Moving near Philadelphia

[David Morad]

I have lived in Missouri most of my life, but my family is all from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I absolutely love Philadelphia, and want to live in or near there. I am moving out this way next year, and I am planning my journey as early as I can, I only have a few questions. 1) any suggestions for where to look and what to look for when starting out near Philly? 2) would it be better to live with a friend or family, or try to buy a house? 3) I see all the time that duplexes are very suggested. Is there anywhere that I should look for duplexes that would be great. 4) (I know this is asked a lot) Should I get my license if I need a job, and try to get hired as an agent somewhere?

[Maurice Etienne]

@David Morad Great thinking, starting to plan early. I have lived in Philly for most of my life and pride myself in knowing the city extremely well. I think Philly is an absolutely amazing place to live. Proximity to NY and DC is great. I get to travel to our nation's biggest and best cities. I go to Boston quite often because of how quick it is to drive (6.5 hours).

As far as where to look, that is a loaded question. Philly is a city of neighborhoods and it all varies. If you are trying to live cheap and want to live in the actual city where you can walk to downtown and experience the city then I suggest places that are just outside Center City but still manageable either walking, biking, or a quick subway ride. 

Francisville, North Broad, and Brewerytown are north of the city and are on the cheaper end, they are close to the nicer Fairmount and Art Museum Neighborhoods. I lived in Brewerytown for a while and loved it. It's literally right up against Fairmount Park and walking distance to the Art Museum, and the riverfront. These neighborhoods are in transition though and you may find some sketchy areas. 

South Philly is also a great bet too. It is extremely popular, and you will be in Center City in no time. Neighborhoods like Point Breeze/Newbold are being developed like crazy but rent is still very much manageable and there are still deals to be had. Grey's Ferry is also becoming popular but its a bit more out there and transportation is harder. 

Buying something in the city is getting harder and harder because of the crazy amount of development going on in Philadelphia and its rapid growth. A lot of New York money is coming into the city, which is making things a bit harder for investing but it is still possible. Also there are a lot of speculators and flippers in the city, so competition is real, but don't let that deter you from investing in or near the city.

There are lots of things I can say about Philadelphia, and I can probably continue writing for while but here is a starting point. Philadelphia is most definitely a block by block city. So any renting or buying you do, you should always go walk the neighborhood and make sure that it is what you expected. You can be walking in one of the hottest neighborhoods in town (Northern Liberties/Fishtown) and end up in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in a matter of 3 blocks (Kensingtown). Although Kensington is on a fast upswing. So pay very close attention where you are looking.

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out. Good luck!