Suburban Philadelphia Real Estate News

Thinking of a move in eastern Delaware County PA?  Now is the time and this could be the place.

This Sunday, March 7, from 12:00-2:00, we will be holding an Open House at 59 Penn Blvd in East Lansdowne PA. This is easily accessible.  From the intersection of Lansdowne Avenue and Baltimore Avenue travel east on Baltimore to a left on Penn.  The home is just to the north on the right hand side.

59 Penn is a classic Delaware County straight through twin.  Conveniently located in the first block north of Baltimore Avenue, the property is just minutes west of Philadelphia and provides easy access on Baltimore Pike west toward Lansdowne, Clifton Heights and the rest of Delaware County.  The R3 SEPTA Regional Rail Line is easily accesible running just south of Baltimore Ave from Philadelphia to Media.  Long Lane along the eastern border of the Borough runs north to Upper Darby, 69th Street Terminal, and the trolley lines throughout the region and south towards the Philadelphia International Airport.

Twins are a popular design throughout the area.  Originally developed in the UK and Australia, twin homes are side by side units with a common center wall.  Although the units are often mirror images when first built, they can be heavily modified over the years since they are separate pieces of property. This allows the owners to customize their units to match their needs.  There are various designs employed but the straight through design provides a more open floor plan and efficient use of space.

59 Penn is a great three-story straight through example with a large living room, dining room, heated porch, and newer powder room on the first floor. It has an updated kitchen with built-in dishwasher, beamed ceiling, and lots of counter and cabinet space with an adjacent separate oversized breakfast room with built-in desk, cabinets, and large closet.  The full basement has an outside entry and separate powder room. There are three bedrooms and full hall bath on the second floor and a full floor fourth bedroom on third floor. Improvements include updated windows, newer roof, newer water heater, and newer heating system.

Please be sure to check out my blog "East Lansdowne PA History & Homes Market Report" for more detailed information on the Borough.  For more pictures check out www.59Penn.com.

As always, if you have any questions or need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime.  I look forward to seeing you Sunday from 12-2 at 59 Penn!

David Henke
Long & Foster Real Estate Inc - Newtown Square,PA/Bear, DE
Office: 610-353-1199/Direct: 610-359-3853/Cell: 610-618-0808
www.DelawareCountyPennsylvaniaHomes.

Well its that time of year ... where the days are long and hot and everyone is looking for a nice relaxing break.  Sounds like it's time to go to the movies!

In Lansdowne, a new "Little Big Screen" theatre, Cinema 16:9, recently opened in a portion of the Historic Lansdowne Theater, currently undergoing restoration.  This is both a full service small theater venue playing second run films as well as a full line rental movie business offering a deep selection of foreign and classic films.  The 41 seat theater has a full 11.5 ft cinema screen with theater surround sound and is a great addition to the Lansdowne area.

David Titus is the owner of Cinema 16:9 and recently moved back to the area with his wife, a native of Lansdowne.  They have carefully redone the space to echo the classic movie feel (check out his blog for the construction story).  In the lobby, they serve a full complement of movie snacks with a very local green bent.  Hot beverages come from the Regency Cafe next door, while the hot dogs (Danda Farms Certified Organic All Beef Hot Dogs), beverages (including Hanks root bear,Steaz, Boylans, and Honest Tea brands), and popcorn (Kettle Popped Reist Popcorn) are all from regional businesses.  The Fresh Movie Nachos are from Lansdowne's own Mission Burito while the chocolates come from Ashers and the sweets arrive from Surf Sweets.

The theater itself is open daily 11-11, and is located in the front left of the same building as the original Lansdowne Theater while the Regency Cafe is off to the right.  The building is located in downtown Lansdowne at 35 N Lansdowne Avenue just north of the intersection with Baltimore Avenue and just minutes from Drexel Hill, Upper Darby, and much of Delaware County.  Plenty of parking is available on the street or in the lot across from the theater.

There are multiple membership options allowing from 1-3 movie rentals at a time and all the memberships come with discounted theater tickets - or just come see a movie anytime with no membership.  Watch a movie here a then take some to go!

Enjoy the Summer!  Take in a Movie!  Support your Local Businesses!  Eat Healthy! and Meet David Titus!  It's a prefect complement to your other summer activities and a great break from your daily schedule.  Be sure to check out Cinema 16:9 today.

Delaware County is rich in history and retains many of its historic spaces.  Some have been restored, many continue to be in private hands, but the area appreciates the history that has created the fabric of the community.  Having traveled throughout the country, I have found that you can also tell a lot about a community by looking at both what has been listed and when they decided to list them.  Lansdowne Borough in eastern Delaware County PA is no exception.

Today, Lansdowne PA has four listings on the National Register of Historic Places.

The first two listings were for individual buildings.  The earliest listing was the Twentieth Century Club of Lansdowne listed in November of 1979.  The building was constructed in 1911 and was purchased by the borough in 1979 for use as a community center where it continues to host local events.  The building was designed by Heacock and Hokanson of Philadelphia and was built of stone and brick.

The second location to be listed was the Lansdowne Theatre.  Listed in September 1986, this grand 1400 seat auditorium remains as a centerpiece of downtown Lansdowne.  Opened in June 1927 and designed by noted theater architect William H Lee, "the Lansdowne portrays an exotic fantasy of early Spanish intrigue".  It was the last theater in the area that was designed with a full orchestra pit and the organ was only removed in 1979.  Today, it is closed while it undergoes extensive renovations.  Cinema 16:9 has opened a small theater in the building which continues the theater going tradition in the borough.  It should be a great complement to the restored theater when it reopens.

Lansdowne also has two registered historic districts.  The first was listed in September 1987 as the Lansdowne Park Historic District.  It covers a multiblock area generally bordered by W Baltimore, Windemere, Stratford, and Owen but is very irregular.  The district was developed between 1889 and 1912 as the first area development to take advantage of the expanding rail operations out of Philadelphia.  Today, it retains most of its original structures and street-scape although some of the internal designs have been changed.  The area also includes the oldest building in Lansdowne, the Dickenson farmhouse, built in 1732 and added to in 1790.

The fourth and most recent addition to the list is the Henry Albertson Subdivision Historic District added in December 1997.  Construction in the area began in 1884 and continued through 1940 with most building completed by 1925.  The 71 homes of the district are on the 1891 subdivision of the Henry Albertson Estate.  The historic district includes a variety of building styles but Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Tudor Revival proved to be the most popular.

Today Lansdowne Borough is a great suburban community and has been chosen as one of the Classic Towns of Greater Philadelphia. It continues to offer a wide variety of housing choices to suit most needs.  All these historic listings truly add to the character of the community and help make Lansdowne a great place to live.  Filled with history, close to the city, containing great road and rail transportation links, the future should only get better.

If you have any questions or are looking to buy or sell real estate in the area, please feel free to call anytime.

Note: Property Now Has Accepted Agreement

Almost every discussion we have today in real estate eventually turns to short sales and bank owned properties.  We've all heard the radio ads and the cocktail chatter of finding your dream home for $29.99 per month with no money down.  The reality can be quite different.  Yes - there are some great values out there but the great prices often simply reflect the condition.

As in every market, the suburban market just west of Philadelphia does have its share of foreclosure listings.  The condition of these bank owned properties run the gamut from move-in condition to gutted shells.  To demonstrate the wide range of properties currently available (and the conditions found in these properties), I will be taking video of the interiors of some of the local foreclosures to provide you with a better feel for the market.  These homes have all been listed in our office with Danielle Mateu who has worked with several institutions for years in the foreclosure market throughout the Philadelphia region.

The first is Union Avenue in Lansdowne Pennsylvania (Upper Darby Township).  This property is a great twin listed for $84,900 with 4 bedrooms and 1 bath.  As with most bank owned property, this twin is being sold in as in condition and there are no utilities currently in the property.  Any potential buyer must be preapproved and/or have proof of funds before any offers will be presented.  Although not shown in the video, it does have a finished basement with a separate laundry area (since the utilities were off, it was too dark to shoot in the video).  The home has a spacious open floor plan with hardwood floors throughout.  On the second floor, there are three bedrooms and a bath with a potential fourth bedroom in the finished third floor.  I think the rest can best be shown by the video (don't worry, I'll be more stable and efficient in the future):

As for the local real estate activity: looking at the immeditate surrounding areas in Lansdowne, Upper Darby, and East Lansdowne, there are 36 twins and row homes currently on the market with an average list price of $118,000.  There are an additional 5 properties currently pending (avg price $99,000), and 19 homes have settled since October 1 at an average list price of $96,000.  In all of 2008, using the same criteria, there were 62 sales in the area with an average settled price of $97,000 so the market in the immediate region has remained fairly stable and Union appears competitively priced.  These properties have run the spectrum from small row homes to large gracious Victorian twins. 

So thank you for taking a look.  Next week, I'll add a home in Tredyffrin Township currently listed for $649,900 to provide you with an upper end property for comparison.

As always, if you have any questions, need any additional information, or would like to view any of the homes, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime.

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.