If you had a budget of $650,000...where would you live? (Philadelphia: neighborhood, calculator)

[2e1m5a]

I'd buy a small rowhome in Fitler Square or a mansion in Germantown with a huge yard.

[Dee1323]

I, personally, would stick with towns with train stations nearby. It's not likely that you will find much in the housing market with $650K in Haddonfield, NJ, although, you will get a great walking town with good schools. You may find a nice balance along the Western end of the Media/Elwyn Septa train line. Wallingford, Rose Valley, Swarthmore (same school district, but, very different communities). Also, Media offers a variety of options-large homes/mansions in wooded areas, as well as town homes with nearby restaurants and shops. The Wallingford/Swarthmore s.d. is higher ranked, but, Media's is also well regarded. The Main Line is great, of course. The lower end is somewhat congested-narrow streets and homes built close to each other. (Neither good or bad, but, depends on what you'd like.) You may like Wayne & Devon. You may also like the areas surrounding the Northwestern end of Philadelphia, or even the N.W. neighborhoods within Philadelphia, especially Chestnut Hill.

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

What you have do concerning South Jersey towns is work the numbers. It works for some & doesn't work for others.

The Philadelphia wage tax is deductible towards your NJ income tax.

The SNJ real estate market is shakey right now. And I would call it 'slow' in terms of valuation gains. There is a net migration out of NJ and into PA and largely due to property taxes, unfortunately.

This is fact, not opinion.

[rowhomecity]

In no particular order, I would visit each of these areas and see what you like best. I did a quick summary of each.

1) Lower Merion - Older/smaller home but excellent schools, transit access (Paoli line runs nearly every 20/30 minutes) and surmount beauty and character. The Main Line. Truly is a special place. 650k goes the least far here, but honestly has a decent amount of inventory, if you want an updated home though it just will be on the 2000 sq ft. side. Your commute time via Train is under 20 minutes.

2) Malvern - Treddyfrin School District. More space out here, a bit longer commute but still on the Paoli line which has headways nearly as good as PATCO, and you will find a bit more diverse housing mix in terms of newer construction offerings. Similar to Lower Merion, although you might get a bit more sq. footage for your price point. Commute time via train is close to about 30 minutes.

3) Media - Absolutely beautiful town. I would say it is the #1 most vibrant suburban Philadelphia town in terms of amenities, restaurants, culture activity, etc. For many it would feel like you are walking blocks in a small city. Taxes are a bit higher, but it has excellent schools, and great transit access. (There is even a trolley that runs down this towns Main St. HOW FUN!!!) You will definitely find bigger and newer homes, at your price point, your cost premium is the taxes. Commute time via train is about 35 minutes.

4) Ambler - Absolutely beautiful area. Great cute historic downtown. GREAT SCHOOLS. You will sacrifice a bit of transit access here in terms of train intervals, BUT you will get more for your money with affordable taxes. An area you most definitely must look into. Commute time via train is about 35 minutes.

5) Cheltenham Twp. - Beautiful area. Jenkintown is a lovely town area. It has a bit more of that diversity mix I think you are seeking than any other suburban districts mentioned. Small school district, which the locals love, because it means strong community. Absolutely gorgeous architecture and character. Drawbacks are higher property taxes, but the positive is you can buy ALOT of house for your money out here, and most likely could lower your budget if needed. Also 3 train lines pass through Jenkintown for easy and quick access to Center City!! Commute time via train is about 20 - 25 minutes.

6) West Mt. Airy + Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. - You will get ALOT of house for your money. 650k will buy you the nicest of the areas here and Philadelphia property taxes are the LOWEST of the bunch. The character is absolutely beautiful and Mt. Airy is EXTREMELY diverse, I would say one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the region. LOTS AND LOTS of families. Quick access to Center City, Philadelphia. And so much absolute beautiful green. (Adjacent to the largest urban park in the nation). Commute time via train is about 20 - 25 minutes.

This video is a bit older. But shows you Mt. Airy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P54tBkMAstU

Good luck!! Southeast Pennsylvania is a true gem of character and beauty!

[ElijahAstin]

No offense to rowhomecity, but I don’t know why people keep referring to Mt. Airy as the hallmark of diversity. It absolutely has a multicultural mindset, and I’m sure the residents would be pleased as punch if it became equally divided between people of all races, but it’s overwhelmingly white and black. There is some religious diversity, with a substantial Jewish (and perhaps also Muslim?) population, and it does have significant socioeconomic diversity, but there are a number of more racially diverse desirable neighborhoods in the area.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

No offense to rowhomecity, but I don’t know why people keep referring to Mt. Airy as the hallmark of diversity. It absolutely has a multicultural mindset, and I’m sure the residents would be pleased as punch if it became equally divided between people of all races, but it’s overwhelmingly white and black. There is some religious diversity, with a substantial Jewish (and perhaps also Muslim?) population, and it does have significant socioeconomic diversity, but there are a number of more racially diverse desirable neighborhoods in the area.

Such as? Why would you leave us hanging? Name them all.

Historically we can assume that an area that is racially accepting of both whites and blacks will be accepting of any other races. You won't see whites and blacks ban together to keep out Hispanics, for example. Point being, I would feel comfortable sending anyone to My Airy.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Such as? Why would you leave us hanging? Name them all.

Historically we can assume that an area that is racially accepting of both whites and blacks will be accepting of any other races. You won't see whites and blacks ban together to keep out Hispanics, for example. Point being, I would feel comfortable sending anyone to My Airy.

Name all of them? Is that a direct order?

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by Gerania

Name all of them? Is that a direct order?

Doesn't really matter what you do. But you made the claim, ball is in your court to back up that claim.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Such as? Why would you leave us hanging? Name them all.

Historically we can assume that an area that is racially accepting of both whites and blacks will be accepting of any other races. You won't see whites and blacks ban together to keep out Hispanics, for example. Point being, I would feel comfortable sending anyone to My Airy.

I do agree considering the history in this country, white/black diversity is a significant factor and perhaps more meaningful than a diverse community of immigrants. Perhaps some other neighborhoods have passed Mt. Airy in ethnic diversity but it still has decades of history--a unique history- to back up the notoriety for it.

[selhars]

Doesn't really matter what you do. But you made the claim, ball is in your court to back up that claim.

No.
Actually it was ElijahAstin that made the Mt. Ary comment. Gerania was just responding to your post.