5 Great Homes in Hot Neighborhoods for $300K or Less
All but one of these are condos, but all of them are perfect for first-time homebuyers, especially younger ones.
Bright MLS image via Your Town & Country Real Estate
The good news for those looking to buy their first home is: There are good finds available even in the highly sought-after neighborhoods.
Most of those are condos, needless to say, but not all of them are the compact one-bedroom numbers you might expect to find. Some of these actually have space enough to start a growing family, but we’ll start with the smallest of these first:
315 New St. #311, Old City (above) | 1 bed, 1 bath, 485 square feet, $285,000
This condo in Bridgeview Place makes a great nest for a single person or young couple who are just venturing into the world of homeownership and want to be in a city neighborhood with lots of things to do at their doorstep. It also makes a great pied-à-terre for a suburbanite or out-of-towner who’d like to enjoy the city without the commute or have a place to lay their head when in the city. Exposed brick, hardwood floors and large windows give it that urban-loft cachet, and a modern kitchen and bathroom give it the features you need to get by. There’s more, of course: space to stow your bike, your car and your stuff, an elevator that both makes it ADA-accessible and takes you to its spacious roof deck, where you can soak up the sun while enjoying a panoramic view of Center City. Fido and Fluffy are welcome as well.
The unit is occupied by a tenant until June 15th, and the owner is a licensed Pennsylvania real estate agent. Its sale price has been reduced three times, most recently for $1,000 on May 29th. The monthly condo fee of $300 covers common area utilities and maintenance.
315 New St. #311, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106 [Philly Managed | Your Town & Country Real Estate]
TREND image via The Condo Shop – Keller Williams Real Estate
617 Reed St. #100, Dickinson Narrows | 1 bed, 1 bath, 851 square feet, $300,000
Raise your glass to this handsome bi-level condo located in a former brewery. Upstairs, on the main floor, you’ll find you’ll find a stylish open living room, dining nook and kitchen that get plenty of light from huge south-facing windows. The kitchen has Viking appliances, by the way. Downstairs, the bedroom has a light well that preserves your privacy and a walk-through closet. The bathroom boasts a double vanity, a tiled shower and a jetted tub you’ll love to relax in. Your unit comes with plenty of storage space and garage parking for one car. With the Delaware riverfront, the Italian Market, and dining and shopping on East Passyunk Avenue all nearby, and SEPTA Route 47 buses almost right outside your door, you may find yourself needing your car less and less.
The monthly condo fee of $280 covers common area utilities and maintenance.
617 Reed St. #100, Philadelphia, Pa. 19147 [Annie Jacobs | The Condo Shop | Keller Williams Real Estate]
Bright MLS image via Keller Williams Realty
1538 Christian St. #1, Graduate Hospital | 3 beds, 2 baths, 875 square feet, $300,000
Here’s a stylish and attractive condo with room to start a family or launch a business from home. Located on the first floor of a beautifully rejuvenated early-20th-century townhouse, this unit has three bedrooms and two full baths. The living room and eat-in kitchen form a single space that makes entertaining easy, and the master bedroom has an en-suite bathroom with a stall shower. There’s plenty of storage space in the shared basement. There’s no place to park a car, but with the Avenue of the Arts and South Street West just a short walk away, along with SEPTA transit, do you really need one?
The monthly condo fee of $200 covers common area utilities and maintenance.
1538 Christian St. #1, Philadelphia, Pa. 19146 [Mickey Pascarella | Keller Williams Realty – Center City]
TREND image via BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors
800 N. 2nd St. #5, Northern Liberties | 2 beds, 1 full, 1 half baths, 1,000 square feet, $300,000
This bi-level condo with a bay-windowed living room lets you live large — or at least large by starter-condo standards. Its spacious main floor adds an open eat-in kitchen with updated appliances to that living room. The master bedroom is big enough to hold a queen bed and a home office area, and both bedrooms have custom closet shelving systems. When you don’t feel like cooking in, there are plenty of dining choices right outside your door, including Bourbon and Branch, Standard Tap, Spuntino, Brown Betty, Dmitri’s, The Blind Pig, Circles, Dos Segundos….and that hasn’t even exhausted what’s on Second Street yet. There’s even more dining options and some great entertainment spots on the surrounding streets.
The monthly condo fee of $220 covers common area utilities and maintenance.
800 N. 2nd St. #5, Philadelphia, Pa. 19123 [Amanda Swiger | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]
Image via Nigel Knows Real Estate Team – Coldwell Banker Preferred
410 Greenwich St., Pennsport | 2 beds, 1 full, 1 half baths, 1,088 square feet, $300,000
As the old saying goes, good things come in small packages. This one’s only small on the outside. Inside, it’s quite roomy thanks to a top-to-bottom renovation that gave it an open-plan main floor with a gorgeous granite-countertopped kitchen, a master bedroom with vaulted ceiling and dual closets, a hall bath with fully tiled tub/shower enclosure, laundry facilities upstairs, and a finished basement with half bath. The backyard is also larger than usual for South Philly, giving you room to grill, relax and entertain your friends outdoors. And it’s conveniently located close to great eateries, the Route 57 bus and Dickinson Square Park. That HDTV in the living room is part of the package, by the way.
This home’s sale price has been reduced twice, most recently for $29,000 on May 29th.
410 Greenwich St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147 [Nigel Richards | Nigel Knows Real Estate Team | Coldwell Banker Preferred]
