Three best friends bought this house | Real Estate Newsletter
And a hot 2026 housing market.
Through the years, friends and family members have floated the idea of a group of us buying houses next to each other or in some kind of compound. It’s a nice dream, although it probably won’t become a reality.
But three childhood friends have taken this dream a step further. The besties bought a communal house together in West Mount Airy.
My colleague Zoe Greenberg talked to the friends (one of whom has a husband and kids) about how their living arrangement works for them.
Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:
Hot hot hot: Learn why Zillow says the Philly region will be one of the hottest housing markets of 2026.
Promotion incoming: Find out how much the luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers plans to pay its new CEO.
From dated to modern: Peek inside this Montgomery County house that a homeowner needed convincing to love.
Market update: Scroll for some takeaways about 2025’s housing market.
— Michaelle Bond
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Rachel Luban, Rachel Neuschatz, and Lizzy Seitel had always talked about living together. They ignored the haters who said it wouldn’t work.
The Rachels met when they were 5 and 6, and then Seitel became an honorary “Rachel” after they all met in middle school.
The friends lived apart as young adults, but when they were ready to settle down, they decided to do it together.
A few years ago, they and Seitel’s husband bought a 4,470-square-foot old stone house in West Mount Airy. Seitel was pregnant with her first child at the time.
One of the Rachels said, “A lot of people, including lawyers, told us not to do this.”
Here’s why they did it anyway and how they make it work.
📮Would you want to live with friends like this? Share your thoughts.
The latest news to pay attention to
Zillow says the Philly region will be one of the 10 hottest housing markets of 2026.
Toll Brothers just named a new CEO. Here’s how much money he’ll make.
A breakup and a quest for a big backyard led this South Philly homeowner to purchase in Port Richmond.
Near the Exton Mall, an empty office building is getting new life as “hotel-apartments.”
Radnor wants to use eminent domain to take 14 acres of Valley Forge Military Academy.
Billionaire Jeff Yass is behind a plan to revitalize downtown Gladwyne.
Ocean City’s planning board has dealt another blow to the proposal to build a luxury hotel at the old Wonderland Pier site.
Developer Iron Stone has transferred two former Hahnemann University Hospital properties to new ownership.
House of the week: For $725,000 in Upper Roxborough, a six-bedroom stone house with many original features.
When Casey Lyons and her husband, James, bought their home in 2021, there was a lot to like.
The almost 5,000-square-foot house had oak floors, two fireplaces, and a beamed cathedral ceiling in the living room.
The basement included a sauna, gym, and full bathroom.
The home had a three-level deck with a hot tub and covered porch.
But Casey didn’t love the house. So she asked interior designers to help change that.
The homeowners got rid of dated features. They added a white marble island and new tiles and fixtures in the kitchen. They whitewashed the stone fireplace in the family room. They painted the deck so it blends better with the surrounding greenery.
Peek inside the property and find out what else they changed to make Casey love the house.
📊 The market
Across the Mid-Atlantic last year, people who wanted to buy homes couldn’t afford to, and that held back the housing market. The total number of homes sold in 2025 — more than 235,000 — was only 0.1% higher than the number sold in 2024, according to the multiple listing service Bright MLS.
Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS, said the market has “a lot of pent-up demand,” and buyers have more choices now because more homeowners are listing their properties for sale.
“But even with mortgage rates coming down, affordability is still a major challenge for many buyers, particularly first-time buyers,” Sturtevant said in a statement.
Still, our region had strong home sales last month. The number of closed sales was up 7.1% compared to last December.
In the Philadelphia metro area, according to Bright MLS:
🔺The number of closed home sales was up 1.3% in 2025 compared to 2024. Bucks and Chester Counties had the strongest sales increases — 7.7% and 5.3%, respectively.
🔺The number of new listings in 2025 was up 2% from the year before.
🔻But the number of homes for sale is still only about half — 54% — of the pre-pandemic number in 2019.
🔺The median sale price in 2025 was $390,000 — 4% higher than in 2024.
📷 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 quiz featured an image of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia located next to Washington Square on South Sixth Street.
Props to Evan N., Ann B., and Timothy S. for getting that right. Ann told me she wants her ashes to rest in the Reading Room. I’ve walked by this building countless times, but this is what makes me want to go inside.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
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