July 2013's Homes Sold in Lower Merion Township and Swiss Miss near Narberth Station

Narberth Swiss Miss: Location, Lot Size, Expandable, 2 Baths 

There's a bunch of these mini Swiss Farms-style doodads on Dudley Avenue in Narberth. At about 1,000 sq ft, with small bedrooms, a bath, and only a skip and a jump to the train, these are quintessential starter-homes that can be had in the low 300s. Some of these bungalots have a double-wide lots and the owners have kicked out (very welcome) additions.
This one at 302 Dudley has a wider lot than most and features a two-car garage in the backyard. The exterior, including kitchen and two full baths was recently upgraded throughout. Newest owners just paid $325,000 (net) in July, which was a very fair market price, but one with excellent chance of above average returns and enjoyment of ownership.

Lower Merion Home Transactions: Nearly 100 Settled in July 2013  (priced under one million)

Street Address	Town	Sold For	Beds	Baths	Sq Ft	Listed For
31 W Spring Ave	Ardmore	$96,299	4	1	1,434	$96,000
229 Marlboro Rd	Ardmore	$281,000	3	1.1	1,332	$315,000
33 Chatham Rd	Ardmore	$312,000	3	1	1,332	$320,000
136 Drexel Rd	Ardmore	$422,500	5	2	1,969	$450,000
505 E Spring Ave	Ardmore	$535,000	4	2.2	2,600	$525,000
79 Jefferson St	BalaCynwyd	$150,000	2	1	896	$159,000
130 Jefferson St	BalaCynwyd	$171,666	2	2.1	1,360	$183,000
132 Jefferson St	BalaCynwyd	$171,667	2	2.1	1,360	$183,000
134 Jefferson St	BalaCynwyd	$171,667	2	2.1	1,360	$183,000
310 Parsons Ave	BalaCynwyd	$208,000	4	1	1,836	$220,000
112 Rolling Rd	BalaCynwyd	$375,000	3	2	1,551	$375,000
309 Penbree Ter	BalaCynwyd	$415,000	4	2.1	2,295	$399,900
30 Aberdale Rd	BalaCynwyd	$440,000	5	3	2,830	$435,000
709 Oxford Rd	BalaCynwyd	$450,000	4	2.1	2,260	$420,000
725 Yale Rd	BalaCynwyd	$499,000	4	3	2,241	$494,900
100 Overhill Rd	BalaCynwyd	$560,000	4	3.2	2,897	$559,000
308 Clwyd Rd	BalaCynwyd	$570,000	4	2.1	2,952	$574,900
507 Cynwyd Cir	BalaCynwyd	$574,000	4	2.2	2,706	$569,000
11 Llanberris Rd	BalaCynwyd	$590,000	5	3.1	3,496	$615,000
370 Bala Ave	BalaCynwyd	$750,000	4	3.1	3,095	$775,000
321 Llandrillo Rd	BalaCynwyd	$810,000	6	3.1	3,394	$819,000
20 E Newfield Way	BalaCynwyd	$960,000	5	3.1	3,051	$1,025,000
752 E Railroad Ave	Bryn Mawr	$178,570	3	1	918	$179,900
901 County Line Rd	Bryn Mawr	$200,000	1	1	1,056	$195,000
721 Waverly Rd	Bryn Mawr	$555,000	4	3	2,456	$564,900
46 Franklin Ave	Bryn Mawr	$603,000	4	2.1	2,414	$599,000
804 Edwin Ln	Bryn Mawr	$730,000	5	3.1	3,556	$765,000
820 Pennstone Rd	Bryn Mawr	$877,500	4	3.1	3,101	$999,999
315 Thornbrook	Bryn Mawr	$987,500	10	6.1	9,100	$1,250,000
405 Berkley Rd	Haverford	$392,500	4	2	1,966	$405,000
519 Old Buck Ln	Haverford	$405,000	2	2	1,636	$410,000
346 Trevor Ln	BalaCynwyd	$555,000	4	2.1	2,412	$549,000
129 Winchester Rd	Merion	$280,000	3	1.1	1,330	$280,000
233 Upland Rd	Merion	$345,500	4	2.1	1,804	$369,900
209 Edgehill Rd	Merion	$363,000	4	3.1	1,969	$369,900
618 Schiller Ave	Merion	$434,000	3	2.1	1,728	$439,900
405 Maplewood Rd	Merion	$450,000	4	2	1,624	$439,000
533 Kenmore Rd	Merion	$507,000	4	2	1,918	$499,000
521 E Wynnewood	Merion	$510,000	5	3.1	3,102	$525,000
524 Baird Rd	Merion	$630,000	5	3.1	2,817	$650,000
127 Merbrook Ln	Merion	$640,000	6	3.1	2,983	$640,000
550 Lafayette Rd	Merion	$650,000	4	2.1	3,000	$665,000
420 Meadow Ln	Merion	$661,000	4	3.1	3,326	$672,500
1051 Lemar Cir	Merion	$662,500	4	3.1	3,475	$700,000
275 N Bowman A	Merion	$680,000	4	4.1	3,135	$679,000
226 Springhouse Ln	Merion	$740,000	4	2.2	2,768	$749,000
403 Country Ln	Narberth	$300,000	3	1.1	1,296	$319,000
124 Conway Ave	Narberth	$310,500	3	1	1,156	$315,000
302 Dudley Ave	Narberth	$335,000	3	2	1,056	$349,900
12 Sabine Ave	Narberth	$375,000	3	1.1	1,449	$399,000
1302 Montgomery	Narberth	$390,000	3	2.1	1,664	$369,000
29  Hansen Ct	Narberth	$397,500	4	3.1	2,479	$399,900
209 Elm Ter	Narberth	$470,000	5	1.1	1,786	$475,000
434 Anthwyn Rd	Narberth	$480,000	4	2.2	2,153	$499,000
505 Haverford Ave	Narberth	$485,000	4	2	2,256	$499,000
416 Haverford Ave	Narberth	$522,000	5	2.1	2,166	$525,000
503 N Wynnewood	Narberth	$530,000	3	2.1	2,262	$499,000
108-110 Grayling	Narberth	$720,000	6	3	2,865	$750,000
1239 HagysFord	Penn Valley	$435,000	4	3	1,849	$449,000
326 Hidden River	Penn Valley	$435,000	4	3	3,522	$439,000
1128 Greentree Ln	Penn Valley	$598,000	4	3.1	2,480	$609,000
401 Helen Cir	Penn Valley	$625,560	5	3.1	3,615	$669,000
519 Penn Valley Rd	Penn Valley	$900,000	5	5.2	5,137	$925,000
704 Hagys Ford Rd	Penn Valley	$938,000	4	3.1	3,139	$925,000
720 Panorama Rd	Villanova	$455,000	3	2	2,451	$449,000
1919 Firethorn Ln	Villanova	$631,000	5	2.1	3,600	$649,000
306 Clairemont Rd	Villanova	$670,000	5	3.1	3,197	$649,000
547 Oriole Ln	Villanova	$725,000	4	2.1	3,124	$859,000
2183 N Stoneridge	Villanova	$740,000	3	2.1	2,971	$789,000
769 Mustin Ln	Villanova	$766,000	4	3.1	4,031	$795,000
243 Trent Rd	Wynnewood	$220,000	3	1	1,206	$225,000
236 Crosshill Rd	Wynnewood	$276,000	3	1	1,341	$274,900
841 Delmont Dr	Wynnewood	$299,000	3	1.1	1,517	$299,000
138 Henley Rd	Wynnewood	$337,500	4	2.1	2,354	$325,000
1510 Powder Mill	Wynnewood	$355,000	3	2	1,562	$359,000
1401 Edgevale Rd	Wynnewood	$360,000	4	4.1	2,406	$359,000
1235 Knox Rd	Wynnewood	$365,000	3	2.1	2,324	$375,000
1408 Remington Rd	Wynnewood	$367,000	3	2.1	1,491	$385,000
101 Overbrook Pk	Wynnewood	$382,000	4	2.1	2,258	$399,000
509 Twin Oaks Dr	Wynnewood	$420,000	4	1.2	1,959	$425,000
1345 Overbrook Rd	Wynnewood	$465,000	3	2	2,060	$489,000
1318 Sussex Rd	Wynnewood	$469,500	3	2	2,488	$469,500
244 Hathaway Ln	Wynnewood	$537,500	5	3.1	2,964	$549,900
7 Wiltshire Rd	Wynnewood	$555,000	4	3.1	2,733	$575,000
406 Parkview Dr	Wynnewood	$560,000	4	2.1	2,129	$562,900
11 Greenhill Ln	Wynnewood	$617,000	4	3.1	2,537	$625,000
822 Primrose Ln	Wynnewood	$645,000	4	3.1	2,648	$669,000
431 Redleaf Rd	Wynnewood	$649,000	4	2.2	2,100	$649,000
1316 Medford Rd	Wynnewood	$689,000	6	3.1	3,444	$700,000
1233 Medford Rd	Wynnewood	$732,500	6	4.1	3,139	$769,000
542 Montgomery Sch.	Wynnewood	$760,000	4	3.1	3,323	$769,900
426 Parkview Dr	Wynnewood	$900,000	4	2.1	3,025	$924,000

For Photos and Details on Each Property Click Here or the headline above

Contact Ted to Discuss Home Values or with questions about Buying or Selling houses.

Ted@R5Realty.com  or 610.348.7972.   Prudential Fox & Roach, Haverford Station, Pa.

Narberth's July 4th Fireworks were Delayed but not Derailed by Missing Girl Drama

Narberth Fireworks celebrated both Indepdence and Reuniting

 With the sky darkened and the hour well past nine, our July 4th fireworks crew at Narberth Park eagerly anticipated the main event, and an to end of the time-killing patter and announcements from the stage..  

But then - without any fanfare, the good-natured, barely-audible emcee casually tucked in an announcement concerning a missing 10-year-old girl. The humdrum Amber Alert continued to be parsed into the pre-show banter at a volume level just a tad above discernible - at least for the many of us sitting in the prime-viewing section on the infield.

After nearly another five to ten minutes of laid-back, hard-to-decipher mentions of the missing girl, another voice emerged loud and clear, through the speakers. The crowd was crisply called to attention and the missing girl's identity, age, description and last-known whereabouts were decisively and unambiguously announced by a new authoritative voice that meant business.

This voice advised that the lost girl had been visiting from out-of-town and became separated from her family while milling in the throng through the streets surrounding Narberth Park's viewing area.. Given the family atmosphere and relative security of the environs, I think most locals - myself included - were concerned but confident of a swift and successful resolution.

But the drama persisted for some time. The crowd was repeatedly admonished to be silent and look around for the missing girl. The girl was urged and cajoled to make her presence known if she could hear the alarm. The pre-show revelry was completely usurped by an all-out Amber Alert and palpable tension as the minutes continued to tick by.

It became real evident that there would be and could be no joyful fireworks show, as long as the specter of a lost, wandering, potentially abducted girl was left without a happy resolve.

Narberth is a small borough with an idyllic facade, but July 4th Fireworks draw a huge crowd from neighboring towns and the city of Philadelphia, less than two miles away.

I'm sometimes unduly afraid - but when rational - I'm doubtful the worst has ocurred or will occur. Despite the constant internet-reports of child-related tragic events somewhere on the globe, mundanity has a huge statistical probabiltiy  over serial-style outcomes. 

Even so, practical cynicism was no match for the immediate anxiety I felt as the Amber-like Alert generated no found girl and was repeated several times. From the murmuring of fellow blanket-sitters, it was evident my concerns were shared by others.

If she's here, why doesn't somebody recognize her? Why doesn't she reach out to someone and say, "I'm the girl."  What if she got turned around, scared of the crowd, isolated and possibly controlled by one of the many strangers at this fairly chaotic, night-time public festivity?

Adding to the intensity, was the fact that this girl and her parents had just come from the same nearby backyard bbq that I attended with my son. She'd been horsing around with him and other kids just hours before. Hysterical over-reaction or not, me and many others had knots in our stomachs juggling our worst fears among the ice cream trucks and glow sticks.

I thought about the girl's parents and the anxiety and guilt they must be experiencing. I tried on the analytical cynicism and wondered what this scene would have been like some 40 years earlier when I was a boy. Would a child lost for 30-some minutes in 1973 have created so much intensity? Were things different back then and the world a safer more predictable place? Are we just hyper-aware of danger now and in need of a big chill pill?

After way too long, the announcement finally came from the stage that the little girl had been found. Everyone cheered! We couldn't see it for the crowd, but the emcee gave a play-by-play of the missing girl and her Daddy embracing in front of the stage... What a relief.

Moments later, in the few seconds between the National Anthem's conclusion and sucking thud of the first rocket's launch, an Amtrak train came speeding down the tracks overlooking the park and let loose a sublimely-timed and fervent whistle blast. I let out a loud whoop, threw my fist into the air, celebrating the happy outcome and chance to finally just lay back and enjoy the show.

2013 Narberth Fireworks on you Tube

July 2013's Home Transactions in Radnor and Haverford Townships (from 100k to 1million)

149 Hastings, Havertown: 3BR/Garage Available Now $259,900

About 100 homes officially sold/settled for under a million dollars in Haverford/Radnor Townships in July 2013. Demand has eased and attractive and well-priced values remain on the market, including this 3/bedroom, 1/bath ranch home on a rangy, rectangular corner lot in quiet, friendly Havertown enclave near St. Denis Church.  Upsides include hardwood floors, solidly maintained interior/exterior, central air conditioning, cool breezeway area between rear bedroom and garage could become very appealing master bath suite. Large yard for dog, activities. Basement is large and offers good possibilities as well. Hastings Avenue is a low traffic street in a neighborhood that is quiet but convenient to Havertown & Mainline shopping, transit, high-quality public education. Listed by Deb Dorsey at Prudential Fox & Roach Rosemont and worth seeing.

July 2013 Residences Sold in Haverford and Radnor Townships for less than one million

Street Address	Town	Sold For	Beds	Baths	Sq Ft	Listed For
801 Clifford Ave	Ardmore	$203,000	3	1.1	1,312	$224,900
625 Kenilworth Rd	Ardmore	$210,500	3	2	1,392	$219,000
2211 Haverford Rd	Ardmore	$225,000	3	1.1	1,368	$225,000
2223 Haverford Rd	Ardmore	$238,000	3	1.1	1,368	$249,500
2413 Belmont Ave	Ardmore	$257,500	3	1.1	1,467	$289,000
610 Hazelwood Rd	Ardmore	$283,000	4	1.1	2,110	$289,000
2741 Morris Rd	Ardmore	$290,000	4	2	1,324	$299,000
2705 Sunnybrook Ln	Ardmore	$295,000	4	2.1	2,130	$300,000
2900 Haverford Rd	Ardmore	$355,000	4	2.2	2,362	$359,000
12 Westfield Rd	Ardmore	$680,000	5	3.1	3,329	$735,000
205 Shawnee Rd	Ardmore	$757,500	4	3.1	2,903	$750,000
224 Rockingham	Bryn Mawr	$235,000	3	1.1	1,270	$259,000
625 Dayton Rd	Bryn Mawr	$242,500	3	1.1	1,392	$249,900
812 E Haverford	Bryn Mawr	$250,000	3	1.1	1,400	$260,000
303 Bailey Rd	Bryn Mawr	$315,000	3	1.1	1,320	$315,000
714 S Roberts Rd	Bryn Mawr	$430,000	4	2.1	2,865	$475,000
133 Rodney Cir	Bryn Mawr	$439,000	4	2	1,767	$439,000
540 S Bryn Mawr	Bryn Mawr	$600,000	4	3	3,338	$625,000
328 Strathmore Dr	Bryn Mawr	$635,500	6	4.1	3,360	$659,900
531 Brandymede	Bryn Mawr	$760,000	5	3.1	3,480	$749,999
972 Sproul Rd	Bryn Mawr	$775,000	4	2.1	3,479	$800,000
756 Buck Ln	Haverford	$300,000	4	3	1,528	$299,900
607 College Ave	Haverford	$667,000	3	3.1	3,296	$665,900
316 E Township Ln	Havertown	$110,000	3	1.1	1,280	$108,000
37 Sycamore Rd	Havertown	$140,000	3	1.2	1,556	$199,900
1304 Warren Ave	Havertown	$147,900	2	1	700	$164,900
401 N Manoa Rd	Havertown	$166,666	3	2	1,678	$195,000
325 Windsor Park	Havertown	$175,000	3	1.1	2,189	$199,900
133 S Eagle Rd	Havertown	$180,000	3	1	1,276	$189,900
222 Wickford Rd	Havertown	$180,000	3	1.1	1,292	$215,000
1037 Bon Air Rd	Havertown	$199,000	4	1	1,216	$214,900
139 E Marthart Ave	Havertown	$210,000	3	2	1,730	$200,000
627 Grand Ave	Havertown	$212,000	3	2	1,290	$200,000
18 E Marthart Ave	Havertown	$225,000	3	1	1,258	$225,000
2453 Wynnefield Dr	Havertown	$237,500	3	1	1,768	$239,900
1318 Annabella Ave	Havertown	$249,900	3	2	1,603	$249,900
2328 Poplar Rd	Havertown	$249,900	3	2.1	1,392	$249,900
16 Pearson Ln	Havertown	$250,000	3	2	1,389	$250,000
532 N Manoa Rd	Havertown	$250,000	3	2.1	1,523	$260,000
325 Brookline Blvd	Havertown	$258,000	4	1.1	1,679	$267,500
24 Maryland Ave	Havertown	$259,000	3	2	1,350	$259,900
2715 Prescott Rd	Havertown	$265,900	3	1.1	1,787	$269,900
603 Merion Ave	Havertown	$265,900	2	1	1,201	$259,900
25 Strathmore Rd	Havertown	$270,000	3	1.1	1,899	$275,000
244 Friendship Rd	Havertown	$275,000	3	1.1	1,731	$284,900
504 Virginia Ave	Havertown	$276,600	3	1	1,664	$279,000
1706 Mount Pleasant	Havertown	$283,000	3	2.1	1,478	$286,000
307 Francis Dr	Havertown	$285,000	4	1.1	1,546	$309,900
144 Merrybrook Dr	Havertown	$295,000	3	2	1,675	$299,000
1600 Melrose Ave	Havertown	$297,000	3	1.1	1,400	$299,900
611 E Manoa Rd	Havertown	$299,500	3	3.1	1,699	$299,500
326 Kenmore Rd	Havertown	$300,000	3	2	1,665	$345,000
512 Devon Rd	Havertown	$300,000	4	2	1,751	$293,500
25 Nancy Dr	Havertown	$305,000	5	2.1	2,604	$319,900
417 Heatherwood	Havertown	$305,000	3	2	1,652	$309,900
46 Princeton Rd	Havertown	$308,000	4	1.2	1,652	$310,000
345 Golf Hills Rd	Havertown	$320,000	4	2.1	2,602	$325,000
133 Golf Hills Rd	Havertown	$320,000	4	2.1	1,675	$319,000
336 David Dr	Havertown	$320,500	4	2.1	2,346	$325,000
1736 Green Valley Rd	Havertown	$322,000	3	2.1	2,100	$349,000
600 Ellis Rd	Havertown	$335,100	4	2.1	2,189	$325,000
1608 Surrey Ln	Havertown	$342,000	3	2	1,889	$345,000
1214 Bon Air Rd	Havertown	$350,000	4	2.1	2,736	$369,900
241 David Dr	Havertown	$355,000	4	2.1	2,328	$355,000
69 Fairfield Rd	Havertown	$365,000	4	1.2	2,300	$369,900
23 E Langhorne Ave	Havertown	$402,500	4	3	2,700	$415,000
728 E Manoa Rd	Havertown	$405,000	4	3.1	2,750	$419,000
501 E Manoa Rd	Havertown	$495,000	5	3.1	2,602	$495,000
539 Grand Ave	Havertown	$505,000	4	2.1	3,655	$499,000
10 Radnor Way	Radnor	$590,000	5	2.1	3,587	$625,000
226 Williams Rd	Rosemont	$210,000	3	1	1,388	$215,000
6 Lowrys Ln	Rosemont	$450,000	4	2.1	2,392	$469,000
9 Braxton Rd	Rosemont	$465,000	3	3	2,055	$478,900
508 Saint Davids Rd	Saint Davids	$740,000	5	2.1	2,615	$750,000
118 Hillside Cir	Villanova	$325,000	4	1.1	1,963	$325,000
522 Sproul Rd	Villanova	$375,000	3	2	1,427	$375,000
333 Radnor Chester	Villanova	$565,000	4	2.1	2,991	$579,000
510 Chandler Ln	Villanova	$600,000	3	2.1	2,270	$670,000
167 Wooded Ln	Villanova	$685,000	4	2.1	2,448	$674,900
707 Knox Rd	Villanova	$900,000	5	3.1	3,750	$889,000
407 Fairview Dr	Wayne	$190,000	2	1	950	$235,000
311 Conestoga Rd	Wayne	$465,000	4	1.1	2,510	$485,000
512 Arbordale Rd	Wayne	$550,000	5	2.1	2,400	$599,000
131 Pine Tree Rd	Wayne	$670,000	4	3.1	2,905	$675,000
518 Oak Grove Ln	Wayne	$892,000	3	3.1	4,298	$939,000
231 Chamounix Rd	Wayne	$925,000	4	3.1	2,472	$925,000
821 Powder Mill Ln	Wynnewood	$338,000	3	1.1	1,738	$349,000
314 Farwood Rd	Wynnewood	$434,000	4	3.1	2,950	$434,000

Click Here to see photos and details on all the sales indicated above. For further information or to contact us to discuss buying or selling a home email Ted@R5Realty.com or call 610.348.7972.

Mill Creek: Stream of Consciousness rolls by Developmental Tumbleweeds and Dust Bunnies

1400 Mill Creek Rd. is unused industrial space bordered by parkland.

A weekday evening in high summer is a fine time to take to the back roads of Gladwyne and Penn Valley. Hang a sharp right off 23 onto Mill Creek Rd and follow the quiet road and creek through taller trees and downwards towards the Schuylkill.

On the left is the old  Barker Mill, for 200 years astride Mill Creek and one-time home to a munitions factory, textile mill, work space and recording studio for Boyz II Men, etc...

Vacant for almost a decade and moderately dilapidated for age and unuse, it's a grand setting to snoop or set down by the creek and ponder new incarnations for the forested fortification. A parking turnout is directly across from the property entrance, which is unprotected by a collapsing fence. About halfway back is a portal down to a small but rewarding waterfall.

The current owner, O'Neill properties had imagined morphing the industrial-sized, Class 1 Historic property into a 34-unit apartment complex. Given the breath-taking beauty and relative inaccessibility of the setting, this seems the most viable commercial enterprise. But the housing market collapse and other complexities of the project have seen O'Neill lose interest in the project and a buyer has been courted for nearly a year.

For now, the mill sits silent, and that's not a bad thing at all. Acres of Lower Merion parkland are directly adjacent to the site, including Rolling Hill Park, which features a great ridge-side trail that spills into the sleeping mill's parking lot. Climb the nearly two-mile trail that runs through woods and emerges into delightful hilltop meadows home to the Lower Merion Conservancy.

Gladwyne and Penn Valley offer many homeowners million dollar views and opportunities to commune with a lushly vegetated and wonderfully eclectic topography. Perhaps someday Barker Mill will become that place for a charmed few more. Until then, the peaceful spot is pleasantly aloof and vulnerable to having its pleasures pillaged via public access borders.