On the market: A three-bedroom contemporary home in Northern Liberties for $599,000
The recently constructed house has four years left on Philadelphia's property tax abatement.
It might seem unusual at first blush for an architect to buy a new construction house when the only thing he gets to pick is the color of the cabinets.
But in the case of Chris Mao, choosing a new home for himself and his wife, fellow architect Christie Kong, “I trusted the designer.”
The designer, after all, was Brian Phillips, a well-known figure in the field and lecturer at the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, where Mao came to study 13 years ago after leaving his native Shanghai.
That was in 2015, and Mao and Kong moved in November to the Bay Area for Mao to pursue a career opportunity.
He had found the Philadelphia three-bedroom, three-bath home a combination of roominess and practicality, down to the two separate home offices for him and his wife and the basement home gym, both particularly useful during the pandemic.
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Mao also cited 16-foot ceilings on the third floor — he admits this made changing lightbulbs a challenge — and oversized windows throughout.
The first floor has an open concept living room, dining room, and kitchen.
The second floor has two ample bedrooms with large closets and a shared full bathroom.
The third floor has the primary bedroom with an en suite bathroom and wet bar, exiting to the rooftop deck.
The finished basement also has a full bath and under-stair storage.
The house is also convenient to groceries, restaurants and public transportation to Center City
Total square footage is 2,475, and there is a dedicated parking space in the rear. There are more than four years remaining on the tax abatement.
The house is listed by Trey Dodge of Redfin Corp. for $599,000.