Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Philly Condos- Not All Allow Pets

No Dogs or Cats:    2401 Pennsylvania Ave (The Philadelphian)

No Dogs, but yes to cats:
The Dorchester                    The Wanamaker House
Society Hill Towers                    Rivers Edge (2301 Cherry)
Hopkinson House                    Academy House

In today’s competitive condo sales market, there is one rule that stands above all others that may determine whether or not your condo is going to be looked at by potential buyers- Your Condominiums rule with regards to pets. Rules vary from building to building and some are very open, and some buildings are very restrictive.
Most buildings in town will have some kind of restrictions as to pet ownership- specifically dogs.
Restrictions in terms of dog size, breed, or the number of dogs per owner. All makes sense to me. But NOT to allow dogs is one sure way of restricting resales in the building.
Susie the buyer is NOT going to give up her cherished Poodle in order to live in your building, should you be on the above list.  In my opinion, those rules are SO OUTDATED….
Why not put limits on size and breed? Or allow ONLY owners and not renters to have pets?
Mark Wade
www.CenterCityCondos.com

And please stop with the patronizing “and you get lovely carpet in the bedrooms at no extra charge”. Again, you are an idiot.

And touting the virtues of a dishwasher, a garbage disposal, and/or doorbell for each condo unit?Yippee…where does my buyer sign?? If developers could take a minute or two to tour some of the condo offerings in Center City Philadelphia, and realize that the buyers I am bringing to your front door have seen almost EVERYTHING on the market, then maybe that developer could wise up, and compare apples to apples. Tell us about the significance of your location, the quality of your construction, or the fact that you are priced competitively. My buyers are not stupid, and I will not allow them to be uneducated. So wise up, and let’s make a deal. Because until you (Mr. Developer) come to your senses, my buyer’s desire to write an offer on one of your condos is going to be severely limited.

Some of the most sought after condo buildings here in Center City are on or very close to lively blocks that are full of activity, or they are on or near bus routes, and can have a close proximity to highways. This is very convenient but can be noisy!

Having constant noise outside your dining room or bedroom could be a big problem. So, I devised a kinda’ cool solution that works like a gem. And in the scheme of things, really doesn’t have to cost a lot.

Here’s the solution: Replace your windows (genius, eh?)!

Depending on where you live in downtown Philadelphia, you may have a fairly strong historic association who mandates the type of window replacement you must use.  However, this does not preclude you from installing another set of windows INSIDE the historical set.

You can add a double paned, inexpensive vinyl clad INSIDE the outer set of historically approved windows, giving you a total of 3 or 4 panes of glass between you and the noise.  This ingenious little set-up demonstrates how you can effectively keep all city noise out of your Philadelphia loft or condo.

You don’t need to live 30 feet from the highway or live in a super luxury condo building to benefit from this idea.  Such insulation also provides extra protection from cold, heat loss, and dirt that gets inside of other single paned windows!  To Keep the Value in, You Must keep the noise out!

If you’re thinking of buying or selling a Center City condominium and want some more tips, I can help.  Give me a call today at 215-521-1523 or drop me an email at Mark@CenterCity.com.

Mark Wade
www.CenterCityCondos.com
Prudential Fox and Roach REALTORS®
530 Walnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19106