By Shannon McDonald

Police are investigating a shooting that took place in Castor Gardens yesterday afternoon. A 24-year-old male was shot several times in the back on the 6400-block of Large Street around 3:15 p.m. Monday. He was taken to Einstein Medical Center, and is in critical condition. No further details have been released.

Incumbent Alan Butkovitz, far left at NEastPhilly and WHYY's debate, won the Democratic primary for city controller

By Shannon McDonald

Alan Butkovitz, incumbent Democratic candidate for city controller, won yesterday’s primary race, in which he ran against Brett Mandel and John Braxton.

Butkovitz faced off against his opponents in three debates, one co-hosted by NEastPhilly.com and WHYY. The Castor Gardens resident will go up against lone Republican candidate Al Schmidt in the November general election.

City Controller Alan Butkovitz at the Real Estate Taxation Conference held on Feb. 23, 2007 at Temple University. Photo Courtesy of Philadelphia Forward.

By Christopher Wink

This Thursday, NEastPhilly.com is co-hosting with WHYY a panel discussion among the three Democratic candidates for city controller — incumbent Alan Butkovitz and challengers John Braxton and Brett Mandel. Butkovitz and Mandel both have ties to the NEast, so we sat down with each. See the first with Butkovitz today and our interview with Mandel tomorrow.

Alan Butkovitz is likely among the best-known city controllers in the position’s half-century Philadelphia history. That might not be saying much for the usually quiet head of the city’s auditing department, a position created in 1951, but Butkovitz  has taken to action.

When he’s not overseeing the city’s finances, the first-term city controller hangs his hat in Castor Gardens. Indeed, like one of his chief challengers in May’s Democratic primary, Brett Mandel, Butkovitz has deep ties to the Northeast. With two candidates for a citywide office holding ties to the Northeast, that makes it a story for NEastPhilly.com.

NEast Mag interviewed both Butkovitz and his opponent Mandel and will share their interviews here on NEastPhilly.com.  The incumbent is first, as seen below. See our Q&A with Mandel tomorrow.

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By Christopher Wink

Many of the Northeast communities we recognize today were formulated fairly recently for a city of great age.

Between the end of World War II and the 1970s, the growth of a new, modern architectural style occurred lock and step with the same growth of the Northeast.

And we’re finally getting our due.

Betsy Manning, a Northwood resident and photographer for Temple University’s communications department, has made it a mission of hers to document that style throughout Philadelphia, and much of it is in our Northeast, as Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron wrote on Friday.

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Courtesy of votemcelhatton.com

By Shannon McDonald

Dan McElhatton’s public office resume is almost as extensive as his ties to the Northeast. The 59-year-old candidate for District Attorney is a City Council alum, graduate of North Catholic, former Assistant District Attorney and Northwood little league coach.He spent two years working at Solly Playground, then represented that district 20 years later as a council member.

In an exclusive interview with NEastPhilly.com, Dan McElhatton talks about his connections with the Northeast and his plans for the next District Attorney.

There aren’t many candidates from the Northeast running for public office. Where abouts are you from?
I was raised in Juniata and moved to Northwood. I went to Holy Innocents as a kid, then onto North Catholic, as did my three brothers, my father and my son. Then I went to Villanova and Temple Law.

How did you spend your time growing up?
My brothers and I were active in the Juniata Park Boys Club. I played varsity baseball and jv basketball at North, then played American Legion baseball in college. I also worked at Solly Playground in Rhawnhurst for two years during the early ’70s.

When did you make the move from Juniata to Northwood?
I got married in 1971, lived in Juniata for three or four years, then moved to Northwood in 1975. My kids went to St. Martin of Tours, where my wife taught. My wife is from Holmesburg; she went to St. Dom’s and St. Hubert’s. My wife’s family still lives in same house on Rowland Avenue.

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By Stacey McCarthy

Q: Is the market getting better or worse in Northeast Philadelphia? My home has been on the market for several months in a great location in Somerton, and I haven’t even had one person express interest. It’s a really nice house, so why isn’t it selling?

A: It’s no secret it’s a buyers’ market in Northeast Philadelphia. It will pick up in the spring because it is historically a good time of year for the housing market in the area. But that’s no guarantee your home will get sold soon.

While the Northeast is faring much better in overall sales compared to Philadelphia on the whole, there is still currently a 11-month supply of homes on the market in Northeast Philly, up from the beginning of the year. A six months’ supply is considered a balanced market. More than six months is considered a buyers’ market.

This means if absolutely no more homes come on the market, we would expect to take another 11 months to sell all the homes currently for sale. But you know there will be more people selling. Until consumer confidence picks up, it’s a buyers’ market. If your home hasn’t sold, there are three things you should evaluate.

It’s really not about location, location, location in this market; it’s location, condition and price. You might be in the very best location in the Somerton, but if your home is outdated or your price is too high, your house will not sell - it will sit. You don’t control the market; the buyers do. If you don’t price aggressively in this market, expect to sit.

If your home is in a good location and in good condition, then I would take a long, hard look at my asking price if I were you. Ask your agent for a list of recently sold comparables in your neighborhood to see how you measure up. If your ultimate goal is to move soon, then price your home competitively in front of the market.

Good Luck!

NOTE: Last week’s questioner from Castor Gardens was able to finally get the default buyer to agree to split the deposit and his broker will be releasing the deposit from escrow.

Stacey McCarthy is a real estate agent with the McCarty Group of Keller Williams Real Esate. Her Real NEastate column will appear on NEastPhilly.com every Wednesday.

By Stacey McCarthy

Q: I tried to sell my home in Castor Gardens two years ago, but the buyers backed out at the last minute with no good reason. My realtor said my real estate broker has the buyers’ deposit in escrow, but the broker can’t give me the money until the buyers sign a “release.” The buyers’ real estate agent says they are still refusing to sign it. Don’t I deserve that money since they are the ones who violated the contract by backing out? When can I expect to see that money?

A: Ultimately it doesn’t matter who the real estate broker thinks is right, he or she is legally unable to make that determination. It may even stipulate in the contract to whom the deposit money should go to in this situation, and it probably does, but if the buyer is refusing to sign a release, it’s up to a judge to decide. The amount of the deposit might not be worth pursuing in a court of law. Your first step should be to consult with a lawyer.

The buyers may very well have violated the contract, and you may very well deserve to receive the money, however, your real estate broker is legally obligated to hold all deposits in an escrow account unitl or unless signed off on by the parties to the failed transaction or ordered by a court.

An alternative to going to court is to get the buyers to sign the release. If they aren’t going to sign off on surrendering the entire deposit, maybe you can make a deal with the buyers to split the money. It might be in their best interest to get at least half of their money back, and you will still get something for all your trouble without going to court. Have your realtor prepare a release dividing the deposit money and present it to the buyers’ real estate agent. If the parties don’t agree, or until you (or the buyers) pursue legal action, the deposit money will sit in the real estate broker’s escrow account in perpetuity.

Stacey McCarthy is a real estate agent with the McCarty Group of Keller Williams Real Esate. Her Real NEastate column will appear on NEastPhilly.com every Wednesday.

Democratic City Controller candiate Brett Mandel at last week's budget workshop at St. Dom's in Holmesburg.

By Christopher Wink

It’s certainly early for any buzz for a city controller’s race, but, well, it’s what we have, and considering two of the leading candidates have Northeast ties, it seems this becomes a NEast story.

But now there’s a third. Former Court of Common Pleas Judge John L. Braxton, who lives in Northern Liberties, says he will be competing in the May Democratic primary for the controller office, which is charged with auditing and otherwise overseeing city government spending.

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City Controller Alan Butkovitz at the Real Estate Taxation Conference held on Feb. 23, 2007 at Temple University. Photo Courtesy of Philadelphia Forward.

By Christopher Wink

No one knows from which neighborhood, but it does seem next year Philadelphia’s city controller will almost certainly be from the Northeast.

Since 2005, Alan Butkovitz has been charged with overseeing the fiscal sanctity of city government. Butkovitz, who grew up in Overbrook and went to Temple, now lives in the Northeast with his wife and two children in Castor Gardens – what neighborhood hasn’t yet been confirmed.

What’s notable is Butkovitz’s primary challenger in May’s Democratic primary for the controller position is Brett Mandel, executive director of tax policy think tank Philadelphia Forward and, it turns out, a Northeast native himself.

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By Stacey McCarthy

Q:  There is a home for sale on my block in Castor Gardens that says it’s a “short sale,” and my son would like to buy it. Does that mean it will be a fast settlement, and can my son offer less than the owner is asking?

A:  Selling a home through a “short sale” means that the homeowner owes more on his mortgage loan than the price he is realistically able to sell it today. Either the homeowner is behind on his mortgage payments or is facing a hardship and is trying to avoid foreclosure by selling the home. A successful sale of this property would be “shorting” the mortgage lender what is owed on the mortgage. Despite the name “short sale,” it is normally not a short process.
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