Home reno for Philly block’s handyman | Real Estate Newsletter
And low-income tenants are at risk.
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There’s a guy in North Philly who’s a pretty great neighbor.
People on his block come up to him as he’s sitting on his steps, walking down the street, or even driving in his car to ask him to fix something or other around their house. And he does it. Happily.
He’s been fixing and renovating other people’s properties for two decades. But for a long time, he couldn’t renovate his own house, because he didn’t own it. A promise to his dying mom changed that.
Keep scrolling for that story and to
learn how a New Jersey real estate dynasty profited off the devastation of a Philly senior housing complex
see which historic district Philadelphia has created decades after residents first asked for one
peek inside a curated outdoor space at an old Burlington City home near the Delaware River
📮 Question for all my homeowners out there: What were you most excited to do at the first home you bought? For a chance to be featured in my newsletter, email me.
— Michaelle Bond
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I first wrote about Dwayne Fair in 2022. He had recently bought the North Philly house his family had rented from the Philadelphia Housing Authority for more than 50 years.
My story then was about a PHA program that helps renters build their savings. Fair had used it to help him buy his house.
Last month, I found out what he’s been up to since then. After years of renovating properties for neighbors, family members, investors, and even his first-grade teacher, he had started transforming his own home. He had wanted to renovate before, but as a renter, he couldn’t.
The Fair family home has been a community gathering spot for decades. Fair’s mom practically raised the neighborhood’s children there. And the door was always open.
“It was always referred to as the family house,” a neighbor said. “But the unique thing about the house is it’s not just one family’s house.”
Read this feel-good story to learn why everyone loves Fair and take a look at the renovations he wishes his mom were still here to see.
Hold on to the warm feelings you got from that last story, because this next one is the opposite of a feel-good story.
My colleagues investigated a New Jersey real estate family that became one of the country’s largest affordable housing providers. Turns out the Puretz family has made lots of money by stripping equity from low-income housing complexes and letting the properties deteriorate.
One of those properties is Brith Sholom, an 11-story senior housing tower in West Philly, where residents have had it rough for years.
The owners have:
racked up 275 code violations
siphoned off $1 million in residents’ utility payments
enabled an influx of squatters who have terrorized tenants
defaulted on a $36 million mortgage
The Puretz family has properties across Pennsylvania and at least 20 other states. Puretz tenants have had their utilities shut off, and because of safety hazards, local and federal authorities shut down a dozen properties, which displaced tenants.
Poor U.S. cities have spent millions relocating residents and preventing mass utility shutoffs at Puretz family properties. The family’s tactics mirror those of other predatory investors who try to squeeze money out of aging low-income housing stock.
Keep reading for a look at the Puretz family’s pattern of behavior, which includes falsifying records, hiding behind a web of corporate entities, and buying properties through off-the-books deals.
The latest news to pay attention to
Take a look at a nearly $11 million newly constructed house for sale in Avalon that has a heated saltwater pool, several decks, and more.
Residents say that windows have been falling from these Center City high-rise apartments for three years.
The Philadelphia Historical Commission has created a historic district in a West Philly neighborhood decades after residents first asked for one.
The Jersey Shore rental market is seeing cancellations, dropped prices, and vacant weeks. What’s going on?
Par Funding’s Philly properties were sold to pay Ponzi scheme victims — but for less than they cost.
There’s not a single house on the shoreline of Pennsylvania’s largest lake, but there’s a ton of houseboats.
House of the week: For $640,000 in West Torresdale, a four-bedroom Colonial with a carriage house and finished walk-out basement.
Growing up, my best friend and I used to walk along the Delaware River in Burlington City and admire the beautiful old houses on the waterfront. We each had a different favorite and imagined ourselves living in them.
Derrick Owings and his wife, Nancy Collier, did the same thing together for years when they lived in a contemporary townhouse in the city. Except they actually bought the brick twin near the water that they’d been eyeing.
They had met one of the home’s owners and asked him to let them know when he was ready to sell. Their patience paid off in 2019.
The three-story house built in 1810 had been modernized. But that didn’t mean the retired teachers didn’t have lots of renovations in mind, including in the kitchen and bathroom.
Take a peek into the homeowners’ property, where they created outdoor living and dining rooms and a carefully cultivated garden.
🧠 Trivia time
The Sixers pulled out all the stops to successfully recruit Paul George, the biggest free agent available. Those efforts included a recruitment video that featured celebrities talking up Philly.
Question: Which celebrity specifically called out Philly’s lower housing costs compared to those in Los Angeles?
A) Kevin Hart
B) Meek Mill
C) Saquon Barkley
D) Lil Dicky
This story has the answer.
📷 Photo quiz
Do you know the location this photo shows?
📮 If you think you do, email me back. You and your memories of visiting this spot might be featured in the newsletter.
Last week’s photo showed workers on the side of the Beaumont condo building at 110 S. Front St., with the eagle on top of the Chief Tamanend statue looking on. I stumped you all with that one.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
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