kim

My wife and I (early 30s) may be relocating to Philadelphia. Does anyone know how much a 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhouse would approximately cost in Chestnut Hill? In Mount Airy? We've heard these two areas are great if we want to be near the city but have some greenery. Any other ideas for places to live? Thanks.

Liz

Just so you know, those 2 areas are not NEAR the city, they are IN the city. Perhaps an on-line realitor site would have home prices? I would imagine Chestnut Hill would be much more expensive than Mount Airy.

Uli

Check Realtor.com for home prices. Chestnut Hill is more expensive than Mt. Airy. The latter is more black..as is nearby Germantown. All these areas are full of lovely older homes needing loving owners and renters. There are lots of antique furniture places in the area with reasonable prices to furnish your home. All these areas are full of trees, old churches, revolutionary war sites, cobblestone streets, and lovely friendly people. There are buses and commuter trains into downtown.

John G

I live in Manayunk and I love it. You can be downtown in 10 minutes by car. It is a little "pricey," but it is very white. I don't mean to sound racist, but in Philadelphia you have to be careful where you live. This city is very segregated. Many people don't want to admit it, but it is very true.

Jane

Your best bet is to get a copy of the Chestnut Hill Local and read the real estate ads. There is a townhouse development near the Chestnut Hill East train station and I believe the 3 bedroom townhouses go for about $200,000. There are also rowhomes for sale around the neighborhood. Most of the real estate in CH is controlled by a few realtors who don't have a big online presence--they expect you to come to them. Reasonably priced houses will sell fast.
Having lived all over Philadelphia, the CH neighborhood is my favorite. I like it better than Mount Airy because once you're in the Hill, you can walk everywhere. Nothing against the Mount Airy neighborhood, but CH is the top of the heap. Manayunk is very crowded, very trendy, over priced, parking is next to impossible and caters mostly to suburbanites who think going in to Manayunk counts as going into the city. It doesn't.

Jan

Philly is a great place to live - no matter what you hear - I have always though that living here is better than vistting here - I live near the Art Museum - CHestnut Hill and Mount Airy are in the city limits, as a previous post points out, but don't be confused, that is not the same as being in center city - Philly is one of the most expansive cities in the country, encompassing areas that are within the city limits, but could take up to 30 minutes to get to downtown center city (think city hall) - chestnut hill and mount airy definitely would each take about 20 minute drive if there is no traffic to get to CC - if there is traffic these could take up to 45 minutes - one of my coworkers makes the commute from mt. airy every day - trust me, it really can take that lnog even though the mileage is not that much - Chestnut Hill is urban in feel but also quaint (think Cambridge, Mass) there is a main street that is cobblestone most of the way with shops, coffee houses, restaurants, antique dealers, and one of THE BEST old fashioned hardware stores where you can get almost anything you need and still has a penny gumball machine - 1000 steps above restoration hardware!!! chestnut hill is also very expensive - i think the previous estimate of 200,000 for a 3 br townhouse was low - mt. airy is lower in price, and is slightly more spread out, not a main strip like chestnut hill, but has numerous restaurants and stores - it is experiencing a "revival" in the past few years - there is also a good jazz club there - it is way more integrated than chestnut hill - the previous posts about white vs black areas and watching were you live do not apply so much to mt. airy in my opinion - as far as areas where you want to live but watching out who the naighbors are, philly is somewhat interesting b/c you can live in a perfectly lovely neighborhood like i do, walk 5 blocks and be in a sketchy one - you just have to look before you buy, walk around, and ask the opinions of some locals - if you do start thinking about living in CC here are some suggestions: old city (really great loction convenient to a park - ok, it's a square, but a nice one - tons of fab restaurants, some good bars and nightlife, coffeehouses, historic sites, etc) anywhere on spruce from 2nd to 10 (i mean, just gorgeous big old rowhomes), lombard st to spruce from 2nd to about 10th (nice areas, within walking distance to the above old city area), rittenhouse square area (for convenience to restaurants and one of the most beautiful and lively squares - tons of benches, art shows and nightime music in summer, people sitting on the lawns reading - just fab), or fairmount/art museum area (VERY convenient access to the art museum - free on sundays until 1, i can't tell you how many times on a sunday my husband and i wake up, get some brunch, and get to the museum at about 12:45 to get in free, walk around or just sit for an hour or so - also very conveneient to the river for a recreation path and historic boat house row, and some good restaurants are in the area as well as good live music) - SO THIS IS THE END OF MY SUMMARY! i hope it helps - as i said, i love living in philly (it probably shows)

jane

I lived in a townhome on Panama Street near Rittenhouse Square until last year and helped a friend in purchase her home in Chestnut Hill. She did indeed look at several rowhomes and townhomes in early 2001 that were about (some under) the $200k mark in CH. The 3-bedroom near Chestnut Hill East station was $181k. There are probably a few homes for sale at that price on Highland Ave in CH at the moment--there were in July. The most attractive rowhomes do cost more than that, but they tend to have more than 3 bedrooms, usually 4-6 on three floors. For more CH realty info, check the Local for the main realtors (Eichler & Moffly or Emlem, as I recall)--but you have to talk to them, they're not much on the web. The other realtors tend to try and sell you properties in the CH "area", which usually means Mt. Airy, Andorra or Flourtown. Go for the real thing instead.

tawana

CH is no more "the city" than manayunk and vice versa - they are both small communities within city limits, and each has things going for them, but one of those things is not the feel of truly being in the city where WITHOUT EVER GETTING IN A CAR (or even a cab or public transit for that matter) you can go from a day could be a fab brunch, going to the park, a fab dinner, seeing the orchestra (play, dance, museum, etc), and capping it off with coffe or a drink

kim

Thanks for all the responses - they are all very helpful. We would be looking to spend around 225K for a small house. Other than the areas mentioned are there any others we should be aware of? Is the Overbrook/Merion/Wynnewood area very suburban (which we don't want)? How does it compare in price to Chestnut Hill? I would also prefer not to commute more than 30 mins. to Market East Station. Many thanks.

Roscoe

I would opt to pay more and go to Chestnut Hill -you probably will have to pay around 200-250 but worth it. Great schools though most of them private, nice shops, good restaurants and delis and a great atmosphere.Get a place with a garage as my friends have had their car stolen four times!!

ruel

what is east falls like? is there a town there? also, how long can you send your kids to public schools in chestnut hill? are the public middle schools/high schools bad there? what private schools are nearby? what is the "snob factor" like in chestnut hill? many thanks.

Susan

One other point. You may want to check into extra costs such as car insurance. Having a city address will significantly boost your premiums.

John G

Jane, I never said living in Manayunk was like living in Center City. It is very convenient to downtown, however. I think it is expensive, but I wouldn't say it was overcrowded. It is "suburban" but it is also safe and quiet. Yes, it is nice to live in Center City and be in close walking distance to everything. But, for this you pay a hefty price. I have many friend who live or have lived downtown and some of them have been shot at or mugged. My friend, Diane, had someone shoot at here as she tried to enter her building. Many other friends have had their cars broken into. There are pros/cons to living in the city.

jane

We found Manayunk way too trendy in a whitebread suburbanite way, parking and traffic impossible (Kim, try driving through Manayunk on a Friday or Saturday night when the crowds from Montgomery and Chester county are coming through), housing way overpriced for what you get, etc. CH has its own history, a strong sense of community, is greener, much less congested and simply offers a better overall lifestyle. Tawana, how much time have you spent in CH? There is plenty, and I mean plenty, to do there without ever getting into a car!! CH has loads of shops, cafes, restaurants, parks, farmers markets, and so on.
Kim, getting from CH to Market East is about 30 minutes, sometimes a little more if Septa is having one of their usual "switching problems." The good thing is there are two CH train lines, so if one is screwed up, you can take the other. Also, many insurers charge people with a real CH address (19118 zip code) suburban rates on car, home insurance, etc. As for Merion, Overbrook, etc., you will be more car dependent and the commute really won't be any less. Since you are going to be paying city wage tax anyway, stick with CH.

erica

Also check an area called North Hills which is out of the city, but near a train station - 45 min to center city. More suburban, larger properties, golf course, etc.

Mount Airy is one of the best integrated, most tolerant areas in the US and has a very active community association. Lots of colors of people, gays and lesbians, varying family situations. You could get a lovely home (btw, they are either row homes or twins) here for $200,000. Used to live there.

One community away, Flourtown is out of the city, but you could park at the train station. More pricy, less taxes.

Good luck and keep us posted.

John G

Oh, Jane, stop lying. The traffic on Friday and Saturday nights in Manayunk is only on Main St., and that is because it is so small. You are just the Chestnut Hill cheerleader, aren't you? Well, there are so many places for Kim to live. I suggest Kim come to Philly and look for herself instead of Jane knocking other people's neighborhoods to boost her own. Next, Jane will be telling Kim to live in Strawberry Fields in North Philly.

jane

John; boy are you supersensitive to any less than glowing comments about your precious little Manayunk. For 20+ years, I lived all over Philly, from E Evergreen in CH to 5th and South so I know the city pretty well. If I prefer CH to trendoid Manayunk, it's based on experience. Kim asked about CH--point out ONE thing I said about CH that's a lie. My comments about the weekend traffic are drawn from personal experience AND from people who lived in Manayunk and were happy to move elsewhere.

John G

Jane, Im blowing you a big kiss because I want us to be friends, OK?

kim

Sorry to cause such dissension on the board between John and Jane. We did finally visit Philadelpia this weekend and visited lots of neighborhoods (Manayunk, Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, Society Hill, Art Museum, Rittenhouse, Bala Cynwyd, West Philly!). I loved CH, Mt. Airy, and Society Hill. My wife loved CH (especially Morris Arboretum) and Mt. Airy. We liked Manayunk to visit but not to live (a little too crowded and touristy, although there are some great stores). Is the crime a lot worse in Mt. Airy as opposed to CH? How much more is an equivalent townhouse in CH? Can you walk around at night in both places? How do the people in the two areas compare? Is CH snobby? Can you send your kids to public school in CH? Many thanks - you've all been very helpful.

joanne

i have to say that yes, CH is somewhat "snobby" - i went to college there, and babysat for some of the local families in order to earn some extra cash, and the way i was sometimes treated by the families was less than polite - it seemed that a good number of the people were just all about how much you made, what school your child went to, what you drove - it was a pretty overt display of keeping up with the joneses - not my scene