Real estate transactions 2007 on Main Street

4802 Frankford Avenue was sold for $118,000 on 4/18/2007. Follow this link for the details on the BRT.

Next week in Frankford

• Free Pictures with the Easter Bunny
  When Sat, Mar 15, 2pm – 4pm

  Where Frankford Hospital Lobby

  Description Free Pictures with the Easter Bunny Frankford Hospital Lobby
• Northwood Civic Association Meeting
  When Tue, Mar 18, 7pm – 9pm

  Where St. James Lutheran Church

Absentee landlords

As I was compiling data on our study of real estate transfers, I was surprised to find two owners of property on Main Street who lived in Brooklyn, New York. My first thought was how well could you manage real estate from that distance. That is commercial real estate though and I thought maybe that is different. I took a quick look at some residential blocks and the number of absentee landlords was impressive. Now that is problematic.

This is from the New Gleaner"

There are plenty of things to gripe about in any city, but in Philadelphia, one of the top five seems to be complaining about absentee landlords. They have become the stereotypes of urban evil, almost on a par with drug dealers in ruining neighborhoods.Camille Capobianco wants the City Council to do something about the out-of-towners and their poorly maintained properties and rowdy renters.

And much needs to be done, she said, because right now, some landlords are little better than predators.

She refers to a neighborhood property in which the tenants were selling drugs and were finally removed. But the landlord has a “for rent” sign up, “and the neighbors are terrified,” she said.

The Tacony woman, who was a landlord herself, has put together a petition whose points she hopes will become city law.

Read the entire story here. She makes a very reasonable and rational argument that deserves to be considered. You can bet the real estate professionals will line up against it.

A Frankford family grieves

From Philly.com today:

Adrienne Kaplan and Theodore Thomas today will bury their 22-year-old son, the victim of a hit-and-run accident in Center City.

They are coping, as well as they can, with the question of why he had to go at such a young age.

Police have questions also. They want to know who was driving the car that struck Theodore Thomas Jr. in the early evening of Feb. 22 near the Gallery as he crossed Market Street to meet a friend.

Read the entire story here.

Real estate transactions 2007 on Main Street

4677 Frankford Avenue was sold on 3/29/2007 for $123,000. Transaction details at this link to the BRT. Picture to the right is the older. To the left is what it looks like this week.

Real estate transactions 2007 on Main Street

4674 Frankford Avenue was sold on 4/17/2007 for $247,350. A sign on the building now says an early childhood learning center is coming to the location. Transaction details at this link to the BRT.

Wedge Medical and the facts of life

Diane Prokop at the Northeast Times has done her usual fine job of summarizing the Frankford Civic meeting last week on the subject of Wedge medical. Wedge came to the meeting with letters of support from a handful of politicians who must have carefully studied the workings of this "for profit" company and then concluded that they were very fine folks and deserve to exploit Frankford to enhance the corporate bottom line.

The facts of life are that politicians do not support anybody unless there is something in it for them. The owners of Wedge (Minda and Armando MAGUNDAYAO) are listed several times as contributors to the Friends of Dwight Evans in 2006. They were smaller contributors to the Friends of George Kenney in 2004. Does this make a difference? Yes. It's the way the system works.

We are not against these services. They are needed. But this one is not needed in this place and at this time. It's legal but its not wanted.