That's why the photos matter. Every repair we don't have to guess about is money that stays in your number.
Cash, or more than cash
A cash offer trades a lower price for certainty and speed: no repairs, no showings, no financing, you pick the date. For some sellers that's exactly right. For others it leaves money on the table, so we'll also talk about terms, where you can receive more over time, or where we take over the payments on a house you can't keep. We explain each option in plain English, tell you honestly what the trade-offs are, and let you choose. The goal is the outcome that actually helps you, not the one that's easiest for us.
Will the number change later?
Not if the house is what the photos showed. The only time our number moves is when something material turns up that nobody mentioned, like a foundation problem or a lien we didn't know about. We'll show you why, with the estimate in hand, and you can walk away at that point with nothing owed.
There's no obligation. Plenty of people get our number and decide to wait, list, or keep the house. That's fine. The offer is free and the door stays open.
4The agreement and the title work
If the number works for you, we send a short purchase agreement. It's a few pages and it says what we've already discussed:
- The price, and that we pay the normal closing costs.
- That we're buying the house as-is. No repairs, no credits, no inspection demands.
- The closing date you chose. Two weeks or two months, your call.
- That you can leave anything you don't want. We deal with it after closing.
- That we are the buyer, not an agent, and there is no commission.
Read it with anyone you like. Having a lawyer look it over is always welcome, never required by us, and in Delaware it's part of how closings work anyway.
What happens behind the scenes
A title company (or, in Delaware, a real estate attorney) is the neutral party that holds the money and makes sure the house transfers cleanly. Between signing and closing they:
- Search the title and order the payoff letter from your mortgage company, if there is one.
- Order any certificates your town requires before a sale. Many New Jersey towns need a smoke and carbon monoxide certificate, and some Pennsylvania and New Jersey towns need a resale inspection. We order it, schedule it, and handle it. If a town wants something minor fixed first, we take care of that too.
- Prepare the deed and the settlement statement that shows every dollar.
What we'll need from you during this stretch: a copy of your ID, your mortgage account information if there's a loan to pay off, your HOA contact if there is one, and a forwarding address. That's it.
5Closing day
Closing takes about an hour. You sign at the title company's office, at the attorney's office, or a mobile notary comes to you. You sign the deed and a handful of forms, hand over the keys, and you're done.
- Bring: a government ID, all keys, garage remotes and codes, and anything the title company asked for.
- You get paid the same day: by wire to your bank, or a check if you prefer. The settlement statement shows exactly where every dollar went.
- Transfer tax: each state charges one and splits it a little differently. We show you the exact amount on the statement before closing day, so there's nothing to discover at the table.
- Taxes and utilities are prorated to the closing date. You stop paying the day we own it.
6After closing
- Your belongings. Take what matters and leave the rest. Furniture, boxes, the garage, the basement. We clear it out after closing, at our cost.
- Need a few more days? If you need to stay briefly after closing, tell us before we sign and we'll put it in writing with a clear move-out date. It's common, and it's easier to arrange in advance.
- Mail and utilities. Forward your mail and cancel utilities as of the closing date. We'll transfer the accounts the same day.
- Questions later. Aidan's number doesn't change. If a tax form shows up in March and you're not sure what it is, text him.
How long it all takes
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | You reach out. Aidan calls back the same day, usually within the hour during the day. |
| Day 1 to 2 | You send photos by text or email. We confirm when they land. |
| Within 2 business days | We call with a number and walk you through how we got there. |
| Same week | If it works, you sign a short agreement and pick your closing date. |
| 2 to 4 weeks | Title work and any town certificates. Faster when the title is clean and the town doesn't require an inspection. |
| Closing day | About an hour of signing. Paid the same day. |
Need it faster because of a sale date or a move? Tell us on the first call. Two weeks is possible when the paperwork cooperates. Need it slower? Also fine.
Things we will never do
There are a lot of "we buy houses" texts out there and some of them are not what they claim. Here's how to tell. Reliable Roots will never:
- Ask you for a fee, a deposit, or "processing" money. Ever.
- Ask for your bank login, your Social Security number by text, or a wire from you. Money only ever flows to you, through the title company.
- Ask you to sign the deed over "temporarily," or sign anything outside of a real closing.
- Drop the price at the closing table. If something changes, you hear about it early, with the reason.
- Pressure you with a fake deadline. Our offer stands while you think.
- Tell you to stop talking to your lender, a lawyer, or a housing counselor.
Every closing goes through a licensed title company or attorney, and our company name, Reliable Roots Properties LLC, is on every document.
Questions sellers ask along the way
Can I cancel after I get the number?
Yes. Before you sign the agreement there is nothing to cancel; you just don't sign. After you sign, the agreement spells out how either side can step away, and we'll never hold you to a deal you've come to regret because of something we didn't tell you.
Do I need a lawyer?
In Pennsylvania, no, the title company prepares everything, though you're always welcome to have one review it. In New Jersey, attorneys are commonly involved and we're glad to work with yours. In Delaware, a real estate attorney conducts every closing by law, so one will be part of the process.
I owe more than the house is worth.
Tell us on the first call. Sometimes the answer is a short sale, where the lender agrees to accept less than the balance, and sometimes there are other routes. Either way, you'll want any shortfall forgiven in writing, and we'll help you understand the options before you decide.
There's a tenant in the house.
That's fine. The lease transfers with the sale and we take over as landlord. We'll ask for a copy of the lease, what the rent is, and whether a deposit is being held.
What if there's a lien, back taxes, or a judgment?
Common, and usually solvable. Liens get paid off from the sale proceeds at closing. Tell us what you know and the title search finds the rest.
Who exactly is buying the house?
Reliable Roots Properties LLC, based in West Chester, Pennsylvania. We buy as the principal, not as an agent. Our offers are underwritten with our acquisitions partner, Divinity Aligned LLC.
Behind on the mortgage or facing foreclosure?
Read our Foreclosure Help page first. It lays out every option, including the ones that don't involve selling, and the free help lines in your state.