Philly Relocation
Been doing some research – we are looking to find a up and coming neighborhood, good schools close. We want to rehab, so affordable would be good.
Been doing some research – we are looking to find a up and coming neighborhood, good schools close. We want to rehab, so affordable would be good.
You can try looking here:
http://www.rentjungle.com/philadelphia-apartments-and-houses-for-rent/
I’ve personally used this site a LOT and one thing that I think will be useful to you is the ability to browse by specific areas.
I think the OP needs to expand upon what he/she wants to be close to. If you like walking to a downtown-type area then Germantown would be a bad choice while Grad Hospital would be a good choice. I know nothing about the school situation. Also, be aware that property tax reform is on the agenda in Philly. We’ll see if it actually happens but the plan is to move to actual value assessments to determine property tax rates. Not the whacked out shit we have now (though I do presently benefit from it).
Take a look at the Girard Estate area. There are a ton of kids that live that area. While not expensive it is one of the safest neighborhoods in Philly. There are also many different size houses to pick from, from the historic Girard Estate houses to the traditional row homes. You should have no problem finding an inexpensive house to renovate as a lot of the houses have been owned for a life time and really could use some updating.
These are the borders for the Penn Alexander elementary school in West Philly & University City:
http://www.pennalexanderschool.org/content/what-are-boundaries-penn-alexander-school-can-my-child-attend
On many blocks you can get as much space as Germantown but you’re much closer to Center City and University City amenities. I’m not exactly sure what the market’s doing now but rehabs will be north of $200-250K.
I agree with freddie, if you have school-age kids, the “up and coming” neighborhoods are not great unless you do private school or they get into one of the magnets. The good public schools near downtown are in pricey neighborhoods. Even Germantown is pushing it on the school quality front, but I am not an expert on this. One “problem” with Germantown is that you’re as far from most of the interesting city stuff (restaurants, shopping, arts) as some of the ‘burbs, but still paying city wage taxes (very high) and dealing with shit schools. The tradeoff is that the property taxes can be much lower. If you work in city limits, you’re already paying most of the wage tax, so it’s not as important.
If your kids are still young, you may want to buy in a cheaper neighborhood and figure it later, since you’ll probably be able to get good money for your house if you rehab. Some of the neighborhoods have ok elementary schools but atrocious middle and high schools, so you can try to get your kid into a magnet and if that fails, just move to the ‘burbs.
If your kids are already school age, you may just want to look at the inner-ring suburbs from the beginning.
With kids you want to move to a neighborhood with parks, trees, and a bit less traffic. I recommend Germantown. Much cheaper than those above mentioned neighborhoods, and tons of charm.
The area just north of Girard between Front and 3rd Sts. is destined to become hot after the Piazza is complete. Lots of new and solid rehabbable properties, close to the Market-Frankford line, I-95, the waterfront. Plenty of on-street parking, and a decent elementary school (Moffett). Low taxes for now and very safe.
Are you coming to Philadelphia from another city?
You’ll find a lot of great info here:
http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/relocation-moving-philadelphia/
The up-and-coming neighborhoods are mainly the ones that form a ring around Center City. Francisville, Graduate Hospital, Powelton Village, University City, are all good choices with very positive and exciting changes going on. There are other areas a bit farther too, like Fishtown.
Not sure about the public school situation.