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Old 12-16-2018, 12:33 PM
 
10,787 posts, read 8,678,578 times
Reputation: 3983

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Patmcpsu View Post
The biggest drawback to Drexel Hill is that it's caught in a vicious cycle. Taxes go up, which drives people out, which makes home prices drop, which makes them raise taxes more in order to make up for lost revenue...

The new SALT limits on income tax deductions should only worsen this effect. Home prices obviously won't go to zero, but they've been falling consistently (even while the rest of the market has been going up) and I don't know how/when it will end. The home prices currently present a great value, so there is a risk/reward, but I'm just worried about you getting underwater on your mortgage and eventually selling your house for less than you bought it for.

But yes, I can confirm that the best part of Drexel Hill is between Route 1 and State Road.

If you're working remotely, why not consider a downtown area in the outer suburbs? $300k should get you a decent downtown place in Kennett Square, Downingtown, Phoenixville or Lansdale (and property values in those places should increase over time). They all have better schools than Upper Darby School District. Downingtown and Lansdale have train access into Philadelphia, and Phoenixville will supposedly have train access in 10-20 years.
The OP is in NY so, he/she probably knows about the changes in income tax deductions.

The OP said walkability is important so why even mention those places? The OP does not drive.

No mention of children(why do people still assume that people want/have kids), so why bring up schools?

The OP wants decent pub trans access now. Not 10 years from now.
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Old 12-16-2018, 12:44 PM
 
10,787 posts, read 8,678,578 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by briantroutman View Post


Property taxes are fairly low within the city, but the major downside, tax-wise, is the city’s wage tax—which is nearly 4%. But with annual tax bills on many Drexel Hill homes flirting with the $10,000 mark, you may still end out ahead paying the Philadelphia wage tax unless you’re earning $200,000 per year.

I hope this information helps. Let me know if I can answer any further questions. Good luck!
There's a wage tax in NY so they might be expecting something similar if they moved within Phila. city limits.
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Old 12-17-2018, 06:55 AM
 
Location: Chadds Ford
409 posts, read 365,242 times
Reputation: 441
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01 View Post
The OP is in NY so, he/she probably knows about the changes in income tax deductions.
I'm sure OP is aware of the tax changes. I'm not sure if OP is aware of its potential impacts on home values in high-tax areas (especially ones with a strained tax situation as it is).

Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01 View Post
OP said walkability is important so why even mention those places? The OP does not drive.
I said a downtown area in those places. They would provide better walkability to shops/restaurants/etc than Drexel Hill has. Some of those towns I listed has train access into Philadelphia, if that's a priority for OP.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01 View Post
No mention of children(why do people still assume that people want/have kids), so why bring up schools?
OP also didn't say that they have no children, or didn't want children in the future. Also, school-quality should still be considered by buyers without children, as it makes the house more sellable (i.e. Drexel Hill's school quality is a major reason why its houses are so cheap to begin with).

Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01 View Post
The OP wants decent pub trans access now. Not 10 years from now.
I admit that the Phoenixville's train plans were probably trivial. But to be fair, OP only mentioned train access into Philly as being needed just-in-case and into-the-future.

Last edited by Patmcpsu; 12-17-2018 at 07:03 AM..
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Old 12-18-2018, 01:28 PM
 
Location: Morrison, CO
34,121 posts, read 18,368,689 times
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The Malvern Train station is only about eight miles from Phoenixville. Not ideal, but not a stretch either. The Delco, older, inner suburbs like Drexel Hill are higher crime, have higher taxes, and worse schools than the outer suburbs.
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Old 12-23-2018, 09:08 AM
 
10,787 posts, read 8,678,578 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RUGGLES99 View Post
A bit of Drexel Hill trivia: When 'America's oldest teenager' Dick Clark was hosting American Bandstand at the old WFIL studios at 46th and Market, in the mid to late 50s, Clark lived in DH, in an apartment complex called drexelbrook.
That is interesting!
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Old 12-26-2018, 12:38 AM
 
222 posts, read 193,565 times
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If walkability is very important to you, I would think the city of Philadelphia would be your best bet. The suburbs tend to not be so walkable, some may have downtown areas, but they are usually tiny. I am somewhat familiar with Drexel Hill as my father lives there. I’ve heard him complain about the high taxes but other than that, he enjoys it. It’s a safe area for the most part. Drexel Hill is zoned to the Upper Darby School District, which is really not so great statistically.
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Old 12-27-2018, 11:20 AM
 
1,512 posts, read 1,159,557 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RUGGLES99 View Post
A bit of Drexel Hill trivia: When 'America's oldest teenager' Dick Clark was hosting American Bandstand at the old WFIL studios at 46th and Market, in the mid to late 50s, Clark lived in DH, in an apartment complex called drexelbrook.
His roommate for a short while was Ed McMahon. No lie. Drexelbrook still exists and is a huge complex, not to mention that it has an on-site venue for weddings, etc.
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Old 01-02-2019, 09:25 AM
 
Location: Morrison, CO
34,121 posts, read 18,368,689 times
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Broadcaster, and news man John Facenda used to live in Drexel Hill. My cousins lived there, and he was on their paper route for the Evening Bulletin. I went with them to "collect" and met Facenda. He said, "Hello Boys" in that deep baritone voice made so famous on NFL Films. He was a class act.
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Old 02-12-2019, 03:47 PM
 
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Hello again everyone! I took a trip to Drexel hill this past weekend and wow!!! Those homes are GORGEOUS!!! I saw a few open houses; they go seem to generate some traction. I’m not sure where else I could find that kind of home for less than 300k. The trolleys were a big part of my trip to see how safe they were. Unfortunately none were in service due to track work. Honestly, how safe are those trolleys??
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Old 02-12-2019, 05:02 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia
2,539 posts, read 2,273,020 times
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The trolley's are safe. Nothing you have to worry about on any level. If you do not drive. Media and Upper Darby would be your main 'hubs' and you would want to be on the trolley line that alternates between both.

Be conscious of taxes. 300k home usually means 10k a year property taxes, which factor into a mortgage.

I am a proponent of Drexel Hill and it surely is gaining traction from people moving into the region. In my opinion.

New Jersey tax rates are comprehensible, but most likely the school district is a bit higher performing. Which means housing values are shakey, but still garner a bid.

Upper Darby is not high performing, but not low performing. It is one of the largest, diverse suburban districts in the region (Cheltenham being #2) and while Southeast Pennsylvania has an exceptionally top performing public school system. (One of the highest in the nation). Upper Darby gets a C. Which in many suburbs nationwide is actually the standard.

With that your property taxes are a premium. I would also suggest Jenkintown and Cheltenham Twp if you wanted to get alot for your money, but with these locations you would give up the Trolley.

And also the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. You will not get a house that size, for that price, but your property taxes will be much lower. You will have easy access to Center City and Germantown Ave. is very walkable.
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