Philadelphia property report
500 block of Watkins St
A mostly owner-occupied block: 62% of homes are lived in by their owners, with 3 open code violations and 2 parcels listed in the June 2022 tax-delinquency snapshot ($11,555 recorded then).
The typical home here is up 114% since 2016, now about $275K. Property taxes are climbing about 8% a year though the increases have eased lately.
- Owner-occupied
- Investor / LLC
- Absentee
- Vacant
- Has violations
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By the Numbers
How fast it's moving
Assessed-value change for the typical home. Philadelphia taxes a flat 1.3998% of value, so the bill moves with it.
The makeup of the block
Every home, plotted by size and assessed value — press play and watch the block reprice from 2016 to 2027. One bubble per house (area = lot size), colored by who owns it; a gold ring marks a material assessment exemption whose legal basis is not established by the roll. Click a bubble for its report.
- Owner-occupied
- Investor / LLC
- Absentee
- Vacant
- Assessment exemption
- Bubble = lot size
- → bigger interior · ↑ higher value
Assessed values from the city's year-by-year assessment record — a proxy for price, lumpy in reassessment years.
How the block compares
The typical home here is $275K — about 1.2× the citywide median home, and above the ZIP 19148 median of $259K. The same block, read against everyone else in the ZIP 19148 and across Philadelphia.
| This block | ZIP 19148 | Philadelphia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $275K | $259K | $230K |
| Owner-occupied | 38% | 44% | 48% |
Safety & quality of life
Within 200 metres of the block over the last 12 months: 96 reported crimes (about 8 a month, 20% of them violent) and 386 resident 311 requests to the city. A busy commercial corridor logs far more than a quiet residential block, so read this against nearby blocks, not the citywide total.
Most reported crimes
Top 311 complaints
Philadelphia Police incident reports and 311 service requests within 200m, trailing 12 months. Reported location, not necessarily where an incident occurred.
Schools
The public schools this block is zoned for — its official School District of Philadelphia catchments.
Catchment assignments from the School District of Philadelphia via City of Philadelphia open data. Confirm with the District before enrollment decisions.
What it's worth, and where taxes are going
- $275K typical home, up +114% since 2016
- Median assessment-based tax estimate $1,389 to $3,283 a year through 2027, +8%/yr
- 2027 block estimate: — assessed, about $105,890/yr from taxable assessments, or $3,114 per home — not live account balances
Median assessed value · 2016–2027
▲ +114% since 2016
Estimated property tax · per home, per year
▲ +136% since 2016 · ~+8%/yr
Who really pays
Philadelphia's 1.3998% rate applies to the taxable assessment. The OPA roll shows exemptions that can make an estimate lower than the full assessed-value scenario; this chart does not identify their legal basis.
- 508 Watkins Stmajor assessment exemption0.27%$781/yr on $289K
- 530 Watkins Stmajor assessment exemption0.28%$1,273/yr on $455K
- 536 Watkins Stmajor assessment exemption0.31%$781/yr on $253K
- 523 Watkins Stmajor assessment exemption0.31%$781/yr on $250K
- 538 Watkins Stmajor assessment exemption0.32%$781/yr on $247K
- …and 14 more with estimates below the full rate — the gold-ringed bubbles in the makeup chart
One large gap: 530 Watkins St has a $1,273/year assessment-based estimate on $455K assessed value — about 20% of the $6,363 full-assessment scenario. Verify the exemption basis and live account before relying on either number.
The block as an asset
Read like a financial asset, this block has beaten the Philadelphia market, compounding +7.2% a year against the city's 6.5%.
Indexed performance · this block vs. the Philadelphia market
Rebased to 100 in 2016, like a stock against its index. $100 in the typical home here would be worth $214 today versus $201 across Philadelphia — this block outpaced the market.
Return is from assessed-value history (a proxy for market price, lumpy in reassessment years); rental yield is estimated from ACS area rents. Informational only, not investment advice.
How often it changes hands
This block has recorded 68 arm's-length sales since 2000. The typical home has sold 2 times in that window, while 6 have not changed hands at all.
Every recorded sale · price & date
Who owns it
Ownership of 34 parcels
- Owner-occupied 21
- Investor / LLC 2
- Absentee individual 11
Value distribution today
| Owner | On block | Owns citywide | Portfolio value | Tax bills mail to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John K Conway (individual) | 2 | 18 | $4.7M | — | phila.gov ↗ |
| Vn Investment Group LLC | 2 | 5 | $1.3M | 2610 Woodsview Dr, Bensalem PA, 19020 | phila.gov ↗ · registry ↗ |
The mailing address is where the assessor sends the tax bill — for an LLC, often the closest public record gets to the person behind it. "Registry" searches the owner's name in state incorporation records (OpenCorporates).
House by house
All 34 homes on the block — value trajectory, ownership, and the paper trail assembled from the fetched public datasets. Sorted up the street; each links to its property report and official sources — or download the roster (CSV).
Every house's assessed value, 2016–2027 — each line is one home
Worth a look
| Address | Ownership | Value & trend | Bd/Ba | Sq ft | Built | Sales | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 506 WATKINS ST ImprovedBought for $31K in 2003. Owner pulled a mechanical permit in 2012. | Absentee individual | $267K | 2/1 | 1,200 | 1920 | 4 | |
| 508 WATKINS ST New constructionbuilt new under a 2018 permit (reduced taxable assessment shown). | Owner-occupied | $293K | 3/— | 1,440 | 1920 | 0 | assessment exemption · basis unverified |
| 510 WATKINS ST ImprovedBought for $175K in 2018. Owner pulled a alteration permit in 2010. | Investor / LLC | $283K | 2/1 | 1,344 | 1920 | 1 | licensed rental |
| 512 WATKINS ST | Investor / LLC | $263K | 3/1 | 1,168 | 1920 | 1 | licensed rentallien in pre-2017 ledger |
| 513 WATKINS ST | Absentee individual | $289K | 3/1 | 1,404 | 1920 | 1 | |
| 514 WATKINS ST TradedTraded 2×: $35K in 2001 → $200K in 2016 (+473%). | Owner-occupied | $309K | 3/1 | 1,356 | 1920 | 2 | |
| 515 WATKINS ST Frequently tradedTraded 4×: $42K in 2001 → $245K in 2018 (+483%). | Owner-occupied | $318K | 3/1 | 1,024 | 1920 | 4 | |
| 516 WATKINS ST TradedTraded 2×: $16K in 2003 → $20K in 2004 (+29%). | Absentee individual | $284K | 3/1 | 1,356 | 1920 | 2 | licensed rental |
| 517 WATKINS ST ImprovedBought for $100K in 2005. Owner pulled a alteration permit in 2014. | Owner-occupied | $270K | 3/1 | 1,228 | 1924 | 2 | |
| 518 WATKINS ST ImprovedOwner pulled a electrical permit in 2013. | Owner-occupied | $268K | 3/1 | 1,208 | 1920 | 0 | |
| 519 WATKINS ST New constructionBought for $64K in 2006, built new under a 2019 permit, sold for $325K in 2025. | Owner-occupied | $345K | 2/1 | 1,014 | 1920 | 5 | |
| 520 WATKINS ST ImprovedBought for $175K in 2021. Owner pulled a electrical permit in 2008. | Owner-occupied | $386K | 3/1 | 1,110 | 1935 | 3 | |
| 521 WATKINS ST New constructionBought for $153K in 2017, built new under a 2014 permit (reduced taxable assessment shown), sold for $265K in 2018. | Absentee individual | $343K | 2/1 | 956 | 1920 | 2 | assessment exemption · basis unverified |
| 522 WATKINS ST New constructionbuilt new under a 2010 permit. | Absentee individual | $303K | 2/1 | 988 | 1920 | 0 | |
| 523 WATKINS ST New constructionbuilt new under a 2020 permit (reduced taxable assessment shown). | Owner-occupied | $246K | 3/1 | 1,064 | 1920 | 0 | assessment exemption · basis unverifiedlien in pre-2017 ledger |
| 524 WATKINS ST New constructionBought for $150K in 2019, built new under a 2019 permit, sold for $310K in 2021. | Owner-occupied | $378K | 2/1 | 1,160 | 1920 | 2 | lien in pre-2017 ledger |
| 525 WATKINS ST Renovated & sold onBought for $40K in 2001, plumbing permit in 2016, sold for $225K in 2018 (+470%). | Owner-occupied | $261K | 3/1 | 1,022 | 1920 | 3 | 2 viol |
| 526 WATKINS ST Renovated & sold onBought for $60K in 2007, alteration permit in 2007, sold for $180K in 2016 (+200%). | Owner-occupied | $315K | 2/1 | 884 | 1920 | 3 | |
| 527 WATKINS ST ImprovedBought for $66K in 2005. Owner pulled a electrical permit in 2007. | Absentee individual | $230K | 2/1 | 936 | 1920 | 2 | |
| 528 WATKINS ST TradedTraded 2×: $105K in 2011 → $195K in 2016 (+86%). | Owner-occupied | $253K | 3/1 | 1,076 | 1920 | 2 | |
| 529 WATKINS ST TradedTraded 2×: $94K in 2007 → $86K in 2013 (-9%). | Owner-occupied | $241K | 3/1 | 980 | 1920 | 2 | |
| 530 WATKINS ST New constructionBought for $5K in 2016, built new under a 2017 permit (reduced taxable assessment shown), sold for $407K in 2018. | Owner-occupied | $446K | 3/2 | 1,408 | 2018 | 2 | assessment exemption · basis unverified1 viollien in pre-2017 ledger |
| 531 WATKINS ST ImprovedBought for $45K in 2001. Owner pulled a plumbing permit in 2019. | Absentee individual | $253K | 3/1 | 1,120 | 1920 | 3 | |
| 532 WATKINS ST Historysold $5K (2002); L&I violation (2007); Inspection failed (2007); 2 L&I violations (2011); L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed (2011); L&I violation (2021). | Absentee individual | $259K | 3/1 | 952 | 1920 | 1 | |
| 533 WATKINS ST ImprovedBought for $44K in 2000. Owner pulled a plumbing permit in 2012. | Absentee individual | $274K | 3/2 | 1,260 | 1920 | 3 | |
| 534 WATKINS ST New constructionbuilt new under a 2024 permit, sold for $145K in 2023. | Owner-occupied | $277K | 2/1 | 1,092 | 1920 | 1 | |
| 535 WATKINS ST New constructionBought for $19K in 2002, built new under a 2022 permit, sold for $485K in 2024. | Absentee individual | $609K | 3/— | 1,686 | 1925 | 5 | |
| 536 WATKINS ST New constructionbuilt new under a 2024 permit (reduced taxable assessment shown). | Owner-occupied | $255K | 2/1 | 1,092 | 1920 | 0 | assessment exemption · basis unverified |
| 537 WATKINS ST Renovated & sold onBought for $75K in 2006, zoning permit in 2007, sold for $488K in 2025 (+550%). | Owner-occupied | $388K | 3/2 | 1,131 | 1920 | 4 | |
| 538 WATKINS ST | Owner-occupied | $245K | 3/1 | 1,012 | 1920 | 0 | assessment exemption · basis unverified |
| 539 WATKINS ST ImprovedBought for $13K in 2004. Owner pulled a plumbing permit in 2017. | Owner-occupied | $303K | 3/1 | 970 | 1920 | 2 | |
| 540 WATKINS ST Renovated & sold onBought for $75K in 2013, demolition permit in 2013, sold for $239K in 2022 (+221%). | Owner-occupied | $239K | 2/1 | 966 | 1920 | 2 | |
| 541 WATKINS ST TradedTraded 2×: $35K in 2001 → $207K in 2024 (+493%). | Absentee individual | $243K | 2/1 | 1,050 | 1920 | 2 | |
| 542 WATKINS ST ImprovedBought for $44K in 2003. Owner pulled a plumbing permit in 2011. | Owner-occupied | $251K | 3/1 | 1,064 | 1920 | 2 |
Neighborhood
First time here?
This is the 500 block of Watkins St,
on paper.
34 homes. The deeds, permits, L&I rows, assessments and sales fetched for this report — with links back to official sources.
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The whole record is free.
Permits, violations, taxes, deeds, ownership, and block context are all here. The public record is free to read; membership is for deeper research.
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What to catch on the way down.
On the way down: the map (tap any building, even off this block), the who-really-pays bar, and the house-by-house roster. Every address opens its own report.
Generated 2026-07-10 from public City of Philadelphia records · Download this block's data (CSV)