Thoughts on 4 neighborhoods for home purchase (Philadelphia, Conshohocken: real estate, houses, buy)

[stylistvg]

I am going to be moving to Philadelphia within the next few years and , although its early, I am making a few trips a year ( the next one is this december) trying to pin down when I want to purchase a home. I currently live in Los Angeles and thankfully my semi crappy home here will allow me to purchase a nice home in Philly. The four neighborhoods Im currently considering are Chestnut Hill, West Mt Airy, East Falls, and Overbrook Farms. I want to stay within metro Philly so am not really looking at the Main Line towns. I will not have school age children by the time I move so school districts are of no concern to me. I am concerned about safety, ease of transportation into center city and general vibe/atmosphere of each neighborhood. Feedback is greatly appreciated, thank you

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by stylistvg

I am going to be moving to Philadelphia within the next few years and , although its early, I am making a few trips a year ( the next one is this december) trying to pin down when I want to purchase a home. I currently live in Los Angeles and thankfully my semi crappy home here will allow me to purchase a nice home in Philly. The four neighborhoods Im currently considering are Chestnut Hill, West Mt Airy, East Falls, and Overbrook Farms. I want to stay within metro Philly so am not really looking at the Main Line towns. I will not have school age children by the time I move so school districts are of no concern to me. I am concerned about safety, ease of transportation into center city and general vibe/atmosphere of each neighborhood. Feedback is greatly appreciated, thank you

The main line is about 20 minutes from downtown philly, most definitely a vital part of the metro. And depending on the specific neighborhood, most likely a crappy home in LA will buy a crappy home in Philly.

[philly333]

Not sure that exactly you mean by merto Philly, do you mean within the city limits? Worth noting that within the city limits which means you'll be paying 3+ % city wage tax (though it you're working in the city you'll be paying that anyway). Depending on where you'll be working, you might be worth also considering some of the areas with "downtowns" along the train lines - Conshohocken, Ambler, Narberth...

[rotodome]

Yeah, some main line towns are as close-in to central Philly as Chestnut Hill and much of NE Philly, and are served by the best regional rail line in the system. Not a lot of difference. And Overbrook Farms is across the street from Merion (which is a main line town).

Since you are not looking at especially urban, central, or convenient neighborhoods, I'd say that unless there are specific reasons why you want to be technically inside the city limits, some good advice might be to keep your options open.

[bryson662001]

As others have noted, a metro includes a city and it's suburbs. The neighborhoods you have targeted are all within the city limits but other than taxes and schools they have a lot in common with older suburbs including some on the main line. By the way the Main Line is only one of many clusters of suburban towns around Philadelphia. To begin, is there any particular neighborhood in or around Los Angeles that you prefer or would like to duplicate here?

[Angus215]

Chestnut Hill is a great neighborhood with a very nice downtown and good access to center city. That would be first on my list in your situation. While it's pretty expensive, it's nowhere near the cost of some parts of LA. West Mt Airy is nice as well, but doesn't have the same downtown.

[stylistvg]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

As others have noted, a metro includes a city and it's suburbs. The neighborhoods you have targeted are all within the city limits but other than taxes and schools they have a lot in common with older suburbs including some on the main line. By the way the Main Line is only one of many clusters of suburban towns around Philadelphia. To begin, is there any particular neighborhood in or around Los Angeles that you prefer or would like to duplicate here?

Hate LA cant wait to leave, so no do not want to duplicate any neighborhood. I live in west hollywood currently so my crappy house is worth $1 million. That should get me pretty nice digs in Philly, or so zillow leads me to believe. I guess When I said metro Philly I meant city limits. my mistake. I was under the impression that the suburbs charged some sort of horrendous school tax with house taxes that just seems to keep going up and up. Since I dont care about school districts that is why I was not looking in the suburbs. Am I mistaken in this?

[newmarlig]

Why not live in Center City. If you are working here, you won't even need a car since our downtown is very walkable, and if you do for a day there is www.phillycarshare.com or www.zipcar.com

[stuckinsj]

Also try Manayunk.... Regional rail inside city limits... sorta like a mill town with great retail.

[stylistvg]

Originally Posted by stuckinsj

Also try Manayunk.... Regional rail inside city limits... sorta like a mill town with great retail.

I had heard Manayunk is fun, but I didnt see any houses there on a real estate search, mostly rowhomes. Im looking for a single family home on about .5 of an acre ish. Am I wrong?