Thoughts on Bala Cynwyd (Philadelphia, Chester: credit, home, purchasing)

[Hogart]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are relocating to PA and are thinking about purchasing a home in Bala Cynwyd. We are not from PA and do not know many people who are familiar with the area. We are looking at the College Park area (someone told us it is known as such because the streets are named after colleges...).

What are your thoughts on the area (strength of home prices, safety, etc...)? We visited the area and it is gorgeous and seems like a nice area to own a home but wanted to get some additional perspective from folks in this forum.

Thanks for everyone's help.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Hogart

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are relocating to PA and are thinking about purchasing a home in Bala Cynwyd. We are not from PA and do not know many people who are familiar with the area. We are looking at the College Park area (someone told us it is known as such because the streets are named after colleges...).

What are your thoughts on the area (strength of home prices, safety, etc...)? We visited the area and it is gorgeous and seems like a nice area to own a home but wanted to get some additional perspective from folks in this forum.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Bala-Cynwyd's a great area--very safe and convenient to the city. The Bala village center (along with nearby Narberth, Ardmore, and Bryn Mawr) offer historic, walkable downtowns with great restaurants and shopping (and even a bit of nightlife in Ardmore and Bryn Mawr). All this comes with the Main Line cost premium, which is somewhat overstated (you won't be getting the best bang for your buck). But if you're looking to raise a family, charming inner-ring suburbs like the Eastern Main Line really provide the best of both urban and suburban.

Where else are you looking, and what attracted you to Bala-Cynwyd in the first place?

[Hogart]

The attraction was Bala Cynwyd's proximity to center city, Manayunk, and other areas as well as the general area being gorgeous.

My wife and I are in our mid to early 30's, so this area seemed to offer relatively quick access to nightlife/dining and the highway.

We also looked at Wayne, Narbeth, and Media, but those areas were not for us.

From an investment perspective, any risks / key thoughts to be aware of relative to this area? We need to do further research, but wanted to know if there are any watch-outs relative to this town.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Hogart

The attraction was Bala Cynwyd's proximity to center city, Manayunk, and other areas as well as the general area being gorgeous.

My wife and I are in our mid to early 30's, so this area seemed to offer relatively quick access to nightlife/dining and the highway.

We also looked at Wayne, Narbeth, and Media, but those areas were not for us.

From an investment perspective, any risks / key thoughts to be aware of relative to this area? We need to do further research, but wanted to know if there are any watch-outs relative to this town.

What didn't you like about Wayne, Narberth, and Media? Was Bala-Cynwyd's comparative quiet more to your liking?

As far as investment goes, Bala-Cynwyd is the start of the Main Line, a semi-continuous string of historically affluent railroad suburbs that stretch out to the Chester County. The top-notch school district and Main Line "name" (among other factors discussed) help make it a good long-term investment. As the trend continues toward re-urbanization and people grow tired of "soulless and sprawling" inner- and outer-ring suburbs, inner-ring suburbs like the Main Line will likely remain in demand simply because they set themselves positively apart from Levitt-esque sprawlburbs (as I said before, they really do offer the "best of both worlds"). I wouldn't say there are any real "watch-outs" to speak of, although there has been a minor (and I mean minor) uptick in criminal activity along Lower Merion's border with West Philadelphia. But this dissipates very quickly, and by the time you reach College Park, there are no real safety issues to speak of.

[bryson662001]

Bala Cynwyd is a prestigious address in an upscale, prestigious township. Public schools are the finest available. Housing stock is very old for the most part but anything can be rehabed and many have been. Traffic can get bad but not impossible. It is what it appears to be. There are no skeletons in it's closet.

[pman]

neither bala nor cynwyd is on the main line. nearby merion is

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by pman

neither bala nor cynwyd is on the main line. nearby merion is

The Main Line is more than just the railroad stops. Bala and Cynwyd are Main Line communities the same way Gladwyne and Penn Valley are.

[pman]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

The Main Line is more than just the railroad stops. Bala and Cynwyd are Main Line communities the same way Gladwyne and Penn Valley are.

the main line of public works was originally a canal and later a railroad, it defines what is the main line. everyone else is a pretender. worth noting that I may take back what I said since the original main line ran through merion and through what is now cynwyd station. gladwyne, otoh, has not and has never been part of the main line...nor has penn valley

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by pman

the main line of public works was originally a canal and later a railroad, it defines what is the main line. everyone else is a pretender. worth noting that I may take back what I said since the original main line ran through merion and through what is now cynwyd station. gladwyne, otoh, has not and has never been part of the main line...nor has penn valley

Bless your heart for responding over eight years later. To your credit, I’m sure your Hot Take gets a rise out of some people.