April Housing Market Snapshot, Philadelphia County

Sales are down about 17% over April Last year, but April last year was the last month of the home buyer tax credit.  April 2010 sales were up 17% over 2009, so it seems last year was a bit of an outlier and volume is at 2009 levels for April.

 Monthly Statistics for the Date Range Selected (TREND MLS)

Date	Units Listed	Listed Volume	Listed Average	Pended	Units Sold	Sold Average	Average DOM
Apr 2011	2266	512,739,712	226,275	928	858	169,179	95
Totals:	2266	512,739,712	226,275	928	858	169,179	95

Pricing Details of Sold Units for the Date Range Selected

Minimum Prices	Maximum Prices	Average Prices
Original List Price : $2,100	Original List Price: $2,750,000	Original List Price: $188,215
Sold Price : $1,900	Sold Price: $1,700,000	Sold Price: $169,179

Graduate Hospital Filling Out

Naked Philly seems to have filled the void left by Brownstoner and their recent sleuthing has uncovered a series of Graduate Hospital Development projects.
2305 Carpenter

Photo: nakedphilly.com
Permits have been applied for and two semidetached three story homes with roof decks are in the works.
763 S. 19th

photo: nakedphilly.com
This vacant lot was recently purchased for $800,000 and plans are to build ten row homes with parking.
20th and Fitzwater

photo: nakedphilly.com
If you are a fellow grad hospital resident, you may have noticed the massive hole dug in this spot in recent weeks.  I was beginning to think a parking garage was being built.  It turns out it was just the basements for the new row homes to be built.  The plans seem to resemble those of the artisan town homes around 16th and Bainbridge.
2522 and 2524 Grays Ferry

photo:trend
More approx 2500 Square foot homes with garages.  With garage these homes are priced at $425,000.  $400,000 without garage.  
19th and Carpenter
In the last two weeks framing has gone up for two new row houses with the ever present boxed bays.

Queen's Walk: a New Townhouse Development at 5th and Montrose

nakedphilly.com

Naked Philly has pictures of a new 16 unit development in the works on the edge of Queen Village and Bella Vista.  Apparently the plans are for 2200 to 2600 square foot 3 bedrooms.  Too bad these aren't in the Meredith Catchment!

Subway to Navy Yard

navyyard.org

Philadelphia's 2035 plan apparently calls for the subway to run to the Navy Yard.  Even though the plan is 25 years off, According to Plan Philly, the SEPTA director says it is not going to happen unless there is residential development.  Apparently the 1.5 mile extension would cost between 500 and 800 million.  If money isn't an issue, I would really like to focus on a subway line outside of the current frustrating perpendicular model.

Northern Liberties Grocery Store Drama

photo: philly.com

A beautiful new building has been built on the border of popular Northern Liberties and Fishtown now it just needs businesses to fill it.  This prime real estate shouldn't be difficult to fill but the parent company of the building's flagship occupant is in bankruptcy and now the much anticipated grocery space is sitting empty.  Developer Bart Blatstein has moved to force Path Mark to act on or turn down the lease.  Rumors are about that Blatstein already has plans with a popular grocer to open a location in the space this summer.  According to today's Philadelphia Inquirer article, Blatstein has been unable to lease the other spaces in the development without the main space being occupied.  I know many area residents are anxiously anticipating the resolution of this issue and hopefully they are one step closer to getting their grocer.

Paris Street Fair on Broad

On April 30th the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts is turning Broad Street (between Chestnut and Lombard) into a Parisian Street Fair complete with ferris wheel and a park (with grass!).  The celebration concludes the International Arts Festival which began April 7th.  The Fair will begin at 11 A.M. on April 30th and will conclude at 8:00.  Some bloggers have received the street fair negatively, but I can't help but be excited about it.  Details at PIFA.org

Arch Street United Methodist Church to Get New Neighbor

Photo: PlanPhilly

According to Plan Philly, a developer has gotten City Council's approval to build a parking garage/retail space next to the Arch Street United Methodist Church at Juniper and Arch.  The next hurdle for the developers is to get the building permit which is contingent on approval of their plans for the building.  Apparently there was concern that a huge parking garage wasn't the best use of that much prominent city land, but plans to develop the nearby Liberty Title Building seemed to sweeten the deal enough for City Council.