On the market: A renovated rowhouse on a quiet Fairmount block for $440,000
The owners rented nearby until a house on their favorite block came on the market.
Most people buy for the house.
But in this case, says Jake Cherry, he and his wife, Ashley, “really bought for the block.”
It’s a quiet, friendly block in Fairmount, with one-way traffic and houses on only one side of the street.
After Ashley finished veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania, the couple moved from University City and rented in Fairmount until the right house on the block opened up two years ago.
The two-bedroom, 1½ bath rowhouse needed some work, but Jake, a real estate investor who is handy, made numerous improvements, including fully renovated bathrooms, new carpeting and LED lighting throughout, and removing “ugly red tiles” and replacing them with white.
He also upgraded the outside steps and railing and got a new washing machine.
But now they are moving with their two children and Labrador to northern Montgomery County, where Ashley can work in emergency medicine and the kids can have more space.
“We wanted to try something different,” Jake says. “We move around a lot.”
He describes the Fairmount block as multigenerational, partly because unlike many rowhouse blocks, it has homes of different sizes.
His house has a finished basement, a walkout rear deck off the kitchen, and a rooftop deck with wide views. Jake says it’s the only house on the block with that feature, which offers privacy.
The bedrooms are on the upper floor.
Close-by attractions include Fairmount Park, the Art Museum, the Barnes, the Franklin Institute, and shopping and restaurants.
The house was built in 1923, and total square footage is 1,076.
The house is listed by Erik Lee of Redfin Corp. for $440,000.