Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Housing Intelligence

The intelligence behind every housing decision.

78 neighborhoods. Ten sections. One consolidated tax bill — and a 4.578% transfer tax at closing. PhiladelphiaHousing.co gives you the context and block-by-block understanding you need before you act.

Live · FRED + ACS
Market Pulse — Philadelphia
Live city housing snapshot
City-Wide
30Y mortgage (FRED) 6.55% (2026-07-16)
Median household income (ACS) $58K
Median owner home value (ACS) $216K
Median gross rent (ACS) $1,250
City population (ACS) 1.6M
By Section
Center City 11 neighborhoods
South Philly 12 neighborhoods
River Wards 7 neighborhoods
West Philly 9 neighborhoods
Northwest 7 neighborhoods
North Philly 8 neighborhoods
Olney/Oak Lane 6 neighborhoods
Southwest 3 neighborhoods
Lower NE 9 neighborhoods
Far NE 6 neighborhoods
City Taxes
Real Estate Tax1.3998%
Transfer Tax4.578%
Homestead$100K off assessed
⚠ ACS = survey estimates (not appraisals). Mortgage rate is FRED MORTGAGE30US, not a lender quote. Verify assessments with the Property search (OPA) ↗

Operated by Bucks County LLC — not affiliated with the City of Philadelphia or any government agency. Verify time-sensitive information with official sources.

Tax & Transfer Rates Neighborhood Comparisons Market Pulse Buyer’s Guide Seller’s Guide School Catchments Assessment office ↗
Who this is for
The right intelligence for your situation.

Philadelphia's housing market doesn't have one face. A buyer in Fishtown, an investor in Frankford, a seller in Chestnut Hill, a homeowner in Mayfair — each needs something different. Start here.

Market Pulse
City signals you can verify today.

Philadelphia doesn't behave as one market. This band shows live macro and Census estimates — mortgage rates, household income, housing values, and rent — grounded in FRED and ACS, not listing hype.

Live · FRED + ACS
⚠ ACS = survey estimates (not appraisals). Mortgage rate is FRED MORTGAGE30US, not a lender quote. Verify assessments with the Property search (OPA) ↗
01 FRED
30Y mortgage
6.55%
as of 2026-07-16
02 ACS
Median household income
$58K
03 ACS
Median owner home value
$216K
04 ACS
Median gross rent
$1,250
05 ACS
City population
1.6M
Neighborhood Intelligence
78 neighborhoods. One platform. Every market understood.

Each Philadelphia neighborhood has its own housing stock, catchment pattern, assessment history, and market behavior — inside one consolidated city-county. This is the platform that brings it together in one place.

Tax Reference (2026)
Real Estate Tax1.3998%
City / School split0.6159% / 0.7839%
Transfer Tax4.578% combined
Homestead Exemption$100K off assessed
Abatement checkBy address ↗
Records & Deeds
Department of Records
Property Search (OPA)City Portal ↗
Atlas · permits & zoning
Public Case SearchPA Courts ↗
Research Library
Official-source context your clients can verify.

Editorial guides built for brokers, attorneys, and title professionals advising Philadelphia clients — neighborhood profiles, tax routing, catchment boundaries, and section context without paid API gates.

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Neighborhood Intelligence
78 Neighborhood Profiles
Section, catchment context, tax and abatement routing, official records, and known data gaps — every profiled neighborhood in one editorial system.
Explore neighborhood profiles
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Tax & Transfer
One-Bill Tax Reality
One consolidated Real Estate Tax — but assessment, homestead, abatement, and the 4.578% transfer tax decide the real number. Help clients verify before closing.
Open tax guide
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School Catchments
One District, Many Catchments
Assignment follows the exact address — not ZIP code or neighborhood name. Catchment verification, school selection, and the price premiums that ride with certain boundaries.
School intelligence hub
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Transaction Paths
Buyer & Seller Guides
Section-aware checklists for clients entering or exiting Philadelphia — what to verify before offer, before list, and before closing day.
Buyer’s guide

Interactive calculators and address-level reports will ship when licensing and API costs align. Today, every card above links to live editorial content and official-source records. Closing support: Book closing support.

Housing Intelligence
What people get wrong about Philadelphia housing.

The gaps between what people assume and what's actually true cost real money. These are the most common ones we see.

1
"The ZIP code tells me which school my kids will attend."
It doesn't. All of Philadelphia is one school district, but every address is assigned a catchment school — and catchment boundaries cross ZIP codes and neighborhood names throughout the city. Two homes on the same street can feed different schools, and a handful of catchments carry real price premiums on the exact blocks they cover. Always verify with the district's School Finder before you pay for a school you're not zoned for.
Catchments
2
"The seller's tax bill is what I'll pay."
Often not. Philadelphia's Real Estate Tax is 1.3998% of assessed value on one consolidated bill — but the seller's bill may reflect a 10-year abatement that's partially expired, a homestead exemption you have to file for yourself, or an assessment the Office of Property Assessment is about to update. Look up the parcel on property.phila.gov, check the abatement's remaining years, and model the bill at full assessed value with your own exemption status.
Taxes
3
"Philadelphia is one market."
It isn't. A Rittenhouse condo, a Fishtown new build, a Mayfair airlite, and a Chestnut Hill stone single can behave like they're in different states. The River Wards compete on abated new construction. South Philly moves block by block. The Northeast runs on first-time-buyer velocity. Northwest stone homes trade on condition and Regional Rail. Treating it as one market leads to mispricing — on both sides.
Market
4
"Closing costs here work like the suburbs."
Philadelphia's combined Realty Transfer Tax is 4.578% of the sale price — 3.578% city plus 1% Pennsylvania, several times the rate in the surrounding counties (the city portion rose from 3.278% on July 1, 2025). It's customarily split 50/50 between buyer and seller, but the split is negotiable in the agreement of sale. On a $300,000 rowhome that's $13,734 in transfer tax alone — budget for it before you write the offer.
Transfer Tax
5
"A renovated flip means the permits are fine."
Unpermitted work and open L&I violations follow the property, not the flipper. Philadelphia's Atlas shows every address's permit history, violations, and zoning — in one search. If the kitchen moved, the deck appeared, or the basement became a bedroom, check that permits were pulled and closed before you waive inspection leverage. The same goes for rentals: a unit without a rental license and lead-safe certification can't lawfully collect rent.
Permits
Professional Resources
For the professionals who work this market.

Attorneys, title agents, lenders, appraisers, and land planners all operate in Philadelphia's regulatory environment. This section consolidates the contacts, portals, and procedural context that matter most.

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Department of Records & Title Chain
Deed recording, recorded-document archives, and address-level deed history through Atlas — Philadelphia land records date to the 1600s. Critical for title work, deed preparation, and tangled-title cases.
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Courts, Sheriff & Foreclosure
Statewide case search, Sheriff's sale calendars for mortgage-foreclosure and tax-delinquent properties, and the mandatory Eviction Diversion Program that precedes any landlord-tenant filing.
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Planning, Zoning & GIS
City Planning Commission, Atlas zoning and district layers, and the OpenDataPhilly catalog — parcels, assessments, permits, and flood context for spatial due diligence.
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Mobile Notary & Loan Signings
For attorneys, lenders, and title companies that need a reliable, professional mobile notary for Philadelphia closings, refinances, and specialized signings.
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Tax & Assessment Reference
Consolidated Real Estate Tax (1.3998%), the 4.578% transfer tax, OPA assessment records, First Level Review and BRT appeal deadlines, and homestead / LOOP / senior-freeze / OOPA relief routing.
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Permits, L&I & Rental Compliance
Licenses & Inspections permits and violations, rental licenses, Certificates of Rental Suitability, and lead-safe certification for pre-1978 rentals — the compliance stack every Philadelphia rental transaction touches.
Neighborhood Profiles
A closer look at key Philadelphia markets.

Each neighborhood page gives you the housing and tax context that actually matters when you're evaluating a block.

River Wards
Fishtown
The city's headline appreciation story — Frankford Avenue's venues and restaurants, classic rows beside abated new construction, and Market-Frankford Line access.
SectionRiver Wards
Primary ZIP19125
TransitEl · Girard
GrowthAbatements
Center City
Rittenhouse Square
The marquee address — doorman condos and 19th-century townhouses around the park, Walnut Street retail, and the city's deepest luxury market.
SectionCenter City
Primary ZIP19103
StockCondo & townhouse
PremiumWalkable
South Philadelphia
East Passyunk
South Philly's food corridor — award-winning restaurants along the diagonal avenue, classic two-story rows on every side street, and steady buyer demand.
SectionSouth Philly
Primary ZIP19148
TransitBSL · Tasker
Food RowRows
Northwest
Chestnut Hill
The garden district — Wissahickon schist singles, the Germantown Avenue shopping spine, and two Regional Rail lines to Center City.
SectionNorthwest
Primary ZIP19118
Transit2 rail lines
PremiumRail
West Philadelphia
University City
The eds-and-meds engine — Penn, Drexel, and CHOP anchor rentals, Victorian conversions, and employer-assisted homebuying west of the Schuylkill.
SectionWest Philly
Primary ZIP19104
AnchorsPenn · Drexel · CHOP
JobsTransit
Lower Northeast
Mayfair
The Northeast's signature airlite market — tidy brick rows with garages along Frankford Avenue's shopping corridor and strong first-time-buyer demand.
SectionLower NE
ZIPs19149 · 19135
StockAirlites & rows
StarterValue
South Philadelphia
Point Breeze
One of the city's fastest-appreciating pockets over the past decade — new construction and gut renovations beside long-held family rows, with abatement math on many recent builds.
SectionSouth Philly
Primary ZIP19146
WatchAbatement years
UpsideNew Builds
Northwest
Manayunk
Rowhouses stacked above the canal and Main Street's restaurant strip — steep streets, the towpath trail, Regional Rail, and steady young-buyer demand.
SectionNorthwest
Primary ZIP19127
TransitManayunk/Norristown line
WalkableRental Demand
All 78 Neighborhood Profiles →
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BucksNotary.com — Mobile Notary & Loan Signing
PA-commissioned notary · Philadelphia, Bucks & Montgomery counties · (215) 932-3000
Book a Notary →

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