Law comes for notorious Philly landlord | Real Estate Newsletter

Philip C. Pulley is one of Philly’s most notorious landlords.

There’s the slew of unpaid utility and tax bills. And the mountains of building code violations. And wide-ranging complaints from tenants, former employees, and contractors. And allegations that his property management company fined tenants for complaining. And the partial collapse of an apartment building.

This summer, the law finally caught up with him — for something else.

Keep scrolling for that story and the rest of this week’s edition:

📮Today’s newsletter features a notorious landlord. But have you ever had a landlord who went above and beyond for you? For a chance to be featured in my newsletter, email me.

— Michaelle Bond

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Philip C. Pulley has cut corners and ignored rules for years as a Philly landlord. Now, the Montgomery County man has been charged with double voting in a rare example of documented election fraud.

Those charges pushed Pulley into the spotlight, but an Inquirer investigation into his business operation found years of questionable behavior.

Last summer, I wrote about a lawsuit filed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office against Pulley’s main property management company, SBG Management. The suit said the landlord fined tenants $5,000 for complaining about living conditions.

That story was one of the most-read stories that I featured in last year’s newsletter.

Keep reading to learn what else The Inquirer investigation found and what Pulley and his lawyer have to say.

The Delaware River waterfront could be getting another 441 homes in the Fishtown area.

The developers behind the North Bank project of 475 townhouses between The Battery and Graffiti Pier are planning to expand.

This new project would have a bunch of rentals and retail space and fewer townhouses for sale.

The latest plan calls for 307 apartments, up from 86. And there would be 134 townhouses, down from 184.

The developers said they changed their plans to try to take “full advantage of the potential of this site.” And neighborhood groups and community activists are supporting the expansion’s new design.

Keep reading to see how the proposed project would look and how it would connect the public with the waterfront.

Measuring home supply is one of the ways we determine the health of the housing market and who has the upper hand — buyers or sellers.

For a while now, the clear winner has been sellers, thanks to a shortage of homes being listed and built, pretty strong demand, and high prices.

But since sellers are usually also buyers, the conditions that have been challenging buyers also affect sellers. And those challenges have been keeping homeowners from listing their properties.

Take the jump in mortgage interest rates over the last few years. Across the country, six out of seven people who have a mortgage have interest rates below 6%, according to Redfin. But average rates haven’t dipped below 6% since September 2022. So instead of selling homes and trading in low rates for higher ones, homeowners have been holding onto their properties.

But the supply of homes listed for sale has been creeping up. At the end of July, the Philly metro area had just over two months’ worth of housing supply. That’s not much, but it was the highest level of supply since late 2020.

Keep reading for some more context and charts that lay out the housing supply picture in our region and what buyers and sellers should know.

The yard of the Victorian twin home in Chestnut Hill was grass with messy shrubs and poison ivy when Beth and Marshall Green moved there in 2015. That’s all gone now, replaced with pavers, river stones, and plants. Lots of plants.

Beth said that in retirement, she found a “new passion” for gardening. And she has more space to work with than the little garden she had at their home in Washington.

The Greens’ go-to plant store advertises 400 varieties of hostas. Beth estimates she has more than 20 varieties growing in her garden. The space also includes two water features that Marshall created, colorful flowers, and many lawn ornaments.

The couple recently added a greenhouse onto the second-floor porch of the six-bedroom, 2½-bath Victorian.

Take a peek at the property and see what makes the Greens’ garden special.

As we get closer to the unofficial end of summer, my colleagues looked into the growing trend of concierge businesses that cater to folks at the Jersey Shore. These companies make beds, stock fridges, plan private-chef dinners, recommend rental homes, and more.

Question: How much do customers spend on average for a picnic by Picnics & Prosecco?

A) $300

B) $500

C) $800

D) $1,000

This story has the answer.

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.

Shout out to Lexy M. and Gerrit B. for knowing that last week’s photo was of the Swann Memorial Fountain inside Logan Circle.

Enjoy the rest of your week and Labor Day weekend.

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