Condo lobbies can either greet you with their splendor or disappoint you with their lack of taste. In no particular order, these are my selections for Center City’s ten most impressive condo lobbies, based on architectural design, functionality, first impressions, and the reactions they consistently generate from buyers.
Co-op boards traditionally prefer buyers who plan to live in the home full-time. Their reasoning is straightforward: they want residents who are deeply invested in the building’s day-to-day life, its long-term upkeep, and its financial health.
After four decades of living in Center City, I can tell you what to expect when buying Philadelphia condos in different price ranges, from studios to trophy penthouses and everything in between.
After four decades of living in Center City, I can tell you the neighborhoods here each have their own personality — and for a pied-à-terre buyer, matching that personality to how you actually use the city matters more than almost anything else. Think concretely about why you're coming to Philadelphia: concerts at the Kimmel, dinners on 13th Street? Walkability isn't a checkbox here — it's the whole point.
If you bought a condo in a newish building about ten+/- years ago, your equity today can tell a tale of two markets. While we expect real estate to always go up, a number of buildings show a 50/50 split: half have appreciated, while the other half are trading at—or even below—their, say, 2016 prices. [...]
