Short answer
Decide your must-have date first. If you have months, listing with an agent usually nets the most for a move-in-ready home. If you must be gone in weeks, a cash buyer who closes on your date removes the risk of two housing payments. Compare net proceeds, not asking prices, and watch the home sale tax exclusion.
Start with the deadline
Write down the date you need to be in the new city and the date you can afford to stop paying for the old house. The gap between those dates is your selling window. Most relocation stress comes from two housing payments and an unsold house.
A relocation package may help with costs, but read what it covers and what it requires, such as using certain agents or buyout programs. Employers' terms vary, and we did not review any.
If you are already living in the new city, talk to the title company about signing remotely. Ask the closer what they need, and when, so a missed document does not strand you.
List or sell for cash
Listing with an agent can bring the highest price, especially for a house in good condition, but you carry the house until it closes. That means taxes, insurance, utilities and any mortgage payment, plus the chance that a financed buyer falls through.
A cash sale trades price for certainty. Kaizen Home Buyers makes an offer within 24 hours, buys as-is, charges no agent commission and typically closes in 14 to 30 days or on your date. If your window is short, that can matter more than the price gap.
Costs to put in your math
Include transfer tax. The state tax is 1 percent and a local tax of 1 percent usually applies as well, with Philadelphia at 4.578 percent combined. Include your mortgage payoff, any commission, repairs or credits, moving costs and the carrying costs while the house is unsold. A longer timeline often erases a higher price.
Add the cost of leaving the house vacant if you move first. Insurance can change when a home is empty, so ask your insurer before the last box leaves.
The tax rule that may help
The IRS says you may exclude up to 250,000 dollars of gain, or 500,000 dollars on a joint return, from the sale of your main home if you owned and lived in it at least two of the last five years. If you are moving in under two years, the page we reviewed did not describe partial exclusions, so ask a tax professional before you assume anything.
Keep your closing statement and your improvement records.
Paperwork you can do from afar
Complete the Pennsylvania seller disclosure statement early, since it must be delivered before the agreement of sale is signed. If you will not be in Pennsylvania at closing, ask the title company about signing remotely or authorizing someone to sign for you. Do not give anyone a power of attorney without an attorney's advice.
Give a trusted person your contact details and confirm who can answer questions on showing days.