From Drexel Hill to where??? (big house, move, office)

[briantroutman]

Please—feel free to chime in, anyone, if you feel that this assessment is correct. I’m not an expert and can only offer what I know.

If I’m reading correctly, you want to leave Drexel Hill in search of a better school district and a larger home—but still under $300K. I think the inherent problem is that you’re already in an area where larger homes often sell for lower prices—specifically as a consequence of high property taxes and being located within a less-than-stellar school district (Upper Darby S.D.).

From my observations, moving to a better district would likely mean paying higher home prices relative to Drexel Hill. I don’t know what you’re in now and what would constitute an upgrade from that, but finding a reasonably nice 3-4 bedroom home in most of Delaware County’s better districts would be a challenge if not impossible. As chessimprov suggested above, you’d more likely find a townhouse, condo, or fixer-upper in that range.

I’ll borrow a phrase from a retired auto exec who once said that Detroit’s mantra for performance cars was “Good, Cheap, or Fast —Pick two.” With regard to Delaware County communities, I think you can definitely find a better schools, nicer (or larger) homes, or lower home prices. But you can only have two of those three at a time.

[1ondoner]

It's the same for real estate; good location, good schools, cheap. Pick 2

Originally Posted by briantroutman

I’ll borrow a phrase from a retired auto exec who once said that Detroit’s mantra for performance cars was “Good, Cheap, or Fast —Pick two.” With regard to Delaware County communities, I think you can definitely find a better schools, nicer (or larger) homes, or lower home prices. But you can only have two of those three at a time.

[chessimprov]

I have been under the impression that Upper Darby SD has a mix of socioeconomics and people. Several years ago, they had a nationally competitive cheerleading squad, which they still might have. Upper Darby has a lot of diversity, but there's definitely a lot of struggles among the varying cultures and socioeconomics too I think.

The worst school district in Delaware county is probably Chester-Upland. Maybe it's improved because so many students left for charter or cyber with all the changes and politics surrounding that district.

[gbaker92]

Originally Posted by chessimprov

Brookhaven, Ridley, Norwood, or Woodlyn maybe. With that price, it's tough, especially if you want a home and not a condo/townhome. You are more likely to find a fixer upper at that price.

Thanks for the idea. I recentl had someone else recommend Ridley, so I might add that to the list. As far as price I could afford to go higher, but I just don't want to. Might be a mental block.

[gbaker92]

Originally Posted by kyb01

OP you might want to look in Havertown.

Havertown is definitely on our list. Thanks.

[briantroutman]

Originally Posted by chessimprov

I have been under the impression that Upper Darby SD has a mix of socioeconomics and people. Several years ago, they had a nationally competitive cheerleading squad, which they still might have.

Yes, from what I’ve read, Upper Darby does have a diverse student body and is far from being a totally dysfunctional district. I think the issue is that the district’s performance lags many of its neighbors while school taxes are higher than many of them (about 36 mills in U.D. vs. 18 in Marple Newtown and 25 in Rose Tree Media, for example), so the perception is a poor value for money. Coupled with the high municipal property tax in Upper Darby Township (which includes Drexel Hill), the result is one of the highest property tax burdens in the county.

I realize that there’s more to school district performance than high school rankings, but just as a quick metric, I found this 2017 report from the Delco Daily Times. It places Upper Darby at 10/15—not the worst by any means, but still a good distance from the top. The list ranks as follows:

1. Radnor
2. Wallingford-Swarthmore
3. Rose Tree Media
4. Haverford
5. Garnet Valley
6. Marple Newtown
7. Ridley
8. Springfield
9. Penn-Delco
10. Upper Darby
11. Interboro
12. Southeast Delco
13. Chichester
14. William Penn
15. Chester-Upland

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by chessimprov

I have been under the impression that Upper Darby SD has a mix of socioeconomics and people. Several years ago, they had a nationally competitive cheerleading squad, which they still might have. Upper Darby has a lot of diversity, but there's definitely a lot of struggles among the varying cultures and socioeconomics too I think.

The worst school district in Delaware county is probably Chester-Upland. Maybe it's improved because so many students left for charter or cyber with all the changes and politics surrounding that district.

It's still lousy.

As for my earlier suggestion, I think I need to learn how to read.

[chessimprov]

Originally Posted by gbaker92

Thanks for the idea. I recentl had someone else recommend Ridley, so I might add that to the list. As far as price I could afford to go higher, but I just don't want to. Might be a mental block.

If you're going with Ridley, but with something cheap/reasonable, you can try to look for nice enough neighborhood that are closer to Chester or in Woodlyn. Just make sure they fall under Ridley school district. Ridley isn't bad as a school district at all. Not top-notch, but not bad at all.

[Flyers Girl]

Originally Posted by kyb01

OP you might want to look in Havertown.

I second this, and not just because I live in Havertown. I also used to live on the other side of Township Line Road (Upper Darby Township) so I am well aware of the tax situation there. It's really cost prohibitive.


With your budget, Havertown would get you a better school district than UD with still affordable houses. That said, houses under $300,000 in Havertown are usually (but not always) twins. However, there are some big twins out there; two examples I saw on Zillow are 1,500 and 1,700 sq respectively, each with 4 bedrooms, and both well under $300K.

[selhars]

1,500 and 1,700 sq respectively, each with 4 bedrooms, and both well under $300K.

What's considered a big house is subjective of course. But 1,700 q ft isn't it -- not for me.
I was single in a 2,000 sq ft single family home -- with three good sized bedrooms and a sun room -- and didn't think that was a large home. Of course, it's all about layout as well.

As for under 300K -- move in ready.....I'd think that would be quite a challenge in at least the top 8 areas below -- except for maybe Ridley.

1. Radnor
2. Wallingford-Swarthmore
3. Rose Tree Media
4. Haverford
5. Garnet Valley
6. Marple Newtown
7. Ridley
8. Springfield
9. Penn-Delco
10. Upper Darby
11. Interboro
12. Southeast Delco
13. Chichester
14. William Penn
15. Chester-Upland