Seller’s Guide
Selling a home in the Lehigh Valley: what it’s worth, what it costs, and how it works.
Real numbers from the local market, the Pennsylvania and city rules that catch sellers off guard, and a free, no-obligation price opinion for your home.
The market right now
What Lehigh Valley homes are selling for.
Prices hit records this summer: the regional median reached $385,000 in June and a new high of $389,500 in July, before settling at $379,000 in August, still well above last year. Homes are going under contract fast and, on average, slightly above asking. The one real shift is supply: 893 homes were on the market in August, 8.2% more than a year earlier. More competition means buyers have a little more choice, and an overpriced listing is more likely to sit.
Lehigh and Northampton counties combined, August 2026. Source: Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS®.
Your home’s value
Why an online estimate isn’t a price.
Automated estimates can’t see your renovated kitchen, the busy road behind the fence, or the three nearly identical homes that closed on your street last month. A real price opinion starts with recent closed sales of comparable homes nearby, adjusts for condition, size, lot, and updates, and then checks what’s actively competing with you right now.
That’s what Atika prepares for sellers before any listing conversation: a comparable-sales analysis for your address, a recommended list-price range, and an honest read on what, if anything, is worth fixing first. It’s free, and you’re under no obligation to list.
Costs
What selling costs in Pennsylvania.
Realty transfer tax. Pennsylvania charges a 1% state realty transfer tax on the value of the property, and local governments add their own, commonly another 1% (more in some places). Since January 1, 2026, the total in the City of Allentown is 2.5%. Buyer and seller are both legally liable for it, but the sales agreement can split it any way the two sides agree; an even split is common.
| On a $379,000 sale | Total transfer tax | If split evenly, seller pays |
|---|---|---|
| 2% total (1% state + 1% local) | $7,580 | $3,790 |
| 2.5% total (City of Allentown, 2026) | $9,475 | $4,737.50 |
Agent compensation is negotiable. Commissions are not set by law, and since August 2024, listing agreements have to say so. Offers of compensation to a buyer’s agent also no longer appear on the MLS. Atika walks through exactly what you’ll pay, and why, before you sign anything.
City inspection fees. Bethlehem charges $150 per dwelling unit for its sale inspection. Allentown requires a pre-sale permit and inspection (details below).
Taxes on your profit. If you owned and lived in the home for at least 2 of the last 5 years, the IRS lets you exclude up to $250,000 of gain from income, or up to $500,000 on a joint return. Talk to a tax professional about your own situation.
Local rules
City inspections that catch sellers off guard.
Allentown. Before a property in the city is sold, the seller applies for a pre-sale permit and the city inspects it. If it passes, you get a Certificate of Compliance before the sale. If the inspection finds violations, you fix them, unless the buyer agrees to take them on, in which case you complete the city’s Acceptance Form. After closing, a Buyer’s Information Report is due within three days of settlement.
Bethlehem. Every sale needs a city inspection and a new certificate of occupancy. Under Article 1731 (updated July 2026), the seller or the seller’s agent must contact the city to schedule the inspection within 10 days of offering the home for sale, and at least 30 days before the transfer. The fee is $150 per dwelling unit, and the city may double it if a home is sold without one. If the inspection finds violations, the seller gives the buyer a copy of the report and the buyer signs to accept responsibility for the repairs; the buyer then has 12 months after purchase to complete them. The inspection report is valid for one year.
Everywhere else. Townships and boroughs set their own rules, and some have none at all. Atika checks your municipality’s requirement at the start, so an inspection never holds up your closing date.
Plan ahead: schedule the city inspection the week you list, not after you accept an offer. In Bethlehem the inspection has to happen at least 30 days before closing, and in both cities, what it finds shapes the repair-or-credit conversation with your buyer.
Disclosure
Pennsylvania’s seller disclosure rule, in plain English.
Under the Real Estate Seller Disclosure Law, a seller has to tell the buyer about any material defect they know of, meaning a problem that would significantly lower the home’s value or that creates an unreasonable risk to people on the property. You do this on a signed property disclosure statement, which the buyer receives before signing the agreement of sale. You don’t have to hire inspectors to go looking for problems, but you can’t leave out one you know about. A buyer can sue for actual damages for up to two years after settlement if you do.
The process
How a sale with Atika works.
Price opinion
A comparable-sales analysis for your address and an honest list-price range, before you commit to anything.
Prep, not a renovation
The few fixes that actually change what buyers pay, and the ones to skip. Your city inspection gets scheduled early.
Launch
Professional photos, a listing written for how buyers search, and outreach to buyers across the Valley, in English, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.
Offers and negotiation
A side-by-side comparison of every offer on price, financing strength, contingencies, and timeline, not just the top number.
Inspection to closing
Atika manages the buyer’s inspection, the appraisal, municipal certificates, and the paperwork through settlement.
Common questions
What sellers ask before listing.
It depends on recent comparable sales near you. For context, the median home in Lehigh and Northampton counties sold for $379,000 in August 2026, up 9.2% from a year earlier, according to Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS®. Atika prepares a free, no-obligation price opinion for your specific address.
In August 2026, homes in Lehigh and Northampton counties sold in an average of 19 days and received 101.1% of list price on average, per Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS®. Inventory rose 8.2% from a year earlier, so pricing right from the start matters more than it did last year.
Buyer and seller are both legally liable, but the sales agreement can split it however the two sides agree, and an even split is common. The state rate is 1%, local governments add their own (commonly another 1%), and the City of Allentown total is 2.5% since January 1, 2026.
Yes. Allentown requires a pre-sale permit and city inspection, and issues a Certificate of Compliance when the property passes. Bethlehem requires a city inspection and certificate of occupancy on every sale: the seller schedules it within 10 days of listing and at least 30 days before transfer, for $150 per unit. Other municipalities set their own rules.
Any material defect you know about, on a signed property disclosure statement the buyer receives before signing the agreement of sale. That is the requirement of Pennsylvania’s Real Estate Seller Disclosure Law.
Yes. Commissions are not set by law, and since August 17, 2024, listing agreements must state that compensation is fully negotiable.
Free price opinion
What’s your home worth?
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Sources
- Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS®, “Lehigh Valley Home Sales, Inventory Increase in August” (Sept. 15, 2026)
- Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS®, “Lehigh Valley Home Prices Reach New High for Second Consecutive Month” (Aug. 14, 2026)
- Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Realty Transfer Tax
- City of Allentown, “Realty Transfer Tax Increase to Go Into Effect January 1, 2026”
- City of Allentown, Pre-Sale Inspections
- City of Bethlehem, Codified Ordinances, Article 1731, Inspections (resale inspections; amended July 21, 2026)
- City of Bethlehem, Fee Schedule for Residential Rental Units (sales inspections and rental licensing)
- Pennsylvania General Assembly, Real Estate Seller Disclosure Law, 68 Pa.C.S. Chapter 73
- National Association of REALTORS®, Settlement FAQs
- IRS Tax Topic 701, Sale of Your Home
Figures checked September 2026. Tax and program rules change; confirm current terms with the named agency, your lender, or a tax professional before you act.