Current PCOM students...Where do you live and how do you like it

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Its on City Ave, the rent is okay and its close to school. But some minor issues though!
 
I highly recommend Beekman Place on Belmont Ave....right around the block from school...the price looks high at first...but EVERYTHING is included and the maintenance, management, etc is excellent.....I've lived here the for the past year and a half and will be here next year too....nothing to complain about at all....
 
most people move out of presidential after the first year...... I would stay away from lincoln green they have had some big issues of late. There are tons of great places withing 15 minutes of the school so there is no reason to pick places right next store. Sure its nice to walk to school but it gets cold or your at school late so this shouldnt be your only draw.
 
I also heard that imperial towers is nice, it was where I was interested in living originallly but the didn't have any 2bd units available when I was looking to move in🙁 !
 
JonnyG said:
most people move out of presidential after the first year...... I would stay away from lincoln green they have had some big issues of late. There are tons of great places withing 15 minutes of the school so there is no reason to pick places right next store. Sure its nice to walk to school but it gets cold or your at school late so this shouldnt be your only draw.
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my lazy a$$ still drives everyday....
 
Presidential: B
Lincoln: C
Beekman: A-
Imperial: A-
Executive House: B+ ($$$$)
Henry on the Park: A-
Summitt: B-

My experiences both as a tenant and visiting friends.

I bought a house (finally) in the city. Best move I ever made.
 
Don't forget Greenbriar!

Walking distance from school.
Free pool.
Terrace overlooking pool this summer 😀
Free Heat.
Free AC.
Free electricity.
Washer/ Dryer in apt.
Adequate parking.
VERY reasonable rent (I have a housemate and we both pay $625/mo. for 2 beds, 2 baths, kitchen, dining, living room, and terrace)

The only problem is that some of my neighbors cook smelly food and smoke.

Grade: A
 
JPHazelton said:
Presidential: B
Lincoln: C
Beekman: A-
Imperial: A-
Executive House: B+ ($$$$)
Henry on the Park: A-
Summitt: B-

My experiences both as a tenant and visiting friends.

I bought a house (finally) in the city. Best move I ever made.
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I own a condo and it was a good move, my mortgage is less than most peoples rent. I also have a roomate who has his own bathroom.
 
Agreed. My mortgage is less than a rent on a 1br apt.
 
mitawa said:
But how are taxes and utilities?
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I pay $525 in taxes/year

Utilities
Elec $100/mo
Gas $100/mo
Water $40/mo

My mortgage right now for my 2BR, 2BA house is the same monthly payment (after taxes and utilities) as a 1BR apartment I lived in for 2 years.

The house is 30% larger as well.

Real estate in certain areas of Philadelphia is hot and in others you can buy for very, very cheap. I happened to buy a bit over a year ago in one of the "up and coming" areas of the city. We got the house for a steal and our most recent appraisal shows us way ahead.
 
JPHazelton said:
I pay $525 in taxes/year

Utilities
Elec $100/mo
Gas $100/mo
Water $40/mo

My mortgage right now for my 2BR, 2BA house is the same monthly payment (after taxes and utilities) as a 1BR apartment I lived in for 2 years.

The house is 30% larger as well.

Real estate in certain areas of Philadelphia is hot and in others you can buy for very, very cheap. I happened to buy a bit over a year ago in one of the "up and coming" areas of the city. We got the house for a steal and our most recent appraisal shows us way ahead.
Click to expand...

I should have known that before maybe I'll whole buying into the market thing. I am originally from Long Island so there it usually is better to rent short term than buy (especially with utilities included). However the house thing might work out better in the long run.

Thanks for the info!😉
 
mitawa said:
I should have known that before maybe I'll whole buying into the market thing. I am originally from Long Island so there it usually is better to rent short term than buy (especially with utilities included). However the house thing might work out better in the long run.

Thanks for the info!😉
Click to expand...

We bought with a 7-10 year plan. Had rented for 8 years prior and saw tens of thousands of dollars down the drain.
 
Yeah one of my major reservations is figuring out how long I'll be in the Philly area post-grad.
 
I rent an apartment in East Falls from a private landlord. I decided to go that route because I knew I would NEVER want to stay here after graduation. And I'm actually getting out two years earlier than I thought.

East Falls is 10-15 minutes from school. You cannot walk...traffic is too bad, and you have to cross either Falls Bridge or the City Ave. bridge to get there. My neighborhood is virtually all students from surrounding colleges, but it's still quiet, and I feel very safe here (which was actually the clincher for choosing it). I pay $725 a month for 1 bedroom, with some utilities included, and I have a basement and a garage. My landlord isn't great, but the building is in decent shape, so I haven't had to deal with her too much. A small family lives upstairs, but the husband is a grad student, so we have a great relationship. The biggest problem with my place is the onstreet parking.

Have you tried Craigslist? People post available apartments there, and that's how I got mine.
 
Lyrian said:
I rent an apartment in East Falls from a private landlord. I decided to go that route because I knew I would NEVER want to stay here after graduation. And I'm actually getting out two years earlier than I thought.

East Falls is 10-15 minutes from school. You cannot walk...traffic is too bad, and you have to cross either Falls Bridge or the City Ave. bridge to get there. My neighborhood is virtually all students from surrounding colleges, but it's still quiet, and I feel very safe here (which was actually the clincher for choosing it). I pay $725 a month for 1 bedroom, with some utilities included, and I have a basement and a garage. My landlord isn't great, but the building is in decent shape, so I haven't had to deal with her too much. A small family lives upstairs, but the husband is a grad student, so we have a great relationship. The biggest problem with my place is the onstreet parking.

Have you tried Craigslist? People post available apartments there, and that's how I got mine.
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East Falls, like Manayunk, is tough with parking...especially in the winter. I would say that is my biggest complaint living in the city...parking in the winter.
 
JPHazelton said:
East Falls, like Manayunk, is tough with parking...especially in the winter. I would say that is my biggest complaint living in the city...parking in the winter.
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don't even think about parking in a spot that has been shoveled out of snow............................................thats a way to live dangerously
 
What does everyone have to say about lincoln green? I went there and really liked the apt's
 
i have gone to a couple of apartment finder sites and i see that a lot of the apts. in philly have a washer/dryer for each floor or a laundry station on property. i own a washer and dryer and was wondering if i am better off selling them. is this the case or just my observation?
 
jtorres said:
i have gone to a couple of apartment finder sites and i see that a lot of the apts. in philly have a washer/dryer for each floor or a laundry station on property. i own a washer and dryer and was wondering if i am better off selling them. is this the case or just my observation?
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I would try to find a place that has a W/D in the unit itself.

Henry on the Park is one place I can think of.

I never liked the idea of a communal washer/dryer.
 
Imperial Towers (2000 - 2002) was reasonable $$, decently quick maintenance, nice to see other students there. We had the larger 1br / den and it was more than enough for two people. We only moved b/c we wanted to get a pet. Communal laundry, but never had a problem.

Summit Park (2004 - 2006) was akin to living in the dorms again. Kids upstairs smoked pot, blasted the bass and played basketball in their apartment at all hours of the (week)night. Also, you have to have a parking sticker to park in their lots . . . ie, if you have an out-of-town buddy staying for the weekend, they'll have to find somewhere on the street to park. Maintenance was awful. But the pool was decent in the summer. 🙂 Communal laundry here as well.

Several friends lived in the privately-rented townhouses in Wynnefield Heights and seemed to have nice places for reasonable $$.

Out of curiosity, JPH, where did you buy? Feel free to PM if you'd rather.
 
My aunt lives about 45 minutes from the school. She told me I can stay for free and free food too, but my mom wants to buy a house for me to stay close to the school and also as an investment too. I really don't want to deal with all kind of problems as a landlord. However, as curiosity, JPHazelton, what areas are safe for the students to live, in the city or around the school?
 
worier said:
My aunt lives about 45 minutes from the school. She told me I can stay for free and free food too, but my mom wants to buy a house for me to stay close to the school and also as an investment too. I really don't want to deal with all kind of problems as a landlord. However, as curiosity, JPHazelton, what areas are safe for the students to live, in the city or around the school?
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45 minutes could be a lot longer depending on which direction youre coming from.

Stay away from West Philadelphia and North Philadelphia.

Lots of areas of the city are touchy or "block by block" so its better to know where you are looking then ask around about that particular area.
 
My aunt lives near Paoli area, she said don't take 76, it will be very bad in the morning, rt 30 has many trafic lights. I already tested it out it took me almost 45 mins to get to the school with the good weather. My mom wants to buy a row home but we are clue less about Philly.

Thanks for your help, JPHazelton
 
i actually lived in philadelphia before going to PCOM and I already had a studio rented in center city. if you're a city slicker, i think that center city is an awesome place to live. plus, if parking is an issue (which it is), you can take the 44 route SEPTA bus which you can pick up in any part of center city and it drops you off right in front of school (q 15 mins or so). the only issue is that living in the city can be expensive as well... you might not get as big an apartment as you would in the suburbs. However, not having had a car my first two years, living around school was a definite no, and i really did love living around center city... lots to do just walking distance!

i also have a couple friends that live in south philly. property there can be really cheap and parking shouldn't be an issue... if you take the backroutes from the city, you should never really hit traffic.

but jphazelton, i'm also curious as to where you bought your apartment... thinking of doing the same thing... any pointers? (feel free to PM me if you don't wanna post... thanks!)
 
If you're looking to buy a row home, look into Wynnefield Heights. I'm not sure if there are any homes currently for sale, but it is quite close to PCOM and seems relatively safe.

You could also look into buying a condo in the area too as they currently range from ~185K - 280K.
 
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