September 3, 2011
Philadelphia City OPA Officials ReAssessing Home Values According to Philly.com, Officials from the Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment (OPA) are finally hitting the streets to determine the market values of Philadelphia houses. Inevitably this will mean higher property taxes for owners of Philadelphia real estate. “Chief Assessment Officer Richie McKeithen said that after a year of reviewing data and training […]
September 3, 2011
Philadelphia Real Estate And Beyond September 2, 2011 White House Housing Refinance Plan Supported – A possible White House effort to kick-start the moribund housing market by allowing homeowners to refinance won wide support from leading economists attending the Federal Reserve’s summer policy retreat. Support for the plan in Jackson Hole, Wyoming may reflect a bit of resignation from the […]
September 1, 2011
New Center City Philadelphia Restaurants Michael Klein wrote a great article that outlines the 60 new restaurants coming to Center City Philadelphia that included and interactive map! Not only does it include the names and locations, but also the project opening date. “Pockets of Center City, especially near Broad Street and Rittenhouse Square, are the hottest areas. The restaurant zone […]
August 31, 2011
More on Toll Brother’s Headhouse Square Project in Society Hill Society Hill – Coincidentally, Planphilly.com posted an article today on the Toll Brother’s Society Hill project I blogged about yesterday. Here’s the latest update from their article. Toll Brothers wants to build a 70-unit, low-rise condominium on the site of the failed NewMarket development in Society Hill. The location, between […]
August 31, 2011
Philadelphia Real Estate Prices Rebound Center City – Alan J. Heavens of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a piece describing how Philadelphia real estate home prices have rebounded in the 2nd quarter of 2011. Home prices in the second quarter of 2011 rose 3.6 percent nationally after falling 4.1 percent in the first three months of 2011, according to the Standard […]
August 30, 2011
City of Philadelphia Negotiating With Reading Viaduct Owner Loft District – Philly.com reports that The Center City District and SEPTA are working on a legal agreement to start the process of creating a park on the SEPTA-owned portion of the remaining Reading Viaduct. The Center City District received grants from two foundations to pay for design work for a park, and that […]
August 30, 2011
Toll Brothers Coming To Headhouse Square in Society Hill? Society Hill – According to Philly.com, Toll Brothers has until August 31st to exercise an option to acquire a site of the NewMarket restaurant and retail center, between Front and Second, Pine and Lombard, on the east end of Society Hill, for a condominium development. New Market, as it was originally known, also […]
August 29, 2011
White House Support For Mortgage Refinance Plan? According to the New York Times, the Obama administration is considering a number of proposals aimed at strengthening the housing market, helping a large number of homeowners and stimulating the economy for a low cost. One proposal would allow millions of homeowners with government backed mortgages to refinance them at today’s lower interest rates. […]
August 29, 2011
Buyers Choosing Fixed Rate Mortgages And 15 Year Term According to Freddie Mac, most home buyers and refinancers are choosing fixed rate loans but prefer 15 year amortizations over the traditional 30 year fixed rate mortgage. Between April-June 2011, of all the Freddie Mac-to-Freddie Mac refinances, 37% of homeowners who started with a 30-year fixed transitioned into 15-year or 20-year fixed rate […]