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On the market: A contemporary home in Queen Village for $710,000

The first floor features "lots of space for kids to run around in.”

Just inside the front door is a wide open, bright, light space with room for a full dining table or other living space.
Just inside the front door is a wide open, bright, light space with room for a full dining table or other living space.Read morePowelton Digital Media Group

Home buyers generally don’t get to pick their neighbors, nor do they get to pick the seller.

But Shelley Otsuka and Jaime Rodriguez say they were fortunate in buying a three-bedroom, 2½-bath rowhouse in Queen Village that previously had been owned by an architect.

“It was unusual but our style: contemporary,” Otsuka said. “Lots of space on the first floor, lots of space for kids to run around in.”

Otsuka, a pharmacist, and Rodriguez, who works in renewable energy, bought the house in 2016, moving from Chinatown.

But now they’re moving to Rodriguez’s native Spain so their two small children can absorb the language and culture. They are not sure whether they will return to the United States.

Building on the architect’s base, the couple renovated the bathrooms and kitchen, installed triple-pane windows, and upgraded the electrical system.

The first floor’s open layout has plenty of space for a full dining table and a comfortable living room. The kitchen, on the lower level, is adjacent to a small den with a fireplace, half-bath and pantry, and a light well to connect to the upstairs.

The second floor has two large bedrooms with closets, a laundry and a spa-like bathroom with a tub and shower.

The top floor has the main suite with room for king-size bed, two nightstands, and an open area that’s being used as an office, along with a renovated bathroom with a large shower and double sinks.

The 1,812-square-foot house is in the Meredith catchment area. Mario Lanza Park is nearby, as well as many restaurants. It is within walking distance of Penn’s Landing, the Italian Market, and Center City.

It is listed by Pamela Rosser-Thistle of BHHS Fox & Roach At the Harper Rittenhouse Square for $710,000.