What $500K Will Buy You in Manayunk

255 Lyceum Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128 | TREND image via Keller Willams Realty

Those of you who follow the various real estate media in this town should be aware that Manayunk has seen its share of new housing construction in recent years.

If these three listings are any guide, though, Manayunk is as hot a spot for redevelopment as all those neighborhoods on the Center City fringe.

The oldest of these three homes dates all the way back to 2006. (It’s the only one with no tax abatement left.) All of them are just up the hill from the heart of the adult playground on the banks of the Schuylkill. All of them are in great shape and move-in ready. One of them looks just a little bit strange from the street but perfectly decent on the inside.

If you want a home in the middle of a shopping, dining and entertainment hub yet far enough away from the action that you can sleep at night, any of these make fine choices.

255 Lyceum Ave. (above) | 3 beds, 3 full, 1 half baths, 2,160 square feet, $499,900

One plus of shopping for a home in a community that hugs the side of a hill is that you have much better-than-average odds of snagging a place with a gorgeous view. This is one of those homes, and it has a full-floor roof deck that takes advantage of it. Large windows on two sides flood the rooms with abundant natural light. The open plan main floor makes entertaining easy, and each of the three bedrooms has an en-suite bathroom. The master bedroom on the top floor, of course, also contains the access to that roof deck and its amazing view.

255 Lyceum Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128 [Netanel Levi | Keller Williams Realty]

233 Gay St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128 | TREND image via Weichert Realtors

233 Gay St. | 3 beds, 2 full, 1 half baths, 3,080 square feet, $480,000

This large, lovely home has a split main floor that allows the living room to have a soaring tray ceiling. Overlooking it is the up-to-date kitchen, and on the other side of the kitchen is the dining room and sitting area, with a serving bar separating the two spaces. Below the living room is a family room with fireplace and flat-screen TV already installed. One of the third-floor bedrooms has a Juliet balcony, and both the third-floor bathroom and the one in the full-floor master suite have double vanities. You get spectacular views from this home too, but not just from one deck: there’s a deck attached to the first-floor family room, another outside the living room and a third atop the spacious master suite.

This home’s sale price was reduced by $5,000 on Oct. 3.

233 Gay St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128 [Kali Maxian | Weichert Realtors]

218 Wendover St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128 | TREND image via Keller Williams Realty

218 Wendover St. | 3 beds, 2 full, 1 half baths, 2,500 square feet, $519,000

We didn’t think it was possible to turn a rowhouse into a McMansion, but this home proves anything’s possible in this world: what’s up with those multiple mansard roofs on the front? The answer’s simple: there’s a projecting front wing that contains the limestone-tiled foyer, a powder room and an alcove for one of the second-floor bedrooms. (The other also has an alcove that’s perfect for a desk.) This home has a bunch of very nice style touches, ranging from the tray ceilings in the living room and kitchen to the kitchen’s fine cabinetry and light fixtures to the vaulted master-bedroom ceiling to the very attractively landscaped rear patio. No roof deck on this home, but the rear deck off the master bedroom offers the requisite gorgeous view.

This home’s sale price was reduced by $6,000 on Oct. 25.

218 Wendover St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128 [David Darami | Keller Williams Realty – Center City]