Duplexes! Are These The Solution For Frugal Singles In Center City?

Duplexes can seems like – if you’ll forgive me speaking bluntly for a moment – the bastard stepchildren of real estate. Conventional industry wisdom holds that they are near-impossible to sell, and a real bear to rent and maintain. Who wants to buy one, right?

Frank sent me a really cool little story piece entitled, “Single Guy Finds Duplex.” The blog from which it originates is written by a Realtor based in Oregon, but a lot of the (brief!) content has resonance in any market. Guy – or any other single person – needs a place to live. Single-family homes are too big, too expensive, and too “desperately seeking a spouse and family to fill these rooms”-level of creepily anticipatory for a place you might bring a promising date. On the other hand, an apartment or small condo just scream “bachelor,” and let’s be clear: if you are living alone in Center City, you have a grown-up job.

For the eponymous guy in the story, a duplex was the perfect compromise. Affordable, roomy, and with income potential (yay!), his eventual purchase ticked each box on his checklist. Although he was an unlikely landlord, living next door to his tenant kept his responsibilities manageable, and his monthly bills were exponentially lower.

There are, at any given time, a handful of duplexes for sale in Center City. Most seem to be clustered in NoLibs or Graduate Hospital. Sticker prices range from the mid-$300k’s (for units that are either ultra-tiny 1/1’s or need a fair bit of work) and, at least in terms of the ones I looked at, top out around $800k for a pair of units that rival any well-appointed middle-class dwelling for quality of trim and modern updates: gleaming hardwoods, sexy vintage brick/wainscoting/fireplaces, luxe bathrooms, and exquisite outdoor spaces.

Take a look at a few Center City duplexes I tracked down, and you’ll get a sense for what’s out there!

935 N 5th St.
Northern Liberties
Unit 1: 1br/1ba
Unit 2: 3br/2ba
$379,900

1920 Rodman St.
Rittenhouse Square
Unit 1: Studio
Unit 2: 3br/3.5ba
$950,000

1623 South St.
Rittenhouse Square
Unit 1: 1br/1ba
Unit 2: 2br/2ba
$750,000

721 S 6th St.
Bella Vista
Unit 1: Studio
Unit 2: Studio
$450,000

2059 Catharine St.
Graduate Hospital
Unit 1: 1br/1ba
Unit 2: 2br/1ba
$445,000