On the market: Eight-bedroom twin near the Penn campus for $725,000

The eight-bedroom, 2½-bath brick twin seemed like a lot of space for a single man, but the asking price was too tempting for Tony Newsome to refuse.

So he gulped, signed the contract, and now, 25 years later with a move to Florida in the cards, he’s glad he did.

“I took a chance, and it panned out for me,” says the retired Philadelphia Police Department captain.

When he married 10 years ago, his wife, who managed a local bar, joined him in the house, but most of the square footage has been occupied by tenants, most of them University of Pennsylvania students and usually long term. One woman stayed for about 20 years.

“At first I was a little worried about keeping out the riffraff,” he says, “but once I interviewed the students, I was relieved.”

The 3,200-square-foot house in the Spruce Hill neighborhood is about a mile from the campus, and the Route 42 bus stops on the block.

The house has hardwood floors, two fireplaces, a large kitchen complete with built-in wood cabinets with stained glass, and a breakfast nook with tiled countertops.

The second floor has three large bedrooms and a full bath, and the third floor has four bedrooms and a full bath.

The fourth floor has a large TV room and an eighth bedroom currently used as a gym.

The backyard features a concrete patio, a gazebo, two sheds, and access to a two-car garage. On the front, a covered porch faces the street.

Downstairs, the finished basement has a TV room complete with a bar — perfect for entertaining — plus a laundry room and small storage rooms.

The house is across the street from tennis courts and around the corner from a swim club.

The property is listed by Michael Severns of Redfin for $725,000.