URGENT! moving to Philly from NYC (Philadelphia, Chester: hardwood floors, real estate, apartments)

[pepita]

Hi everyone,
I am really excited to be moving to Philadelphia but I need to start looking for an apartment to RENT really fast! There is too much information and not enough time so I really would appreciate any help you can give me.
Could you just recommend 3 or 4 cool neighborhoods to look into?
Thanks!

We are a couple:
-in our mid 30s
-I'll be a professor in a small college outside Philly
-my partner owns a small company, will relocate his office to Philly
-our biggest concern is to continue the "city" lifestyle that we have in NYC
-not into clubbing but we like to walk, dine out, go to movies, theaters, -
-will buy a car but easy access to public transportation is important
- something comparable to the Upper West Side, East/West Village, Chelsea in NY?

Thank you so much! This is a great forum...

I just saw the list of questions so here are my answers:

When are you moving? this summer
Where are you coming from? nyc
Why are you moving? work
Where will you be working? suburb
Have you been here yet? no

Will you buy or rent? rent
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend?
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? open to type of building, hope to spend less than 2,000
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? don't mind

Are you married or single? Do you have children? no children
Do you prefer public or private schools?
Do you have pets? cat
Do you want or need a yard? not really
Are you keeping a car? yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? somewhere in the middle

What do you want to be closest to?
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) X
Nightlife X
Train or subway stations X

[thesixth]

If you are working in the suburbs, then I would suggest that you look to live in the suburbs. If you live in Phila., you will have to pay a city wage tax.
So, I would recommend that you choose a suburb with close proximity to Phila. There could be many towns suggested, but it can vary greatly depending on where your college is located. If it's in/near Delaware County, good towns might be Ardmore, Narberth, Lower Merion.
If you still want to live in the city, then various neighborhoods of Center City Philadelphia are good to consider. Fairmount, Rittenhouse Square, Queen Village, Society Hill, are some in CC Philadelphia. Could also consider East Falls, Mt. Airy in the NW area of Philadelphia.
What is best for you will all hinge on how much you want to live IN the city & exactly where you need to commute to your college!

[rickford]

pepita,

I'm not overly familiar with the Upper West side.... but your price limit/ criteria can give you some really good options- in some really good neighborhoods.

Rittenhouse is the obvious choice- as it is near everything. Suburban Station, which could potentially connect you with your work location via regional rail, isn't too far away. Some of the best restuarants in the city are right there too. The big theaters are on Borad street- which constitute the eastern border of Rittenhouse. Although there is a 'Trader Joes' grocery, most people seem to frequent the grocery stores in Washington Square (10th and South).

Here's a one bedroom in Rittenhouse that is possibly within Walking distance to 30th st station- which, again has regional rail lines

Huge 2br/1ba in Rittenhouse area with hardwood floors available now!! (http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/1009096561.html - broken link)

another one bedroom in Rittenhouse

The Ellington, Hi end, Hi rise. Doorman/Elevator and Fitness center (http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/1033436575.html - broken link)



Washington Square is really nice. ( live there myself!) Very livable-with the grocery stores, parks, and small resturants. Some theaters too- like the walnut street theater.

Here is a two bedroom within your price range:

Large Washington Square 2br/2ba available now!! (http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/1012353253.html - broken link)

A somewhat busy neighborhood- but a beautiful one nonethless.



Old City is great too- but the nightlife can get a little loud on warm summer weekends...



There is a ton of stuff on Craigslist- that I would check out. Just type in Washington Square or Rittenhouse. Society Hill is awesome too, so give that a shot.

(just for the record, I have no affiliation with any of these links!!!!!!! I simply found them quickly on Craigslist!!!) Hope I didn't break any rules there.....

Good luck with the move, and welcome to Philly!

[frankgn87]

like the sixth said. Avoid the city if you don't work in it. City wage tax can be brutal. It amounted to hundreds of dollars for us a month.. + the HIGH car insurance costs.. What burb are you teaching in?

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

like the sixth said. Avoid the city if you don't work in it. City wage tax can be brutal. It amounted to hundreds of dollars for us a month.. + the HIGH car insurance costs.. What burb are you teaching in?

If you're going to work in a suburb anyway you can live outside the city to avoid the wage tax, however, check out the suburb's tax rates too. My parents opted to live in Philadelphia instead of the suburb a few blocks over and realized that they ended up saving on taxes, despite the wage tax. It was even enough to just about offset private school for me from K-12.

[pepita]

Thank you so much for your kind replies; they are all incredibly helpful. I'll have to look into the taxes, hadn't thought of that!

The reason I insist on living in the city is because I've never lived outside one.
So at least for the first year, I'd like to make the transition easier for myself even if it means higher rent and higher taxes.

As far as my commute, I've been told I can drive or take the Septa to Norristown.

Again, I appreciate your help and I'll start looking in the places you recommend.

[frankgn87]

how about car insurance? Ours halfed moving out of the city..
Good point about burbs wage tax but isn't it about 1 % in Bucks?

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

If you're going to work in a suburb anyway you can live outside the city to avoid the wage tax, however, check out the suburb's tax rates too. My parents opted to live in Philadelphia instead of the suburb a few blocks over and realized that they ended up saving on taxes, despite the wage tax. It was even enough to just about offset private school for me from K-12.

[rickford]

Pepita, if you are considering taking SEPTA to Norristown for work then that expands the good neighborhoods in which you two can live. Manayunk, Roxborough, and East Falls are along the R6 (which terminates in Norristown). I've never really exlpored Manayunk or Roxborough, but I have visited East Falls and was very impressed with neighborhoods around Queen Streets(??). You can get a pretty decent place there and be near Fairmont Park too. Don't head too far east, however, as I think you could end up in a somewhat rough North Phillly neighborhood. (please, everybody, correct me if I am wrong!)

Manayunk, Roxborough, and East Falls will be a big change from what you are used to, but many people seem to find the areas charming. So, punch them into your search for apartments and see what you think. These are likely the safest areas of Philadelphia and may offer some good rent values too.

Although I don't own a car and have never felt as if I really needed one while in philly- I do hear that the car insurance rates are pretty high. But the city wage tax is probably in line with NYCs taxes. I think I heard once that total state/city taxes in both NYC/NY and Philly/PA are about the same at 8%. But, once again, please, everybody correct me if I am wrong.

BTW, I think it is really novel that you have only lived in big cities throughout your entier life. Very cool.....

[orrmobl]

Don't forget to check out places like Conshohocken, West Chester, Media, Wayne and Phoenixville...all save Media and Wayne have a younger hipper vibe and all have some sort of walkable downtown areas. No train directly to West Chester or Phoenixville though...

In the city the usual suspects are Rittenhouse Square, Bella Vista, Old City, Northern Liberties (rougher but up and coming and very hip).

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

how about car insurance? Ours halfed moving out of the city..
Good point about burbs wage tax but isn't it about 1 % in Bucks?

I have no idea, I was thinking about Cheltenham Township. I tried looking up exact numbers, but I don't know enough about it to find the information. There's also real estate taxes, which can be high enough to offset another county's wage tax (which I think was my parents' main argument).

I've also heard of drastic insurance differences between the city and suburb. I never had PA insurance outside of Philadelphia, so I can't say, though PA insurance in general is pretty high. I've also always lived in a city (besides a few years in college), so the whole insurance and tax issue was always just a given.