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How’s the Philadelphia Real Estate Market Doing Today?

by Eman HamedJul 23, 2018December 11, 2023

It’s mostly sunny in the Philadelphia real estate market 2018!

Over the past few years, Philly has remained a fairly consistent housing market and, today, the city continues to be a good choice for anyone thinking of buying a rental property. If you’re a real estate investor, keep reading as we provide you with insights regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the Philadelphia real estate market. We further propose 6 top neighborhoods in Philly for buying an investment property at the moment. But, first, here’s a short summary of statistics regarding the Philadelphia real estate market.

These figures are computed using Mashvisor’s investment property calculator – a tool that provides readily calculated projections regarding investment properties in almost every city in the United States. If you wish to analyze other cities in the U.S housing market and find the best investment properties in terms of the above metrics, click here!

The Philadelphia Real Estate Market: What You Need to Know

#1 The City’s Economy

To begin with, Philadelphia’s economy is growing (slowly, but steadily). The city is one of the largest metropolitan areas with a substantial growth in the economy driven by the growing job market. This slow but steady growth makes it particularly attractive to a real estate investor, as it presents fewer risks than a more dynamic market.

According to a number of reports, Philly saw one of the greatest year-to-year job growth rates, with focus on Information Technology, services, and higher education. On top of that, Philadelphia real estate has witnessed a major housing inventory and construction boom! By the end of this quarter of 2018, real estate developers are expected to deliver over 8.7 million square feet of construction.

Housing inventory is especially increasing in multi-family homes and residential apartments. Fortunately for a Philadelphia real estate investor, home values and rents have been rising but only steadily, which is keeping occupancy rates high. So, if you’re looking to buy a multi-family investment property, Philadelphia real estate seems to be a stable buyer’s market that offers great investment opportunities of all types. When it comes to single-family investment properties, on the other hand, it’s a seller’s market as the housing inventory for this type of real estate is not keeping up with demand.

#2 The Job Market

We’ve already mentioned that the city’s economic growth is mainly driven by the job growth in sectors like IT and services. Last year, the job growth rate in Philly was, in fact, faster than that of the national average. For property investors, a growing job market is a good sign to buy investment properties, which is another reason to invest in Philadelphia real estate. The addition of jobs indicates rising demand, especially for commercial investment properties.

It should be mentioned that despite the growing job market, Philadelphia still has a high unemployment rate of 5.8% (higher than the national average of 3.8%). However, this is lower than the unemployment rate of 6.3% the city faced at the beginning of the year. Therefore, we can say that things are definitely improving in Philly. In addition, due to the fact that Philadelphia real estate investments are affordable compared to other large metropolitan cities, it’s likely to see some real estate appreciation in the medium and long term as the city keeps improving!

Click here to start looking for and analyzing the best Philadelphia real estate investment properties.

#3 The City’s Population

Let’s remind everyone that Philly is the fifth most populous city in the US. With the stable economy and job growth, it’s no surprise that the city has also witnessed a strong population growth. Consequently, this has caused more demand for housing, further making the Philadelphia real estate market one of the best places to invest in!

If you’re planning on buying a rental property, one of the things you should take into account is your target tenants. In Philadelphia, property investors should aim for millennials as this is the group that’s moving to the city and increasing its population! As a matter of fact, Philadelphia ranked 6^th among the best cities for millennials in 2017. The growing job market, home affordability, improved amenities, and vibrate downtown scene all contribute to why millennials choose to move to Philly.

Moreover, the majority of millennials continue to rent (rather than buy) their homes. For a Philadelphia real estate investor, this is another strong factor to consider multi-family investment properties. This is also good news if you’re a millennial thinking of starting a real estate investing career in an environment surrounded by other millennials!

#4 Airbnb Philadelphia

If your optimal rental strategy is short-term rentals, then you’ll be happy to know that the Philadelphia real estate market 2018 is Airbnb-friendly. While other cities continue to force strict regulations on Airbnb hosts, the Philadelphia City Council legalized Airbnb rentals in 2015, making the Philadelphia real estate market even more attractive for property investors.

Want to find the best Airbnb investment properties in Philly? Then use Mashvisor. Click here to use our Property Finder and find properties in a matter of minutes!

Today, Airbnb Philadelphia is growing so fast. However, some restrictions still exist. For example, Airbnb is prohibited in residential neighborhoods, is limited to under 180 days per year, and a city license is required if hosts are renting out for more than 30 days. Nonetheless, these restrictions are still much fewer compared to other major metropolitan cities in the U.S housing market.

To get a better understanding of Airbnb Philadelphia and determine whether or not to invest in Airbnb rentals in the city, we recommend that you further look into the Airbnb laws and regulations in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Real Estate Market: Top Neighborhoods

We all know the importance of location in real estate investing. Thus, to invest in the most profitable investment properties in Philly, consider looking into these neighborhoods:

Dickinson Narrows

Median Property Price: $393,314
Traditional Rental Income: $1,922
Airbnb Rental Income: $2,638
Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 2.3%
Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 3.16%
Traditional Cap Rate: 2.3%
Airbnb Cap Rate: 3.16%
Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 68.64%

East Passyunk

Median Property Price: $348,178
Traditional Rental Income: $1,632
Airbnb Rental Income: $2,442
Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 2.01%
Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 3.2%
Traditional Cap Rate: 2.01%
Airbnb Cap Rate: 3.2%
Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 62.73%

Powelton

Median Property Price: $391,633
Traditional Rental Income: $1,918
Airbnb Rental Income: $2,598
Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 1.96%
Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 3.04%
Traditional Cap Rate: 1.96%
Airbnb Cap Rate: 3.04%
Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 62.36%

Graduate Hospital

Median Property Price: $446,202
Traditional Rental Income: $1,779
Airbnb Rental Income: $2,281
Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 1.56%
Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 2.22%
Traditional Cap Rate: 1.56%
Airbnb Cap Rate: 2.22%
Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 64.05%

Hawthorne

Median Property Price: $536,780
Traditional Rental Income: $2,000
Airbnb Rental Income: $2,498
Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 1.17%
Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 1.67%
Traditional Cap Rate: 1.17%
Airbnb Cap Rate: 1.67%
Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 62.78%

West Poplar

Median Property Price: $427,633
Traditional Rental Income: $1,669
Airbnb Rental Income: $2,153
Traditional Cash on Cash Return: 1.22%
Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 1.61%
Traditional Cap Rate: 1.22%
Airbnb Cap Rate: 1.61%
Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 58.24%

With our investment property calculator, you can get this kind of data for any housing market right now. Click here to start your 14-day free trial with Mashvisor and subscribe to our services with a 20% discount after.

To sum up, the stable economy, growing job market, population growth, and increasing popularity of Airbnb contribute to making Philadelphia real estate one of the best in the U.S housing market. Investing in The City of Brotherly Love is an excellent investment decision for a real estate investor in 2018. To learn more about real estate investing in any other city in the U.S, sign up to Mashvisor and make use of our tools to start analyzing!

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