Q: I sold my house in Castor Gardens and I’m moving to North Carolina for a job, but I will still be working here until January. I can’t afford to be saddled down with a year lease here and I have too much stuff to move into an apartment. Can I rent a house for five or six months? I have to be out of my home by the end of the month.

A: If it wasn’t such a good rental market it might be easier to find a short-term lease agreement for a house. Home rentals are in high demand right now and there are few available in the area. You might have to do some searching to find someone who will accept less-than-a-year lease but it’s not totally impossible. You should check with your realtor, newspaper listings or Craigslist for rentals and ask around. continue reading »

It’s rare a mainstream news outlet can find Castor Gardens. Summerdale, Oxford Circle and Lawncrest often get the Castor Gardens label. Or simply, ‘Castor,’ whatever that’s supposed to mean.

When a body was found inside a car on the 800-block of Unruh Avenue, Philadelphia’s mainstream media rushed to report on it. Most came out without embarrassment. continue reading »

Joann Corte Grossi

Pennsylvania has more people with pre-existing conditions signed up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

That’s good news for Pennsylvania, but how does it affect you?

Joanne Corte Grossi explained it Monday night at the monthly Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting in Castor Gardens. In her alotted 10 minutes, she ran down eight impact items she wants Pennsylvanians to be aware of about how the federal health care reform will affect the Commonwealth. continue reading »

Members of Take Back Your Neighborhood plan for next weekend's Northeast Celebration.

Jared Solomon wants to make one thing clear: “this is not a water-ice-and-dash” event.

Solomon and the Castor Gardens-based Take Bake Your Neighborhood have been working for the last few months to put together a “Northeast Celebration” to expand their group’s membership and the Northeasts’ residents knowledge of their home. continue reading »

Residents on three blocks in two neighborhoods had to file reports with 2nd District Police when the tires of more than a dozen vehicles were slashed.

Police believe the slashings took place sometime between midnight and 7:30 a.m. Thursday, when the blocks in Castor Gardens and Lawndale were mostly quiet. continue reading »

Thursday – Two teenagers were shot late Thursday night in a Castor Gardens incident at Unruh Avenue and Kindred Street. The shooting left 18-year-old Tyree Branch of the 6500-block of Horrocks Street dead from a wound to his back. The other teenager, 17, was treated at Jeanes Hospital for a wound in the arm. continue reading »

Q: I own a beautiful single home in Castor Gardens that’s for sale in the low $200,000′s. I’ve been listed for several months and have had two price reductions. I got one offer that was downright insulting so I turned it down, of course. My home is perfect and worth more but am I priced too high for the neighborhood?

A: Location, location, location. Yes, we’ve all heard the first three rules of value in real estate and we need to take that into consideration every time we price every home. There are fewer single homes, compared to the sea of twins and row homes, but it is typically a little harder to sell a single home in Northeast Philadelphia, depending on the location. continue reading »

Here’s a summary of the week’s Northeast news we didn’t cover. See others here.

Tacony is getting a new park. Work will start in the summer or fall on Lardner’s Point Park adjacent to the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. As PlanPhilly reports, the fishing pier will be updated and tables, benches, restrooms, solar lighting and more will be added to the 4.5-acre space. continue reading »

Photo by Anna Berezowska

Reader Anna Berezowska sent us this photo last night 6 p.m. The Philadelphia Water Department was hard at work on the 6600-block of Lynford Street in Castor Gardens.

Q: I am buying a home in Castor Gardens that has a flat roof. My home inspection took place this weekend and my home inspector said because of the snow he could not give me any input on the roof. I have two days left to decide if I even want the house or want the seller to make repairs. And they are calling for more snow! What should I do?

A: Undoubtedly, Philadelphia row homes with flat roofs can collect as many inches of snow on their roof as the ground does during snow storms. Sellers and home inspectors can’t be expected to shovel the roof before an inspection elected by a homebuyer. But I don’t recommend a homebuyer up there shoveling either.

continue reading »