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Here are some amazing homes around the country listed just under $400K.  Check out similar priced homes in Philly!  Here is every active Philadelphia Real Estate Listings just below $400,000.

Or search by ANY Neighborhood:

• Rittenhouse Square Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Society Hill Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Washington Square Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Art Museum Area Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Avenue of the Arts Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Bella Vista Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Chinatown Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Fishtown Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Northern Liberties Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Graduate Hospital Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Fitler Square Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Old City Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Queen Village Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Powelton Village Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• University City Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• South Philadelphia Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• East Passyunk Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Girard Estate Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Marconi Park Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Newbold Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Passyunk Square Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Pennsport Real Estate Listings under $400,000
• Whitman Real Estate Listings under $400,000

This is brought to you by Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

To view every Philadelphia Real Estate Listing, including Philadelphia Condos visit www.CenterCityRealEstate.com

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Here are some great deals around the country.  Check out similar deals going on in Philly.  Here is every active Philadelphia Real Estate Listings under $250,000.

Or search by ANY Neighborhood:

• Rittenhouse Square Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Society Hill Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Washington Square Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Art Museum Area Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Avenue of the Arts Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Bella Vista Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Chinatown Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Fishtown Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Northern Liberties Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Graduate Hospital Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Fitler Square Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Old City Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Queen Village Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Powelton Village Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• University City Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• South Philadelphia Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• East Passyunk Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Girard Estate Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Marconi Park Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Newbold Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Passyunk Square Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Pennsport Real Estate Listings under $250,000
• Whitman Real Estate Listings under $250,000

This is brought to you by Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

To view every Philadelphia Real Estate Listing, including Philadelphia Condos visit www.CenterCityRealEstate.com

Picture Courtesy www.smh.com.au

Can you imagine traveling from New York to Philadelphia in 37 minutes?  A forum at the Down Town Club on November 30th brought an audience of 60+ professionals in transportation related industries together to speak about a high-speed rail line in the Northeast Corridor.

A high speed rail line connecting New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington would create integrated economies and Philadelphia would be geographically in the center of all of it.  The prize for Philadelphia is

“…access to a dramatically larger and better-educated workforce than regional employers can currently tap into… employers in Center City would find that their available talent pool would increase fourfold as a result of the improved access HSR would bring to the city center. Travel time from New York to Philadelphia would be sliced almost in half, to 37 minutes, and Washington would be less than an hour away… “the Philadelphia commutershed grows by 10 million people.” -WeeklyPress.com, High-speed rail puts Philly in center of NE ecomomy, planners predict

A major question is where to station these high speed rails.  Market-East station seems like a worthy candidate.  A plan such as this one would dramatically transform the business district around 11th and Market.  Others argue that 30th St Station would be the most appropriate spot considering the growth of University City as “the fastest growing population in the city and also more educated than the city as a whole.”

The project, no matter what, could not be completed before 2050 and would be extremely costly.  But imagine the possibilities! Check out the full article by WeeklyPress.com, High-speed rail puts Philly in center of NE ecomomy, planners predict.

This is brought to you by Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

To view every Philadelphia Real Estate Listing, including Philadelphia Condos visit www.CenterCityRealEstate.com

There is a very thorough section in philly.com about the 2011 Home Price Survey for Philadelphia Real Estate that is worth checking out.  They have analyzed more than 376,000 sales in the Philadelphia region from April 2005 – June 2011.

Here are the top Median Home Prices by Area in Philadelphia:

Median single-family home prices in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, especially Center City, have fallen 15.8 percent – much less during this downturn in housing than the last one in the late 1980s to mid-1990s – said Kevin Gillen, vice president of Econsult Corp., who collected and analyzed data from 376,257 sales regionwide from April 1, 2005, through June 30, 2011.

But lower-income neighborhoods have suffered more than their upscale counterparts, Gillen said, as the struggling economy has edged out less-well-off buyers.

“The tightening of credit has skewed home sales toward the upper end of the market,” Gillen said. “So when you compute the average price decline for the entire city, versus computing the average price decline across all zips [zip codes] in the city, you get two different numbers.” – Philly.com’s In Center City, home prices holding their own

They also have a very insightful interactive map that is worth playing around with:

This is brought to you by Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

To view every Philadelphia Real Estate Listing, including Philadelphia Condos visit www.CenterCityRealEstate.com

Photo courtesy of crossingbroad.com

I had the pleasure of attending the miserable NLDS Game 5 between the Phillies and Cardinals on Friday night.  While Ryan Howard lay on the field, writhing in pain after making the final out (2nd year in a row) and simultaneously blowing out his Achilles, the St. Louis Cardinals celebrated their advancement to the NLCS right next to him.  I was as stunned, disgusted, and upset about the way the 2011 Phillies season ended as everyone in the ballpark, but the last thing I thought about doing was throwing my trash onto the field.  That’s exactly what many of my fellow fans did think to do as you can see in the above picture.  It’s a pretty low rent way of expressing oneself.

There happens to be an unrelated article on philly.com today called LITTER-ALLY DISGUSTING about the littering that goes on in Philadelphia.  One major issue is the businesses that shove circulars, menus, and printed ads into door cracks and mailboxes.  They usually wind up blowing away into the street.  The other big problem is the people who blatantly just drop their trash on the ground and then go about their business (or throw trash on a baseball field to express anger and frustration.)

More than 100,000 fines were issued for trash-related violations in 2011.  More than 600 tickets went to business that ignored residents with the no-circular sticker.  21,219 tickets were issued to people not separating recycling from trash and 1,429 littering tickets were given out.

Among the several difficulties in the struggle to enforce litter laws, [Deputy Streets Commissioner Carlton] Williams said, is that it’s hard to fine people for littering because offenders must be caught in the act. SWEEP officers have partnered with police to keep tabs on high-grime areas, Williams said.  Although officers could sit in high-traffic areas watching and waiting to issue people tickets for littering, Williams said that that type of stakeout would be impractical.  “It is very difficult to sustain such an operation because of the tremendous amount of resources needed from the Streets Department and the Police Department to change and deter this behavior long-term,” he said. -Philly.com – LITER-ALLEY DISGUSTING

Come on people… it’s 2011, there are trash cans and recycling containers on every corner of the city, please stop littering already!  Here are some more tips from Philly.com on how to play a part to keep Philly clean: A cleaner city? it comes down to you

1 Become a block captain. Or if there’s already a block captain, find one for a neighboring block. The city has programs that are available only if there is a block captain to take the reins. For one, “Adopt A Basket,” the block captain takes responsibility for maintaining a trash can on a residential block.

2 Keep an eye on your trash collectors. If your block is dirtier after the truck comes on trash day, call 3-1-1 to report it. Every truck comes with a broom and dustpan, and it is every crew’s job to pick up after themselves. And keep your 3-1-1 tracking number. Without it, you won’t be able to check progress on your complaint.

3 Get a “circular-free-property” sticker. The sticker is supposed to deter businesses from putting fliers in your door, railing, etc. You can get the sticker by calling 3-1-1, or by going to philly.com/pickitup. When it doesn’t work – and it won’t – complain to 3-1-1 and the business will be fined $100.

4 Enlist your local school. The Streets Department’s Litter Free School Zone program recruits students to pick up around their schools. They also run assemblies that teach kids not to litter and about the benefits of a litter-free life. The school district has committed to promote the program this year, but parents should contact administrators at their kids’ school and urge them to participate.

5 Pick up after yourself – and others. The UnlitterUs antilitter program sponsors blocks and commercial corridors that have shown a dedication to sweeping up after themselves and others. Contact them at 215-686-5560 or call the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee at 215 685-3981 to coordinate regular neighborhood cleanups, and UnlitterUs will give you signs declaring a Litter Free Zone. Or, when you see a piece of trash on the ground, pick it up. -A cleaner city? it comes down to you

This is brought to you by Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

To view every Philadelphia Real Estate Listing, including Philadelphia Condos visit www.CenterCityRealEstate.com