Aston fills the middle of Delaware County with exactly what the postwar dream promised: split-levels and ranches on quarter-acre lots, Neumann University, and Route 452 tying it to everything. The township’s resale certificate is a three-part check, permit history, curbs and sidewalks, and a notarized detector affidavit, that runs smoothly for prepared sellers and includes one genuinely rare perk: a permit fee waiver for homeowners 62 and older fixing the house up to sell.
The Aston seller picture
Buyers are move-up families from the inner boroughs and first-timers who want a yard without Chester County pricing. Sellers skew long-tenured, many in houses bought decades ago, and the resale process reflects the township’s priorities: what happened to the property on paper (permits), what the public touches (sidewalks and curbs), and whether the safety basics are in place (the affidavit). All three are knowable before anyone inspects anything.
The resale certificate: $100 and three checks
The township’s 2026 resale certificate packet lays out the process:
- Fee and timing: $100 with the completed application, submitted at least two weeks before settlement; incomplete applications come back unprocessed, and a reinspection costs another $100.
- The history search: the township checks for open permits, open complaints, and zoning conformance. Open items block the certificate, so the permit conversation belongs in listing week.
- The exterior check: a public curbing and sidewalk inspection, the item most likely to cost real money if a slab needs replacement, and concrete work needs a township inspection before pouring.
The affidavit, the notary, and the senior discount
The third check is paperwork: a notarized affidavit, signed by seller and buyer, confirming smoke alarms in every sleeping area and on every level including the basement, carbon monoxide alarms outside sleeping areas, and visible house numbers. As-is sales flip the signatures to the buyer. Alongside it sits the detail downsizers should not miss: the code department waives permit fees once per year for residents 62 and older (and widows and widowers 50 and older) on work up to $10,000, which makes pre-sale repairs cheaper for the people most likely to be making them.
The Pennsylvania money
The realty transfer tax runs 2% total, so the seller’s customary half on a $380,000 sale is $3,800. Pennsylvania has no exit withholding, and the federal exclusion covers up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for couples, which shelters most long-tenured Aston sellers entirely. The home-sale tax guide and the cost-to-sell guide hold the details.
Where downsizers here go
Aston downsizers look to the 55+ communities and condos threaded through central Delco, Middletown and Springfield lead the list, with Brookhaven’s ranch supply next door for those who want a smaller house rather than a condo. The Delaware County downsizing guide maps it all, and the sequencing guide answers what to do first.
Getting started
The Aston order: a free valuation to set the number, the permit history checked and the senior fee waiver claimed for any pre-sale work, the application and affidavit circulating at contract signing, and the sidewalk walked with honest eyes before the township walks it. The complete downsizing guide covers the after.