We Buy Houses for Cash in New Hampshire

New Hampshire homes come with wells, septic systems, lakes, woods and, in many places, a long list of environmental notices that sellers are required to hand over before a contract is signed. Radon, arsenic in well water, PFAS and flood risk all appear in the state's standard notification, and waterfront owners face an extra septic evaluation on sale. If you own a camp you rarely use, a farmhouse on acreage, a home with a well that has never been tested, or a house behind on the mortgage, a traditional listing can take a long time and cost a lot. Swifty Home Buyers buys New Hampshire houses for cash, as-is, with no agent commissions and no repair requests, and you pick the closing date.

We buy houses in all 50 states. This guide covers the rules that matter in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire's real estate transfer tax is $.75 per $100 of the price, imposed on both the buyer and the seller according to the Department of Revenue Administration, so each side pays 0.75% and the combined tax is 1.5%. On a $300,000 sale that is $2,250 for the seller and $2,250 for the buyer. There is a minimum tax of $20 on small transfers, and a list of exemptions that includes transfers by will or intestate succession, between spouses under a divorce decree, and to government bodies. Sellers also commonly pay for their own attorney or closing agent, any payoff of loans or liens, and a prorated share of property taxes, which in New Hampshire are set locally and can be significant. Add an agent's commission and any repairs a buyer requests, and a traditional sale gets expensive fast. In a cash sale to Swifty there is no commission and we do not ask you to make repairs; every cost goes in writing before you commit.

New Hampshire foreclosures are typically carried out by power of sale under RSA 479:25, without a lawsuit first. For a residential mortgage, the notice of the sale must be served on the owner or sent by registered or certified mail at least 45 days before the sale, and it must also be published once a week for three successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation, with the first publication at least 20 days before the sale date. The notice has to tell the owner about the right to petition the superior court, with service on the mortgagee and on such bond as the court may require, to enjoin the scheduled sale, and the petition must be filed and served before the sale. New Hampshire Housing lists resources for homeowners at risk: call 2-1-1, reach 603 Legal Aid at 1-877-399-9995, or the Banking Department's homeowner hotline at 1-800-437-5991, and it also points to free HUD-approved counseling. If you fall behind, selling before the auction date lets the sale price pay off the loan and leaves any remaining equity with you. Speak with a New Hampshire attorney about your deadlines.

• Sell as-is
• Inherited house
• Foreclosure
• Tenants or rental property

Lakes, rivers and the waterfront septic rule

New Hampshire has a rule that catches many waterfront sellers off guard. Under RSA 485-A:39, in its current version effective September 1, 2024, before a developed waterfront property with a septic system is transferred, where any portion of the system is within 250 feet of the reference line, the buyer engages a licensed septic evaluator at the buyer's expense, or accepts an evaluation the seller had prepared within 180 days of the transfer. A buyer who plans to replace the system can skip the evaluation by notifying the state and completing the replacement within 180 days after closing. Waterfront owners often have older systems, so it is worth asking early how the rule applies to your property. We buy waterfront homes as-is and plan our timeline around the evaluation.