ChatGPT said to move to Ardmore | Real Estate Newsletter
And a high-rise on the Schuylkill.
All my apartment searches have gone roughly the same way.
I pull up rental listing websites and play around with the filters, starting with where I want to be, how much I’m willing to pay, and how many bedrooms I want.
I scroll through tons of listings. Once I find apartments that are available when I want them and seem promising, I move over to their websites for deeper dives into the properties. Then I figure out which ones I want to tour.
But as AI chatbots have gotten more popular, some renters are going to sites like ChatGPT as their first step.
One woman told me the chatbot helped persuade her to move to Ardmore from Mexico.
Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:
Schuylkill views: Philadelphia’s largest apartment owner wants to build a high-rise on Walnut Street along the river.
Higher tax bills: Thousands of Philly homeowners are facing property tax increases of 50% or more after this year’s reassessment.
Restricting rentals: Kennett Square is restricting Airbnbs and other short-term rentals in an effort to reserve homes for residents.
A long time coming: Peek inside a Havertown couple’s unplugged Ocean City beach cottage.
— Michaelle Bond
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JoAnne Kim is a regular user of AI chatbots. So when the Jersey native decided to move from her home in Mexico to the Philadelphia area, her first step was to open ChatGPT.
She told the chatbot what she and her husband were looking for, and it suggested they consider Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and Chestnut Hill. Once they settled on Ardmore, Kim asked for a list of apartment buildings that fit their requirements.
This month, the couple moved into their new home.
National apartment search websites have developed their own AI chatbots. Philly is one of the cities where RentCafe is testing its AI assistant, Ren. And Apartments.com launched its tool this summer.
A leasing agent at a local property management company changed its website to give its properties a boost in generative AI searches.
Keep reading to learn how chatbots are changing apartment searching and what stays the same.
📮What do you think about using AI tools to find a home? Let me know.
A new high-rise apartment building could be coming to the current site of a popular Phillies mural.
Philadelphia’s largest apartment owner, PMC Property Group, wants to build a 31-story tower at 24th and Walnut Streets.
The former industrial building that’s there now is best known for its mural celebrating the Phillies, created in 2015 by artist David McShane. Walnut Bridge Parking & Storage calls it home now.
PMC’s new building would include 372 apartments and overlook the Schuylkill.
The company’s development activity is unusual given the recent development slowdown in Philly.
Keep reading to learn more about this latest project and why it’s not a done deal.
The latest news to pay attention to
Thousands of Philly homeowners are facing property tax increases of 50% or more after this year’s reassessment.
Kennett Square is restricting Airbnbs and other short-term rentals in an effort to reserve homes for residents.
A New York developer plans to build 129 affordable apartments near Temple University.
Comcast is rolling out a new AI home-security system for internet users.
The site of a popular Walnut Street beer garden will become a two-story retail building, not an apartment tower.
Plans for a Cheltenham development with a controversial pool complex now show more houses than first proposed.
PhilaPort wants to buy Navy Yard buildings for $22.5 million and relocate its headquarters.
House of the week: For $699,000 in Bryn Mawr, a four-bedroom century-old stone house.
Luxe listing: For $9 million in Chester County, a 27-acre compound with two homes, two pools, and a two-story barn.
In 2015, Steve and Regina Pannepacker got a call they’d been waiting for since the ’80s.
A real estate agent in Ocean City said there was a converted detached garage the couple could turn into their dream beach cottage.
It had been so long since Steve asked to be kept in mind for properties that the agent said he found the couple’s contact info in his old-school Rolodex.
When the Pannepackers bought the former garage, it already had a two-bedroom property on top. The couple turned the garage space into three rooms: guest room, storage area, and work space.
The Pannepackers have filled the home with treasures — but no TVs. There’s no Wi-Fi either.
The cottage is a Shore retreat for the family. Take a peek inside.
📷 Photo quiz
Which bridge is this?
📮 If you think you know, email me.
Shout-out to Lars W. for knowing that last week’s quiz featured a photo of a shell sculpture at the entrance of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
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