PA vs. NJ Real Estate Transactions: Key Differences Agents Miss
Ask an agent who works on one side of the Delaware River what it's like to close a deal on the other side, and you'll usually hear some version of "it's similar, but…" The similar part is true. The "but" is where deals go sideways. Pennsylvania and New Jersey look alike on a surface read — same general timeline, same kinds of contingencies, both states full of lawyers, both states with healthy residential markets. The operational reality is that PA and NJ run on fundamentally different systems, and the differences show up in places that surprise agents who cross state lines casually.
This post is the practical comparison. Written for agents, teams, and transaction coordinators handling files in both states, covering the differences that actually move the needle on how you plan a transaction, advise clients, and avoid the "wait, we don't do that here" moments. Not an academic survey — a field guide to the places where doing what you'd do in PA inside an NJ file (or vice versa) will get you in trouble.
The Single Biggest Difference: Who Runs the Closing
Start with this, because everything else flows from it.
Pennsylvania is a title-company-driven state. The overwhelming majority of PA residential transactions are closed by a title company or a settlement company, not by attorneys. Buyers and sellers can hire attorneys if they want (and sometimes do, especially on complex or high-value deals), but the typical PA deal never has a dedicated attorney on either side. The title company orders the title, clears title issues, prepares the closing documents, conducts the settlement, disburses funds, and records the deed. The real estate agents and the title company together run the file from contract to close.
New Jersey is an attorney-driven state. In most NJ residential transactions, both the buyer and the seller have their own attorneys from essentially the moment the contract is signed. The attorneys handle the review and modification of the contract during the three-day attorney review period, coordinate with the title company, manage contingencies, review closing documents, and represent their clients at settlement. Title companies in NJ still issue the title policy and handle recording, but attorneys — not title companies — drive the transaction.
This single structural difference cascades into almost everything else. PA agents working an NJ file for the first time are often blindsided by how much of the "agent's job" in PA becomes the "attorney's job" in NJ. NJ agents working in PA are sometimes surprised at how thin the legal layer is and how much responsibility the agent carries for operational coordination.
The practical takeaway: in PA, the agent and the title company are the spine of the transaction. In NJ, the attorneys are the spine, and the agent's role is more about facilitation than coordination.
Contract Execution and the Attorney Review Window
Both states sign contracts. Only one has attorney review.
Pennsylvania. When a PA buyer and seller sign the Standard Agreement for the Sale of Real Estate (the PAR form used across most of the state), the contract is binding immediately upon full execution. There is no automatic review window. If the buyer's attorney is going to review anything, that happens before signing — or not at all. PA contracts typically include a series of contingencies (inspection, mortgage, etc.) that give the buyer exit rights, but those contingencies operate on their own timelines, not through a front-end "cooling off" period.
New Jersey. Every residential NJ contract automatically includes a three-business-day attorney review period. The clock starts when the contract is fully executed and delivered. During that window, either party's attorney can approve the contract, propose modifications, or cancel the contract entirely — the last one without needing a reason. If no attorney acts within three business days, the contract locks in as-is. This is unique among PA/NJ comparisons and it shapes the first two weeks of every NJ deal.
The agent mistakes when crossing state lines:
PA agents on NJ deals sometimes celebrate a signed contract as if it's final. It's not — attorney review can unwind the deal cleanly in the first 72 business hours. Don't schedule inspections, order appraisals, or make client commitments that assume finality until attorney review has actually closed.
NJ agents on PA deals sometimes wait for an "attorney review period" that doesn't exist. The PA contract is binding at signing. If a client wants legal review, it needs to happen before the signature, not after.
Title, Settlement, and the Role of Attorneys
Zooming in on how the transaction actually closes:
Pennsylvania closings. The title company orders the title commitment, identifies any defects or requirements, coordinates payoffs of existing liens, prepares the deed (usually), prepares the HUD-1 or ALTA statement, conducts the settlement meeting, disburses funds, and records the deed with the county Recorder of Deeds. Title insurance premiums are regulated and fairly uniform across companies. The buyer typically chooses the title company (under RESPA's anti-steering rules) and typically pays for both the owner's and lender's policies, though this can be negotiated.
New Jersey closings. The title company still issues the title policy, but the attorney — typically the buyer's attorney in South Jersey or the seller's attorney in Central/North Jersey depending on local custom — often handles disbursement of funds, particularly in "attorney-state" closings. The buyer's attorney reviews the title commitment and raises any issues with the seller's attorney. Settlement can happen in the attorney's office, the title company's office, or (increasingly) through mail-away closings where parties sign in advance. New Jersey also has a regulated settlement fee structure — the NJ Title Insurance Rating Bureau sets minimum settlement fees, which is atypical compared to most states.
An under-appreciated NJ-specific issue: riparian rights. New Jersey owns the tidelands (land that was once under tidal waters), and if a property has any history of tidelands, the buyer's attorney and title company need to verify that a tidelands grant or license is in place. This comes up more often in shore properties and waterfront areas than agents expect, and it's not a PA concept at all.
Transfer Taxes: Different Names, Different Structures, Different Payers
Both states tax real estate transfers. The mechanics are completely different.
Pennsylvania Realty Transfer Tax. A flat percentage of the property value (sale price plus assumed debt). The state charges 1%, and local municipalities typically add another 1% for a total of 2% in most suburban transactions. Philadelphia stacks up to 4.578% total, Pittsburgh and Reading to 5%, and Allentown raised its rate to 2.5% effective January 2026. The convention in PA is that buyer and seller split the tax 50/50, though this is negotiable. Legally, both parties are jointly and severally liable for the full amount.
New Jersey Realty Transfer Fee (RTF). A graduated fee paid by the seller, not split. The RTF scales with purchase price — roughly $2 to $6.05 per $500 of consideration depending on price tier, translating to an effective rate that runs from about 0.4% on lower-value properties to about 1% on higher-value ones. NJ also offers partial RTF exemptions for qualifying senior citizens (62+), blind persons, disabled persons, and low/moderate-income housing — exemptions that have no PA equivalent in this form.
The Mansion Tax (New Jersey only, and recently overhauled). For residential and qualifying commercial property sales over $1,000,000, NJ imposes a supplemental fee — historically 1%, and historically paid by the buyer. That changed. Effective July 10, 2025, under Governor Murphy's FY2026 budget legislation, the responsibility shifted from buyer to seller, and the fee structure became graduated based on sale price:
$1M – $2M: 1%
$2M – $2.499M: 2%
$2.5M – $2.999M: 2.5%
$3M – $3.499M: 3%
$3.5M+: 3.5%
This is now formally called the Graduated Percent Fee (GPF). On a $3.5M NJ sale, the seller owes 3.5% on the full $3.5M — $122,500 — in addition to the standard RTF. There was a grace period for contracts fully executed before July 10, 2025 and recorded by November 15, 2025, but that's long closed.
The mistakes agents make when crossing:
PA agents on NJ luxury listings sometimes quote old mansion tax numbers (the flat 1% buyer-paid version) and miss both the shift to seller and the new graduated tiers. On high-end NJ listings, this can be a six-figure error in seller net proceeds.
NJ agents on PA luxury listings sometimes expect a mansion tax that doesn't exist — PA has no price-tier supplemental fee. PA just has the flat rate of whichever municipality the property sits in.
Both directions: the 50/50 convention in PA vs. 100% seller in NJ. Who owes what is completely different by state, and an agent who assumes one convention in the other state is setting up a surprise at the closing table.
Certificates of Occupancy and Use (CO/UO) — A New Jersey-Specific Headache
This one has no real Pennsylvania equivalent and catches PA agents off guard constantly.
Many New Jersey municipalities require a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Continued Occupancy(sometimes called a Certificate of Use and Occupancy, or CO/UO) before a residential property can be transferred. The exact requirements vary enormously by municipality — there is no statewide standard. Some towns require a full re-inspection and certificate at every resale. Some require only a smoke detector and carbon monoxide alarm inspection. Some require nothing. Some require a certificate only for multi-family properties, or only on change of use.
Because the rules vary town-by-town, an agent working in NJ needs to know the specific CO/UO requirements for every municipality they list in. Miss the inspection, and the deal can't close on time because the municipality won't issue the certificate and without the certificate, the buyer legally can't occupy.
Pennsylvania doesn't have this as a baseline requirement in most municipalities. Some PA townships have use-and-occupancy inspection programs, particularly in older boroughs, but it's not the routine every-sale occurrence that it is in parts of NJ.
For PA agents expanding into NJ: this is a discipline you have to build. Part of listing an NJ property is knowing the local CO/UO requirements, getting the inspection scheduled early, and tracking the certificate through to issuance before closing.
Disclosures and Seller-Side Paperwork
Both states require seller's disclosures, but the forms, the specifics, and the liability framework are different.
Pennsylvania. Uses the Pennsylvania Seller's Property Disclosure Statement, required by state law for most residential transactions. Sellers are required to disclose known material defects. There are specific statutory exemptions (estate sales, certain transfers between family members, etc.). The PA form is detailed and covers a wide range of categories.
New Jersey. Uses a Property Condition Disclosure Statement (though interestingly, NJ law doesn't require seller disclosure in the same statutory way PA does — disclosure is more a matter of common practice, case law, and the specific contract form). NJ also has specific statutory disclosure requirements around flood zones and environmental matters that are handled separately.
Flood disclosure. New Jersey enacted a robust flood disclosure law (effective March 2024) requiring sellers to disclose specific flood-related information, including whether the property has ever been subject to flooding, whether there's an active flood insurance policy, whether the property sits in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, and more. The disclosure is separate from the general property disclosure and is one of the more aggressive in the country. PA does not have a comparable statewide flood disclosure statute.
Lead paint. Both states follow the federal 1978 lead disclosure requirement. NJ adds additional requirements for certain rental scenarios, but for typical residential sales, the federal form does the work in both states.
Radon. Both states have significant radon concerns, and radon testing is common in both. Neither state mandates radon testing as part of a sale, but contracts in both states routinely include radon as part of the inspection.
Financing and the Mortgage Contingency
Both states allow mortgage contingencies in purchase contracts, but the operational workflow differs.
Pennsylvania. The buyer applies for the mortgage after contract signing, often triggered by a specific date in the contract (e.g., "buyer shall apply within X days of execution"). The mortgage contingency date sets a deadline for loan commitment. If the buyer can't obtain commitment by that date, they can typically terminate with deposit returned.
New Jersey. Because attorney review precedes loan application in most NJ deals, the mortgage contingency effectively starts running after attorney review ends. NJ attorneys often negotiate the mortgage contingency timeline during review, adjusting dates to realistic windows. The NJ contingency mechanics can be more flexible because an attorney is actively managing the timeline.
The agent-level takeaway: in PA, tell your buyer clients to be ready to submit a complete loan application immediately upon signing. In NJ, the application typically waits until after attorney review, but that doesn't mean three more days of doing nothing — it means the buyer should have the lender queued up and ready to move the day review ends.
Inspections and the Inspection Contingency
Both states do inspections. The timing and framing diverge.
Pennsylvania. The PAR Standard Agreement includes a detailed inspection contingency with specific timelines. The buyer typically has a set number of days from execution to complete inspections and notify the seller of any issues or objections. Negotiation of repair requests happens within a defined window. If not resolved, the buyer can typically terminate with deposit refunded.
New Jersey. Inspections run after attorney review ends. The specific timeline depends on what the attorneys agreed to during review — the "standard" ten-day inspection period can be negotiated up or down. Unlike PA, where the agent often carries the inspection timeline, NJ inspections are usually coordinated between the buyer's attorney and the agent.
A specific PA-only complexity: wood-destroying insect (WDI) inspections are common and often explicitly referenced in PA contracts, typically as a seller obligation at closing or as part of the inspection contingency. NJ uses termite inspections similarly but under different contract provisions.
Deposits / Earnest Money
Pennsylvania. Hand-money (PA term for earnest money) is typically held in the listing brokerage's escrow account. Amounts are negotiable but commonly 1-5% of the purchase price. Release of hand money if the deal terminates is governed by the contract terms and PA real estate regulations.
New Jersey. Initial deposit is often a smaller amount held by the listing brokerage, with additional deposit due after attorney review. Deposits in NJ are frequently held in the attorney's trust account rather than (or in addition to) the brokerage's. Release of deposits when deals terminate is typically coordinated between the attorneys.
The cross-state issue: PA agents holding deposits in NJ deals need to understand that the attorney trust account is the normal destination, not the brokerage escrow. NJ agents in PA need to understand the brokerage escrow is standard.
Tax Withholding for Non-Resident Sellers
Pennsylvania. No general real estate sale withholding requirement for non-resident sellers. Sellers pay their capital gains taxes through their normal tax filings, not at closing.
New Jersey. Non-resident sellers are subject to a GIT/REP withholding of 2% of the sale price (or 8.97% of the gain, whichever is smaller, with various exemptions and safe harbors). This is collected at closing and remitted to the NJ Division of Taxation as an estimated tax payment. Resident sellers complete a different GIT/REP form claiming residency and are exempt from withholding.
This catches PA-based agents listing NJ properties for out-of-state sellers constantly. A New York seller selling their Jersey Shore vacation home will have 2% of the sale price withheld at closing. That 2% is eventually reconciled on the seller's NJ non-resident tax return, but it hits their settlement proceeds in the meantime. Agents who don't flag this for out-of-state sellers are going to have an unpleasant closing-day conversation.
Closing Timelines and Practical Pace
Pennsylvania. A typical PA residential transaction runs 30–45 days from contract to close, depending primarily on the financing timeline. Because there's no attorney review period and the title company drives the workflow, the transaction can move quickly once contingencies are satisfied.
New Jersey. A typical NJ residential transaction runs 45–60 days, with the first 3-5 business days absorbed by attorney review. The extra time reflects attorney involvement, CO/UO scheduling where applicable, and the generally more layered coordination structure.
PA agents selling NJ deals sometimes promise their buyers a 30-day closing. That's aggressive in NJ and often unrealistic unless everyone is moving fast from day one.
What Agents Most Commonly Get Wrong Crossing State Lines
A consolidated list of the mistakes we see most often when agents work across the PA/NJ line:
1. Treating NJ contracts as final at signing
The attorney review window genuinely can unwind a deal. PA agents working NJ deals have to reset their expectations about when "under contract" actually means contractually locked.
2. Quoting PA transfer tax numbers for NJ (or vice versa)
The structures are completely different. PA is flat-rate percentages varying by municipality, 50/50 conventional split. NJ is graduated RTF paid by seller plus GPF on $1M+ paid by seller. Quoting one state's numbers in the other state's deal is an instant credibility-damaging error.
3. Missing the NJ CO/UO inspection
No PA agent expansion into NJ is complete until they can tell you, off the top of their head, the CO/UO requirements for every municipality they list in. It's the single most common "deal got delayed at the end" cause for new NJ agents.
4. Assuming every deal needs (or doesn't need) an attorney
In NJ, clients expect attorneys on both sides, and agents who fail to ask early whether the client has representation create awkward attorney-review scrambles. In PA, agents sometimes recommend attorneys on transactions that really don't need one — adding cost and coordination burden — because they imported NJ habits.
5. Misunderstanding who owns what paperwork role
In PA, the agent and title company own most operational coordination. In NJ, attorneys own substantial portions of that work. An agent running an NJ deal like a PA deal will end up duplicating work the attorney is doing, or worse, stepping on the attorney's role.
6. Flood disclosure in NJ
NJ's flood disclosure law is aggressive and specific. Agents listing NJ properties — especially shore properties, properties near creeks or rivers, or anywhere with flood history — need to ensure the disclosure is completed correctly. Non-compliance can be a legal liability issue for the seller.
7. Missing the mansion tax / GPF on luxury listings
The July 2025 shift from buyer-paid flat 1% to seller-paid graduated fee is still catching agents. Any NJ listing at or above $1M needs the current math run cleanly in advance of listing, not discovered at closing.
8. Non-resident seller withholding
The 2% GIT/REP withholding on NJ non-resident sellers is a real line item on settlement and an ongoing source of "wait, what's this?" from clients. Flag it at listing, not at closing.
9. Different settlement fee structures
NJ has state-regulated minimum settlement fees that don't exist in PA. Quoting closing costs to a buyer based on PA-style settlement fee assumptions will often understate NJ total closing costs meaningfully.
10. Riparian rights / tidelands on NJ waterfront
Entirely a New Jersey concept, and surprisingly common in shore properties. If there's any history of tidal water on or near the property, the title company and attorney need to investigate before closing. Missing this can block recording.
What Good TC Support Looks Like on Cross-Border Files
For agents running files in both states — or for teams that have agents licensed in both — the transaction coordinator becomes one of the most important parts of the operation. Solid TC support for PA/NJ cross-border practice looks like:
State-specific file workflows. Not a generic checklist applied to both states, but actual distinct PA and NJ templates that reflect the different contract forms, timelines, and required paperwork.
Attorney coordination in NJ files. A TC who knows how to work with NJ attorneys — introducing themselves at contract, tracking attorney review precisely, managing revisions, confirming end-of-review cleanly.
CO/UO tracking by municipality. The TC maintains municipal-level knowledge of CO/UO requirements for the markets the agent works in, and builds the inspection scheduling into every relevant NJ listing from day one.
Accurate transfer tax math. PA municipal rates confirmed from the County Recorder. NJ RTF and GPF calculated correctly including the 2025 graduated tiers. Verified against the closing statement before the parties see it.
Non-resident seller awareness. On any NJ listing, a TC who asks upfront about seller residency and flags GIT/REP implications accordingly.
Flood disclosure handling. For NJ listings, ensuring the flood disclosure is issued correctly and returned before listing.
Settlement coordination by state. Title company as lead in PA; attorney as lead in NJ; TC as connective tissue between them and the agent in both.
A PA-only or NJ-only TC can drop the ball on cross-border files. A TC with genuine experience in both states handles the differences automatically — and that's where the operational edge comes from for agents working the PA/NJ corridor.
The Bottom Line
Pennsylvania and New Jersey share a border and share a real estate market in certain parts of the region. They do not share transaction systems. PA is title-company-driven, flat-rate transfer tax, no attorney review, no CO/UO as a default, no mansion tax. NJ is attorney-driven, graduated RTF plus GPF on high-value sales, three-day attorney review on every deal, municipality-specific CO/UO requirements, flood disclosure regime, non-resident withholding, and riparian rights to worry about on waterfront properties.
The cross-border mistakes tend not to be esoteric — they're basic structural confusions about who runs the deal, what the taxes actually are, and what the timeline really looks like. Agents who pay attention to those three fundamentals and build state-specific operational habits get smooth deals on both sides of the river. Agents who assume similarity and import their home-state habits run into the same surprises over and over.
If you're practicing seriously in both states — or planning to — the right mental model is two different operating systems that happen to use the same language. Learn both systems cleanly. Don't try to make one look like the other.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an attorney to close a real estate transaction in Pennsylvania or New Jersey?
Neither state legally requires a real estate attorney to close a transaction. In Pennsylvania, most residential closings are handled by a title company without attorneys on either side, and this is standard practice. In New Jersey, attorneys are not technically required but are strongly expected on both sides in almost all residential transactions — the attorney review period and the overall transactional structure assume attorney involvement, and skipping representation in NJ means giving up the protections the system is designed to provide.
What is attorney review in New Jersey and why doesn't Pennsylvania have it?
Attorney review is a three-business-day period following full execution of a residential contract, during which either party's attorney can approve, modify, or cancel the contract. It exists in New Jersey because of a 1983 state Supreme Court decision that required broker-prepared contracts to include an automatic review window. Pennsylvania has no such requirement — attorneys in PA can review contracts before signing if a party chooses, but there is no built-in review period after signing.
How do transfer taxes differ between Pennsylvania and New Jersey?
Pennsylvania imposes a flat-rate Realty Transfer Tax — 1% state plus a local rate that varies by municipality, usually totaling 2% in most of the state but higher in Philadelphia (4.578%), Pittsburgh and Reading (5%), and other cities. The PA convention is a 50/50 buyer/seller split. New Jersey imposes a graduated Realty Transfer Fee (RTF) paid entirely by the seller, plus a separate Graduated Percent Fee on sales over $1 million (also seller-paid since July 10, 2025, with tiered rates up to 3.5% on sales over $3.5M). The structures are so different that an agent who knows one state's transfer tax cold still needs to learn the other state's system from scratch.
What is a Certificate of Occupancy (CO/UO) and why do New Jersey deals often need one?
Many New Jersey municipalities require a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Continued Occupancy before a property can legally be transferred or occupied after sale. The specific requirements vary by municipality — some towns require full inspection, some require only smoke/CO detector certification, some require nothing. There is no comparable baseline requirement across most of Pennsylvania, making CO/UO one of the most common operational surprises for PA agents expanding into NJ.
How is title insurance different in Pennsylvania versus New Jersey?
Both states require title insurance on mortgaged transactions and regulate title insurance rates through their state departments of insurance. The main practical difference is who coordinates the transaction around the title work. In Pennsylvania, the title company drives the closing process and is often the primary operational coordinator. In New Jersey, attorneys drive the process and work alongside the title company, which issues the policy and typically handles recording. Settlement fees in NJ are also more tightly regulated — the state sets minimum settlement fees through the NJ Title Insurance Rating Bureau, which is atypical.
What is New Jersey's Mansion Tax and who pays it?
The Mansion Tax — now formally called the Graduated Percent Fee (GPF) — is a supplemental fee on New Jersey sales over $1 million. Before July 10, 2025, it was a flat 1% paid by the buyer. As of July 10, 2025, it's a graduated fee paid by the seller, with rates ranging from 1% on sales between $1M and $2M up to 3.5% on sales over $3.5M. The shift in responsibility from buyer to seller was a significant change and is still catching some agents off guard on luxury listings. Pennsylvania has no comparable price-tiered supplemental fee.
What is the GIT/REP withholding on non-resident sellers in New Jersey?
New Jersey requires non-resident sellers to have 2% of the sale price withheld at closing (or 8.97% of the gain, whichever is less, with various safe harbors) as an estimated tax payment toward the seller's NJ non-resident income tax liability. The withholding is reconciled when the seller files their NJ non-resident return. Pennsylvania has no comparable withholding requirement on real estate sales, so PA agents listing NJ properties for out-of-state sellers need to flag this early — it's a real cash-flow item at closing.
Do Pennsylvania and New Jersey have different flood disclosure requirements?
Yes, significantly. New Jersey has one of the most aggressive flood disclosure statutes in the country, requiring sellers to disclose extensive flood-related information including prior flooding, flood insurance status, and FEMA flood zone designation. Pennsylvania does not have a comparable statewide statute, though sellers are still obligated to disclose known material defects that would include significant flooding history. Agents listing NJ properties in flood-prone areas need to ensure the specific statutory flood disclosure is completed correctly.
How do earnest money deposits differ between PA and NJ?
In Pennsylvania, hand money (earnest money) is typically held in the listing brokerage's escrow account. In New Jersey, deposits are commonly held in an attorney's trust account, particularly after the initial deposit, and coordination of the deposit flow is handled by the attorneys rather than by brokerages. Release of deposits when deals terminate is handled differently too — PA follows contract terms and real estate regulations, NJ typically runs through attorney coordination.
What's the typical closing timeline difference?
Pennsylvania residential transactions typically run 30–45 days from contract to close. New Jersey transactions typically run 45–60 days, reflecting attorney review, CO/UO coordination, and the more layered transactional structure. Agents who promise PA-style 30-day closings on NJ deals often over-promise unless everyone is moving fast from day one — and even then, NJ adds complexity that PA doesn't.
How can a transaction coordinator help with cross-border PA/NJ practice?
A transaction coordinator with genuine experience in both states maintains separate, state-specific workflows — not a generic checklist applied to both. A cross-border TC tracks NJ attorney review precisely, handles municipal CO/UO requirements, calculates both states' transfer taxes correctly including NJ's 2025 GPF changes, flags non-resident seller withholding on NJ deals, manages flood disclosure compliance, and coordinates with title companies and attorneys appropriately for each state. The operational difference between a single-state TC and a genuine cross-border TC is substantial for agents running files on both sides of the Delaware.
Ready to See What a Transaction Coordinator Can Do For Your PA and NJ Files?
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Sources
Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Realty Transfer Tax. Retrieved from https://www.pa.gov/agencies/revenue/resources/tax-types-and-information/realty-transfer-tax
New Jersey Division of Taxation. Property Sale Realty Transfer Fee. Retrieved from https://www.nj.gov/treasury/taxation/realty.shtml
New Jersey REALTORS®. Realty Transfer Fee Calculator and Graduated Percent Fee Guidance. Retrieved from https://www.njrealtor.com/government-affairs/realty-transfer-fee/
New Jersey State Bar Association. Attorney Review Clause in Real Estate Contracts. Retrieved from https://www.njsba.com
City of Philadelphia Department of Revenue. Realty Transfer Tax. Retrieved from https://www.phila.gov/services/payments-assistance-taxes/taxes/property-and-real-estate-taxes/realty-transfer-tax/
National Association of REALTORS®. What the NAR Settlement Means for Home Buyers and Sellers. Retrieved from https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/what-the-nar-settlement-means-for-home-buyers-and-sellers
Disclaimer: This post is general information about Pennsylvania and New Jersey real estate transactions based on public sources and common practice, not legal or tax advice. Transaction procedures, statutory requirements, and municipal rules in both states are subject to change, and interpretation can vary by fact pattern. Any agent or party with a specific question about a particular transaction should consult a licensed real estate attorney in the relevant state. Rates, tiers, and statutory provisions cited are current as of April 2026.
About Signed to Keys
Signed to Keys is a real estate transaction coordination firm serving agents across six Northeast states — Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Connecticut, and Delaware. From contract to keys, we handle the 30+ administrative tasks per file that would otherwise eat your prospecting time, built on secure systems that protect your clients and your license.
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