TX to Philly- Urgent Help needed (sales, to buy, luxury)

[phillyLA]

Im glad I found this thread. Im a native Philadelphian living in Dallas; well technically Irving/Las Colinas area. With that said you've gotten great advice from the previous responses. DFW and Philly are culturally two very different places. Even the most "urban" areas of the Metroplex would be considered suburban back home in Philly.

If you're looking for Plano/Frisco equivalent then search Mt Laurel/Marlton NJ areas. In PA places such as Malvern and West Chester will have that McMansion suburbia feel.

Highland Park/Park Cities = Main Line Suburbs i.e. Radnor, Narberth, Bryn Mawr, Devon, Villanova. Rittenhouse Square neighborhood in The city.

Bishop Arts/Deep Ellum= Northern Liberties, East Passuyunk, Queen Village, Point Breeze, Fishtown neighborhoods in The city of Philadelphia.

Living in Rittenhouse Square will give you access to Greenfield Elementary, which is an excellent choice as far as K-8 education. You can then apply for Masterman and Central HS when your child reaches 8th grade. Thats if you wanted to go the public school route.
Private schools are in abundance in Philly. Private schools in Philadelphia will be much more diverse than Dallas.

Get prepared for a real Winter and an actual Fall season. Summers in Philly are a cakewalk compared to North Texas. 90+ temps are a big deal in Philly whereas here in Dallas 90s are the norm during the summer months. You can actually enjoy the outdoors From May-Oct in Philly.

As someone else mentioned we're friendly people once we get to know you. Life moves at a quicker pace in the Northeast. Even with DFW having over 7millon people; it still feels "slower" than Back home.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by HK3939

Thanks, I'm reaching the same conclusion... almost there...

Do you consider Bryn Mawr as part of Lower Merion? I'm uncertain as I don't exactly see any housing in Lower Merion above $400-500k.

Most of Bryn Mawr is in Lower Merion with a smaller section in Haverford Twp.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by NewtownBucks

Built in the last 5 years is going to be a little sticking point, too, because the closer in you are to the city, the more the housing stock is older. But, look at a listing like this:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5.../9956422_zpid/

This house is stunning, but it was built in 1927. This is typical of the top end housing stock in the area. There is nothing old or dilapidated about it. Bryn Mawr is LMSD. You don't have to be in LM township. Narberth, Bryn Mawr, Penn Valley, Wynnewood, Gladwyne, and some parts of Haverford & Rosemont are also in the school district. Talk to a realtor in the area. I'm sure they have listings that will fit your needs.

Here's one in LMSD in Haverford, built in 2003:

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...ct/12_zm/1_fr/

Here's new construction in Bryn Mawr.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...ct/12_zm/1_fr/

Nope. A small part of Bryn Mawr is in Haverford Twp.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by phillyLA

Im glad I found this thread. Im a native Philadelphian living in Dallas; well technically Irving/Las Colinas area. With that said you've gotten great advice from the previous responses. DFW and Philly are culturally two very different places. Even the most "urban" areas of the Metroplex would be considered suburban back home in Philly.

If you're looking for Plano/Frisco equivalent then search Mt Laurel/Marlton NJ areas. In PA places such as Malvern and West Chester will have that McMansion suburbia feel.

Highland Park/Park Cities = Main Line Suburbs i.e. Radnor, Narberth, Bryn Mawr, Devon, Villanova. Rittenhouse Square neighborhood in The city.

Bishop Arts/Deep Ellum= Northern Liberties, East Passuyunk, Queen Village, Point Breeze, Fishtown neighborhoods in The city of Philadelphia.

Living in Rittenhouse Square will give you access to Greenfield Elementary, which is an excellent choice as far as K-8 education. You can then apply for Masterman and Central HS when your child reaches 8th grade. Thats if you wanted to go the public school route.
Private schools are in abundance in Philly. Private schools in Philadelphia will be much more diverse than Dallas.

Get prepared for a real Winter and an actual Fall season. Summers in Philly are a cakewalk compared to North Texas. 90+ temps are a big deal in Philly whereas here in Dallas 90s are the norm during the summer months. You can actually enjoy the outdoors From May-Oct in Philly.

As someone else mentioned we're friendly people once we get to know you. Life moves at a quicker pace in the Northeast. Even with DFW having over 7millon people; it still feels "slower" than Back home.

Fyi, Point Breeze still has a ways to go before it matches Fishtown or others on your list.

[HK3939]

Originally Posted by phillyLA

Im glad I found this thread. Im a native Philadelphian living in Dallas; well technically Irving/Las Colinas area. With that said you've gotten great advice from the previous responses. DFW and Philly are culturally two very different places. Even the most "urban" areas of the Metroplex would be considered suburban back home in Philly.

If you're looking for Plano/Frisco equivalent then search Mt Laurel/Marlton NJ areas. In PA places such as Malvern and West Chester will have that McMansion suburbia feel.

Highland Park/Park Cities = Main Line Suburbs i.e. Radnor, Narberth, Bryn Mawr, Devon, Villanova. Rittenhouse Square neighborhood in The city.

Bishop Arts/Deep Ellum= Northern Liberties, East Passuyunk, Queen Village, Point Breeze, Fishtown neighborhoods in The city of Philadelphia.

Living in Rittenhouse Square will give you access to Greenfield Elementary, which is an excellent choice as far as K-8 education. You can then apply for Masterman and Central HS when your child reaches 8th grade. Thats if you wanted to go the public school route.
Private schools are in abundance in Philly. Private schools in Philadelphia will be much more diverse than Dallas.

Get prepared for a real Winter and an actual Fall season. Summers in Philly are a cakewalk compared to North Texas. 90+ temps are a big deal in Philly whereas here in Dallas 90s are the norm during the summer months. You can actually enjoy the outdoors From May-Oct in Philly.

As someone else mentioned we're friendly people once we get to know you. Life moves at a quicker pace in the Northeast. Even with DFW having over 7millon people; it still feels "slower" than Back home.

Wow. Interesting. I live in Highland Park (5-10 mins from Dallas downtown) and had bought a demolishable house to build a brand new house here. Still undecided if I want to sell it or keep it rented out. Would love to be in a similar community in Philly. Great schools, family oriented neighborhood and extremely safe.

I think you summarized it well. I'll be traveling soon to Philly to see these areas myself before deciding.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by HK3939

Wow. Interesting. I live in Highland Park (5-10 mins from Dallas downtown) and had bought a demolishable house to build a brand new house here. Still undecided if I want to sell it or keep it rented out. Would love to be in a similar community in Philly. Great schools, family oriented neighborhood and extremely safe.

I think you summarized it well. I'll be traveling soon to Philly to see these areas myself before deciding.

Pull Point Breeze off the list and replace it with Fairmount. It's loaded with families with young children. It's just north of Center City Phila(which one can walk to),has major institutions(Phila. Museum of Art, Barnes, main branch of the Free Library).

[phillyLA]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Fyi, Point Breeze still has a ways to go before it matches Fishtown or others on your list.

I only put Point Breeze because its undergoing tremendous gentrification right now Deep Ellum 10yrs ago was considered "dangerous" here in Dallas, now its a vibrant neighborhood.

But you're correct about Fairmount being a good option.

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by phillyLA

I only put Point Breeze because its undergoing tremendous gentrification right now Deep Ellum 10yrs ago was considered "dangerous" here in Dallas, now its a vibrant neighborhood.

That may be true, but Point Breeze is definitely not somewhere that I would recommend someone look at who is coming from outside the area and is looking to move to the area without a single bit of local knowledge. In a forum like this, there are two types of discussions - among locals about the finer details of different neighborhoods or communities and outsiders seeking advice about the area. I'd certainly give different answers in each context. I think it's an interesting exercise to hear about the nuances of neighborhoods like Point Breeze or Kensington that are getting better over time from people like kyb and others who have a very intimate knowledge of the city, but at the same time, I would NOT put them on a list of recommended places to look for an outsider coming in here for moving advice. Sometimes that context gets lost in the answers I see on the forum.

[HK3939]

Folks, an off-track question. I've a RWD vehicle whose lease is expiring this week and I plan to get an upgrade which is also a RWD. Do I need to buy/lease an AWD car for Philly roads? I plan on having all season or snow tires no matter what vehicle I buy. My wife usually drives this car and safety is No. 1. How much does it snow in Philly and is Bryan Mawr or Lower Merion a hilly area?

[MarketStEl]

No, you don't really need an AWD vehicle to handle local roads in the winter. Philly doesn't get walloped by really heavy snow all that often.

This city, however, does sit astride the fall line - the dividing line between the Piedmont (though it's not called that up on this side of the Mason-Dixon line) and the Atlantic coastal plain (on which Center City, South Philly and most of New Jersey sit). The Schuylkill enters a deep valley right around where the Roosevelt Boulevard Extension bridges cross it, and indeed, there is a falls near this spot that was drowned by the Fairmount Water Works dam; the neighborhood of East Falls takes its name from this no-longer-visible natural feature.

Some streets heading up from the river or into the northwest part of the city from points southwest do have some steep hills. But a good pair of snow tires should enable you to negotiate them.

And if you can, try to find a FWD car. It will help.