Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Pennsylvania

Re: Housing

Is the home you want to buy "condemned? It is difficult to understand why you would want to buy it.

If the property was condemned by a township or municipality because of the condition of the property, it is still owned by the owner. Usually such a condemnation may result on a lien on the property, especially if the local authority has to take some action [for example, demolition, boarding up, etc.].

The condemnation where a local authority claims the property for a public use is different: it is a forced sale. It results in the local authority "buying" the property from the owner, by paying the owner condemnation damages. In this kind of condemnation, you can't buy the property because it is already spoken for by the local authority.

You probably could get more helpful information by consulting with a local real estate lawyer. It would be very risky for you to deal on your own with the owner of such property.