Its a gamble to go the permit route or not in Philly and absolutely matters the neighborhood/your neighbors as they are usually the folks that will call L&I on you OR if your property is near other construction sites where inspectors would be traveling to/from. 

take Oakland and Oakland Schools  Piedmont Borders Oakland if you cross one street into Piedmont with Piedmont schools the values literally DOUBLE for the exact same house.  

@Cory Gamble do you have their contact number

Thats not a wise gamble in most cases if there is a market change for any unknown range of factors.

So for us, Cross border investing may be what turns out to be the better option.

I would wait a while to get them at a discount but with condos, it always feels like a gamble because of future assessments, fee increases and difficulty getting a tenant approved in a timely manner.

The Major international border project is nearly complete called the "Gordie Howe International Bridge" This will increase the connectivity between Detroit and Windsor Ontario and create synergy which will change both riverfronts and the surrounding neighborhoods "As one of Canada’s most significant infrastructure projects, the Gordie Howe International Bridge is creating thousands of jobs and driving economic activity today and will serve as an important trade corridor for Canada and the U.S. once complete and for generations to come.

Are you willing to gamble your life and those of your family on, "being accountable for your rentals", "being a good landlord", or "maintaining your properties correctly and being decent to your tenants"?

It can still work in niche situations but I think it is a grind and you gamble time and money. 

I have a nearly perfect credit score and I'm gambling on that for my first project.