First-Time Homebuyer Looking at Houses in Norristown

[Ohiogirl81]

The location certainly is appealing, adding the R6 regional rail line and the Route 100 high speed trolley in to the transportation angle.

After living here for 5 1/2 years, I've discovered that it's not as bad as a lot of people said it would be, but leaves a lot to be desired. There certainly are things that go on that make me raise my eyebrows (like seeing a prostitute getting into a car outside St. Patrick's Church on Christmas morning after Mass ... thank God my mom visiting from out of town didn't see that! LOL), years of failure in trying to end the culture of entitlement and corruption among government leaders, and plenty of disappointments surrounding the constant quest to stop spinning the municipal wheels.

But on the other hand, you have a small city with a surprisingly pleasant little zoo and a few other cultural gems, sturdy housing stock and interesting architecture, and a few people who really do want things to turn around.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by WVUPharm2007

I know nobody wants to hear it, but I'm pretty sure the house prices are so low because the town is (I'm just guessing) about 35-40% black. It's clearly less white than the rest of Montgomery County, anyway. Stupid people see black people walking around and they freak out. Even if they are just a regular dude just hanging out on a Friday evening. "Oh my GOD, a black man wearing a Abercrombie shirt and eating an ice cream cone! Lock your doors!!!"

And, sadly, there are a lot of really stupid people...enough to make Norristown some sort of bizarre Bermuda Triangle of property values. Why people apparently fear middle class, relatively affluent black family neighborhoods is beyond me. But they do. And that's fine with me, because I might be able to buy a cheaper house because of it.

It's much more than a racial issue. Norristown has always had the perception of being higher crime, and most people don't look at it with the nuanced (and more correct, IMHO) view that Ohiogirl took. It's not uncommon for people to write off entire areas because they hear about crime happening in parts of those areas. Look at how many people still think all of Philly (even the "white" areas) is a dump because they always see North Philly crimes on Action News.

An even bigger part of the equation is schools. Norristown is the Bermuda Triangle of property values in large part because it is the Bermuda Triangle of test scores. It's surrounded by higher scoring, more affluent school districts. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a house in Norristown if I still lived in the area, but would I stick around when I had kids that were school-aged? Probably not.

[Ohiogirl81]

Yeah, I didn't even get into the school district angle, which is a whole 'nother level of incompetence. *sigh* But to be fair, the district is literally overwhelmed with kids who don't speak English, kids who don't get fed at home, kids whose role models settle arguments with guns ... You get the picture. How do you deal with that, and still provide a decent education to the kids who don't have multiple issues to solve on top of learning ABCs?

The crime and poverty perception, too -- along with lesser property values -- have come about after decades of policy on the state and county level that has resulted in Norristown (and to a smaller extent, Pottstown) becoming the dumping ground for everyone that the rest of Montgomery County deems undesirable: Section 8, group homes, treatment centers, and the like. Those things certainly are not undesirable at face value; however, not every client in every social service venture winds up as a success story. Add in trending of community-based mental health treatment and the slow emptying of Norristown State Hospital, and you wind up with a lively mix of people -- and a whole bunch of others who perceive that lively mix is to be avoided at all costs.

[Avalon08]

I'll chime in with my perceptions of Norristown since I grew up there. Growing up there in the 50's and 60's, it was a nice little town with a huge population of Italians. I think a couple things happened to start its downfall -- the opening of Plymouth Meeting Mall, which drew people away from the Main St. shopping district. The changing of mental health laws which resulted in the release of many patients from Norristown State Hospital who, with nowhere else to go, landed on the streets of Norristown. The closing of factories that employed thousands of local residents, such as Alan Wood Steel. The aging and dying-off of the original residents, whose kids had moved to suburban tract homes -- leaving the old rowhomes decaying and converted to Section 8 housing. Certain areas of town became very dangerous -- you didn't even want to stop for the light at Marshall and Arch. Someone mentioned a black population, but I've noticed a significant Mexican population in the past several years. The W. Marshall St. shopping area is full of Mexican stores and bodegas, as is East Main. (Thank GOD Lou's is still there -- I will be REALLY depressed if that closes.) I don't know what drew the Mexican population to Norristown, but in any case, that's what you'll find.

I was strongly considering a house in Norristown last year. The Halford Tract area of Jeffersonville (W. Norriton township) is a little hidden gem of fabulous homes, at about half the price of a similar house on the Main Line. My concern was the school district. I don't have kids in school, but I was afraid of a problem with resale due to the reputation of the district. And despite that, the taxes were still pretty high. Since I have a pattern of not staying put very long, I bought elsewhere, in an area where the homes were even MORE affordable than Norristown, but the school district is better.

All that said, you are young and CAN get a lot of house for your money there. I think Norristown needs people like you who are willing to invest in the town. Just do your homework, visit at night, check crime statistics and the neighborhood. I think you will find that it does not deserve its reputation.

[Goldblum57]

Originally Posted by WVUPharm2007

I'm looking to buy a house in 10-12 months or so when my lease runs out here up in Hatboro. I'm definitely looking at Norristown. You can buy a nice house for pretty darn cheap. Down the road from two big malls and two major expressways...I'd think it would be an appealing place to live.

I know nobody wants to hear it, but I'm pretty sure the house prices are so low because the town is (I'm just guessing) about 35-40% black. It's clearly less white than the rest of Montgomery County, anyway. Stupid people see black people walking around and they freak out. Even if they are just a regular dude just hanging out on a Friday evening. "Oh my GOD, a black man wearing a Abercrombie shirt and eating an ice cream cone! Lock your doors!!!"

And, sadly, there are a lot of really stupid people...enough to make Norristown some sort of bizarre Bermuda Triangle of property values. Why people apparently fear middle class, relatively affluent black family neighborhoods is beyond me. But they do. And that's fine with me, because I might be able to buy a cheaper house because of it.

I work for the justice system in Norristown. I can assure you that there are not many "middle class, relatively affluent black family neighborhoods" to "fear". It might not be as bad as the rep, but trust me, it is not good.