Suburban Philadelphia Real Estate News

Welcome to the Wallingford Station on SEPTA's R3 Regional Rail Line connecting Center City Philadelphia Pennsylvania with Media/Elwyn in Delaware County.

This is the only R3 Regional Rail stop in Nether Providence PA and is one stop west of Swarthmore and the second stop east of Media. It is a great location for suburban commuters in the area with easy drop off/pick up access.

The station itself is located in a largely residential area just east of Providence Rd/Route 252.  Route 252 is one of the major north-south routes in the county beginning in Nether Providence and continuing through Newtown Square up towards Paoli in Chester County.  There is adjacent parking but this is a popular stop with relatively limited parking so this is a better drop off location for local commuters.  South Media is just to the northwest, Furness Park is to northeast, Wallingford Elementary School is just to the south, and the Wallingford Township Office is southeast.  For a better feel, take a quick look at the video:

The prices for real estate in Nether Providence have held up fairly well.  The area contains predominately single family suburban homes.  After rising from an average sales price of $286,000 in 2005 to $326,000 in 2006, prices have been settling downward to $320,000 in 2007, $311,00 in 2008, and $307,000 over the last six months.  This is much better than many areas in Delaware County.   Activity has also dropped a bit from 198 homes sales in 2006 and 199 home sales in 2007 to only 163 sales in 2008 and 64 properties sold in the last six months.  There are currently an additional 14 properties under contract at an average list price of $341,000 and 97 properties on the market for an average list price of $391,000.

As always, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

(All statistics from the TrendMLS System and believed accurate but not guaranteed.)

Welcome to the Penfield Station on SEPTA's Route 100 High Speed Line connecting the 69th Street Terminal and the Norristown Transportation Center. 

Penfield Station is actually the third station west of the 69th Street Terminal in northeastern Delaware County.  Located on the eastern edge of Haverford Township, this station is a convenient stop for commuters generally from the Penfield section of Havertown and the Penn Wynne section of Montgomery County. 

This is one of the smaller stations on the line and has very limited parking.  It is an ideal local commuter station allowing the residents immediate access with minimal driving.  All rail stops are on a requested basis right at the platform.  The eastbound platform is adjacent to the small parking lot but it has plenty of space for dropping off or picking up passengers. 

The surrounding area is primarily residential single family homes with some twins mixed in.  The closest commercial is generally along Township Line Avenue just to the east of this residential section or toward Brookline and along Darby Rd to the south and west.  The average sale price for homes in Penfield for the last year was $366,000 and there is currently one active listing.  Just to the north in Penn Wynne Montgomery County, the average sale price for the last year was $328,000, but this reduced price reflects a much greater concentration of twins in the area. 

 As always, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime.

(Above information from TrendMLS System and believed correct but not guaranteed.)

One of the great (and least often appreciated) things about a long established city is its well developed public transportation network.  Philadelphia and its suburbs are no exception.

Before the widespread use of the automobile, one of the key advantages that came with city living was its easy access to public transportation both within and around the surrounding area.  Philadelphia has always been at the forefront of transportation development.  Originally dependent primarily on river transportation, it quickly benefited from early road, rail, and canal development due to its prime East Coast location.  This was hastened by the state when Pennsylvania created the Main Line of Public Works which opened in 1834.

Beginning in the 1840s, Philadelphia continued to build on its strong East Coast position, as the Pennsylvania Railroad, headquartered in Philadelphia, developed one of the finest rail systems in the world.  This provided easy access for Philadelphians and their businesses to connections throughout the country.  The railroad was a major economic force until its eventual demise in the 1970's. 

Today, rail remains a critical transportation component both locally and regionally.  In Delaware County, the original Main Line still runs across its northern border through Radnor township.  Running along its southern border, the all important Northeast Corridor continues to connect the major northeast coastal cities from Boston, through New York, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, and down to Washington, DC. 

Concurrently with the development and growth of intercity rail, demand grew for local transportation options as well. These were answered by the development of local train, trolley, and other light rail options. The first horse drawn public transportation appeared in 1831, the first passenger train service arrived in 1832, the first electric trolley line arrived in 1892, and the first bus lines followed in 1923.  Over time, these merged, went out of business, or were replaced by other forms of transportation until the final consolidation by the government with the advent of SEPTA.

SEPTA was founded in 1964, and by 1983 it had responsibility for all the public transportation systems within the Philadelphia region. Today it is the 5th largest public transportation system in the country.  According to SEPTA's web site, the system includes, rail, light rail, bus, and trolley systems spanning 316 stations/bus terminals, 2664 vehicles, almost 9000 employees, and has a 325 million annual ridership.   The system covers Delaware County with 2613 Septa stops including 54 rail stops on 3 regional rail lines and multiple trolley/high speed rail lines.    These rail connections are concentrated in the eastern, northern, and southern areas of the county while the central and western sections are primarily accessed through bus service.

Today this network provides easy commuting options both within the county and to downtown Philadelphia and continues to be a major benefit and draw for people living, working, and enjoying all that the area has to offer. In the future, I will be highlighting major stops of these rail lines to provide a better feel for the individual communities and their development.