Inherited a House in Scranton, PA? A 90-Day Checklist

When a parent or relative leaves you a house in Scranton, the first few months tend to be the hardest. The house may be empty, the heat may still be on in someone else's name, and the paperwork starts at the county Government Center downtown. This checklist walks through the first 90 days in the order most families tackle it, with the Lackawanna County offices involved, and explains when it can make sense to sell the inherited house for cash in Scranton.

General information only, not legal or tax advice. An estate attorney or accountant can tell you how this applies to your family.

Week 1: Secure the house

Lock up, collect the mail, and take photos of every room. If the house will sit empty through a Scranton winter, keep the heat on at a safe level or have the plumbing drained, and check on it often. Our guide to keeping pipes from freezing covers the basics. Call the homeowner's insurance carrier too: many policies change once a house is vacant, and you want to know where you stand before something happens.

Weeks 1 to 4: Get authority from the Register of Wills

Nobody can sign a deed for the estate until the county says who is in charge. In Lackawanna County that happens at the Register of Wills, on the 5th floor of the Lackawanna County Government Center, 123 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton (570-963-6702). If there is a will, the named executor applies for letters testamentary. Without a will, an heir usually applies for letters of administration. The office posts its forms, including the probate packet and fee schedule, on the Register of Wills page.

If there was no will at all, see what happens to a house when someone dies without a will in PA.

Month 1: Find every bill tied to the house

• Mortgage or reverse mortgage. Call the servicer, tell them about the death, and ask for a payoff figure. Payments generally still need to be made while the estate is open.
• Real estate taxes. Unpaid taxes in Lackawanna County go to the Tax Claim Bureau (2nd floor of the same Government Center, 570-963-6734) and earn 9% interest a year from February 1. Two years behind puts a property on track for the September upset sale. If you find old tax bills in a drawer, call the Bureau for a payoff.
• Utilities, water and sewer. Keep service on in the estate's name so the house stays heated and showable.
• Tenants. If part of the house is rented, the leases usually carry on. Collect rent into an estate account and keep records.

Months 1 to 3: Decide what to do with the house

Most families end up choosing one of four paths:

• Keep it and move in, or hold it for a family member.
• Rent it out, which means becoming a landlord, with repairs and turnover to handle.
• List it with an agent, which can bring the highest price for a house in good shape but usually means clearing it out, making repairs and waiting for a buyer's loan.
• Sell it as-is for cash, which trades some price for speed and far less work, especially when heirs live out of the area or the house needs a lot.

When several siblings share the house, everyone has to be on the same page before a sale. Our post on selling an inherited house with multiple siblings covers how families usually work that out.

Keep an eye on the inheritance tax date

Pennsylvania inheritance tax is generally due nine months after the date of death, with a discount for paying within three months. Rates depend on who inherits; see PA inheritance tax: what heirs need to know. A sale can provide the money to pay it.

What selling to NEPA Cash Offer looks like

We can walk through the house and agree on a price before letters are issued, then set closing for after the paperwork is in place. You get a written cash offer within 24 hours of the walkthrough. We pay the seller's closing costs, there are no fees or commissions, and we handle the cleanout, so the family can take what matters and leave the rest. Once title is clear, a standard close takes about 14 days. Tenants in place are OK. We're a family-owned company based in Kingston, and we've bought more than 350 homes across Northeastern PA, buying directly with our own cash.

Want a number to compare against other options? Request a cash offer for the Scranton house or call (570) 600-6504 any time. You're under no obligation to accept. More on how we buy inherited homes across Lackawanna County.

Sources: Lackawanna County Register of Wills and Tax Claim Bureau pages (lackawannacounty.org), checked Nov 10, 2026; Pennsylvania Department of Revenue inheritance tax guidance.