We Buy Houses in Boston, MA

Much of Boston’s housing stock predates 1940, and the triple-decker, three stacked flats under one roof, built by the thousands in Dorchester, Roxbury and East Boston between the 1870s and 1920s, defines whole neighborhoods where original knob-and-tube wiring, lead paint and aging roofs are still common. Cash Home Buyers CA buys houses and multi-family properties throughout Boston as-is, for cash, regardless of that condition.

Boston’s market in August 2026: high prices, steady demand

Redfin’s August 2026 figures show Boston’s median sale price at about $859,431, up 3.4 percent from a year earlier. Homes are taking about 26 days to go under contract, roughly the same pace as the year before, and sellers are averaging 99.4 percent of asking price.

Boston’s price level is one of the highest of any city we buy in, which raises the stakes on condition. A Dorchester triple-decker with deferred maintenance, an East Boston two-family with old cloth wiring, or a Roxbury property tied up in probate can miss out on that price strength entirely if it can’t pass a bank’s inspection and appraisal, and the carrying costs (property tax, insurance, heat) on an expensive city like Boston add up fast while a flawed listing sits.

Rules that shape a Boston home sale

Massachusetts has some of the most attorney-driven closing rules in the country, and here is what applies to a Boston sale:

• Attorney-conducted closings. Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court has held that an attorney must be involved in, and conduct, the closing of a residential real estate conveyance. We work within that requirement on every Boston purchase.
• Transfer tax (deeds excise). Massachusetts charges a deeds excise tax of $4.56 per $1,000 of the sale price, customarily paid by the seller.
• Foreclosure. Massachusetts lenders usually foreclose out of court under the mortgage’s power of sale, which can move faster than a judicial process.
• Seller disclosure. Massachusetts does not require a general seller disclosure form, but state law requires specific disclosures, notably lead paint notification, which matters on Boston’s pre-1978 triple-deckers and rowhouses.
• Rent and eviction rules. Many Boston triple-deckers are owner-occupied two- or three-family homes with tenants in the other units, and Massachusetts’ eviction and notice rules apply to any occupied unit you’re selling.
• Coastal flood exposure. Parts of East Boston, South Boston and Charlestown sit close to Boston Harbor and see periodic tidal and storm-surge flooding, which affects insurance costs in those neighborhoods.

Dorchester to East Boston: what we buy in Boston

Dorchester, Boston’s largest neighborhood, is packed with triple-deckers built mostly between the 1890s and 1920s, alongside pockets of older single-family Victorians near Savin Hill and Ashmont. Jamaica Plain mixes Victorian houses around Jamaica Pond with triple-deckers and multi-families. South Boston (Southie) has dense rowhouses and triple-deckers close to the waterfront, some now facing higher flood-insurance costs. East Boston, across the harbor, is heavily triple-decker and multi-family, with older wiring and plumbing common in properties that have passed through generations of the same family. Roxbury has some of the city’s oldest housing alongside newer infill, and a significant share of owner-occupied multi-families with long-term tenants. We buy across all of it: the triple-decker with a tenant in one unit and deferred maintenance throughout, the inherited Dorchester Victorian, the East Boston multi-family with old wiring, and the Roxbury property that’s been in probate for years.

Situations we see most in Boston

• Tenant-occupied triple-deckers. A landlord ready to exit a Dorchester or East Boston multi-family can sell to us with tenants in place rather than navigating Massachusetts’ notice and eviction rules first.
• Lead paint and old wiring. Pre-1978 housing across Boston often needs lead paint disclosure and carries original electrical systems that complicate a financed sale.
• Inherited multi-family property. Boston’s triple-deckers frequently pass through families for generations, and heirs who don’t want to become landlords sell to us as-is.
• Deferred maintenance on an aging roof or foundation. A century-old triple-decker roof or foundation repair can run into real money, money a seller may not want to spend before selling.
• Flood-zone properties near the harbor. Owners in parts of East Boston, South Boston and Charlestown facing rising insurance costs or repeated tidal flooding often prefer a cash sale to a financed buyer who needs an insurance binder.

How a Boston cash sale closes

Because Massachusetts requires an attorney to conduct the closing, a licensed Massachusetts attorney handles the title search, closing documents and the deeds excise tax filing on your sale, coordinated through a title company. Since we’re paying cash, there’s no lender underwriting, no appraisal contingency and no mortgage commitment deadline to hit, which typically lets us close in about 7 to 14 days instead of the 30 to 45 days a financed Boston purchase usually takes.

On multi-generational Boston triple-deckers, title work sometimes turns up an old mortgage discharge that was never recorded or an heir who was never removed from the deed. Our closing attorney resolves those issues as part of the transaction rather than leaving you to sort them out first.

Listing a Boston house or selling for cash

A renovated triple-decker or single-family in Jamaica Plain or Dorchester is a strong listing in this market, where the median sale price is pushing toward $860,000 and homes still sell for close to full asking. An agent can likely net more on a move-in-ready property, even after a commission.

The calculation changes for a property with tenants you don’t want to manage through a sale, lead paint and old systems that need disclosure and repair, a harbor-adjacent flood and insurance problem, or an estate that needs to close on its own timeline. A financed buyer still needs an appraisal, an inspection, and often a lead paint compliance plan, any of which can stall a Boston closing. Our offer accounts for the repairs and risk, but comes with no commission, no repair negotiations and a closing date you set.

Boston sellers ask us

How fast can I sell my house in Boston for cash?

We deliver a written offer within 24 to 48 hours and can close through our attorney and title company in about 7 to 14 days. Redfin’s August 2026 data shows Boston homes taking about 26 days just to go under contract on the open market, before a financed buyer’s own 30-to-45-day closing period, so a cash sale can save a couple of months.

Do I have to hire an attorney to sell my Boston house to you?

Massachusetts law requires an attorney to conduct the closing on any residential sale, including ours. We work with a closing attorney as part of every transaction, so this is handled for you rather than an extra cost or step you have to manage.

My triple-decker has tenants. Can I still sell it to you?

Yes. We regularly buy tenant-occupied triple-deckers and multi-families in Dorchester, East Boston and Roxbury, and the tenants can stay in place under their existing leases after closing.

What is the transfer tax when I sell in Boston?

Massachusetts charges a deeds excise tax of $4.56 per $1,000 of the sale price, which the seller customarily pays. We can build that cost into how we structure your net proceeds.

Do you buy houses with lead paint or knob-and-tube wiring?

Yes. Lead paint and original wiring are common in Boston’s pre-1978 triple-deckers and rowhouses. We handle the required lead paint disclosure, inspect the property once, and price the condition into our offer instead of asking you to remediate it first.

To request a written cash offer on your Boston house, call 424-435-2326. The offer is free, and the decision is yours.

Written and reviewed by the Cash Home Buyers CA team. Market figures are from Redfin and Massachusetts deeds excise and lead paint disclosure statutes as of August 2026 and are updated periodically.

Get a free cash offer from Cash Home Buyers CA today.