House report

1039 Mercy St

3 bd · 1 ba · 2 stories · 799 sqft · RSA5 · built 1940

Owner-occupancy signal · assessed $260K (2026) · 2027 OPA assessment $238K · sold 2×. On the 1000 block of Mercy St.

Street view of 1039 Mercy St
From the street — imagery © Google
From above · selected parcel outlined; choose a neighboring polygon to open it — imagery © Esri, Maxar
BlockReport AI · cited public records

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Property summary

“Open” reflects records available then historical records keep their source dates estimates are labeled

Question or correct this record

BlockReport can explain a discrepancy, but it cannot rewrite an official City record. Use the agency that owns the underlying fact:

The estimate, live balance, and back-tax record are different.

BlockReport can calculate the annual tax from the City’s taxable assessment. Payments, credits, interest, and a current amount due live separately in Philadelphia Tax Center.

Estimated annual Real Estate Tax$2,240/year

2026 taxable assessment $160,000 × 1.3998%. Estimate—not a bill or account balance.

OPA also publishes a 2027 assessment of $238,100; it is not the 2026 billed-year value.

Official current account balanceCheck live

A Tax Center balance is net of bills, payments, credits, interest, and adjustments. A credit—or an amount due—is not automatically “back taxes.”

OPA 394020600
Open Philadelphia Tax Center →Choose “View period balance” to see the tax year and any credit, interest, or delinquency.
Exemption classificationHomestead exemption

2026 OPA removes $100,000 from the taxable assessment through the owner-occupant exemption.

Historical delinquency sources No current conclusion

This parcel did not match the June 2022 delinquency snapshot. That absence does not confirm the account is current today.

For a purchase, refinance, or closing, request the City’s official Property Payoff statement in Tax Center under “More options.”

What stands out

From the public record
Finding

Recorded transfers

Record summary

2 non-nominal transfers recorded: $75K in 2006 → $175K in 2008 (+133% between recorded amounts).

View supporting records →

What to do with this

The record, translated into moves — what a buyer, the owner, and a landlord would each want to check next under Philadelphia's actual rules.

If you’re buying

Built 1940: lead rules apply

Federal law requires a lead-paint disclosure at sale for any pre-1978 home. If it will be rented, Philadelphia also requires a lead-safe or lead-free certificate before a rental license can issue.

Zoned RSA5: one household by right

Single-family rowhouse (the classic Philly row). Converting to a duplex or apartments needs a use variance the zoning board rarely grants — Pennsylvania courts require a physical hardship of the lot itself, and economics alone do not qualify.

Derived from the fetched property records and linked City guidance as of 2026. Assessment treatment is not a substitute for an exemption approval, live balance, title report, license, occupancy certificate, or inspection. Informational only — not legal, tax, or investment advice.

Assessment and tax history

Every fetched annual City assessment for this house, compared with its block and ZIP. The figures show assessment change, the billed-year tax estimate, dated tax records, and recorded transfers. They do not estimate market appreciation or investment return.

Assessed value
$260,000
2026 billed-year assessment · 2027: $238,100 · built 1940
Price / sq ft
$298
block $298 · in line w/ block
Assessment change
+105%
+7%/yr since 2016 · 2027 -8% vs 2026
Est. tax bill / yr
$2,240
0.86% effective
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
No match
not proof the account is current
Times sold
2

Assessment vs. the block and ZIP · every dated City record marked on the line

$0$250K$500KZIP 19148 median$238K2006201020142018202220262027
Property assessmentBlock median & rangeZIP 19148 medianAssessmentDeed / saleL&I violationAppealInspection

Scroll horizontally to move through the years. Each icon sits on its recorded date; records without a day are labeled and centered within their year. Select one to explain the filing.

Highlight
Every dated record12 events · exact dates, newest first
  1. InspectionCSUINITIAL
  2. L&I violationARCHITECT/ENGINEER SERVICES
  3. InspectionCSUINITIAL
  4. AppealBuilding standards appeal
  5. InspectionPRECOURT (likely: pre-court compliance inspection)
  6. L&I violationEXTERIOR STRUCT UNSAFE COND 7
  7. L&I violationUNSAFE STRUCTURE
  8. InspectionHCEU INSP (Housing Code Enforcement Unit inspection)
  9. L&I violationVACANT STRUCTURE AND LAND
  10. L&I violationVACANT STRUCTURE LICENSE
  11. Deed / saleDeed / sale $175K
  12. Deed / saleDeed / sale $75K

The paper trail

2 non-nominal transfers recorded: $75K in 2006 → $175K in 2008 (+133% between recorded amounts).

  1. 2006 $75KTransfer
  2. 2008 $175KTransfer
  3. 2016 2 L&I violationsL&IInspection failed ×2L&I visit
  4. 2017 3 L&I violations incl EXTERIOR STRUCT UNSAFE COND 7L&IInspection failed ×4L&I visitAppeal filedZoning
  5. 2018 L&I: 2 failed, 1 passedL&I visit

Browse the source ledger

The chart above is the primary timeline. This drawer preserves every underlying dated row and its filed status for source-level review.

Open the City record ↗
Browse 12 dated records deeds, permits, inspections, licenses, violations, certifications & appeals
  1. InvestigationCSUINITIAL

    Case 584470 · PASSED

    The cited inspection visit was marked passed.

  2. InvestigationCSUINITIAL

    Case 584470 · FAILED

    The cited inspection visit was marked failed; later rows may show follow-up or resolution.

  3. ViolationARCHITECT/ENGINEER SERVICES

    Case 584470 · Violation 4790519 · Code A-304.1/1 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  4. AppealBuilding standards appeal

    Appeal 31251 · OPEN

    Related permit 584470 · ON 05/19/2017, THE DEPARTMENT OF LICENSES AND INSPECTIONS ISSUED NOTICE OF VIOLATION CASE #584470.

  5. InvestigationPRECOURT (likely: pre-court compliance inspection)

    Case 533002 · FAILED

    A follow-up before or during enforcement escalation; confirm the case sequence in the City file. The cited inspection visit was marked failed; later rows may show follow-up or resolution.

  6. ViolationEXTERIOR STRUCT UNSAFE COND 7

    Case 584470 · Violation 4790518 · Code PM15-304.1G · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  7. ViolationUNSAFE STRUCTURE

    Case 584470 · Violation 4790517 · Code PM15-108.1 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  8. InvestigationHCEU INSP (Housing Code Enforcement Unit inspection)

    Case 533002 · CLOSED

    A legacy L&I inspection label. The unit inspected housing for property-maintenance, fire-prevention, and related code compliance; the separate status says how that visit ended. City marked the record closed; open the case for the closing reason.

  9. ViolationVACANT STRUCTURE AND LAND

    Case 533002 · Violation 4380217 · Code PM15-301 · CLOSEDCASE

    City marked the case closed; that does not mean the original condition never existed.

  10. ViolationVACANT STRUCTURE LICENSE

    Case 533002 · Violation 4380216 · Code 9-3905 · CLOSEDCASE

    City marked the case closed; that does not mean the original condition never existed.

  11. Recorded transfer$175K transfer

    2008

  12. Recorded transfer$75K transfer

    2006

What this record suggests

The dated deed and City-record sequence is assembled below. Read timing as a research lead, not proof of renovation, condition, or motive.

Flags: 1 zoning/board appeal on record. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).

The property, on paper

The city assessor's field record — the physical spec sheet behind the assessed number.

Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
1
Stories
2
Interior
799 sqft
livable area
Lot
620 sqft
Basement
Full
city code D
Heat
Forced hot air
city code A
Central air
Yes
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Interior condition
Average
city code 4
Quality grade
C
assessor's grade
Zoning
RSA5
city zoning code
Zoning appeals
1
OPEN · 2017

OPA field-assessment attributes. Condition and grade are the assessor's codes, not an inspection.

Run the numbers

What owning 1039 Mercy St takes, at your price and your rate. Taxes start with an annual estimate from the City’s taxable assessment, not a current bill or balance; rent starts at the area median. Assessed value is not an asking price — set the price slider to the real one.

$238K
20%
6.875%
$1K/mo

When this house last sold (2008) a 30-year mortgage ran about 6.03% — Freddie Mac's average that year.

Mortgage
P&I · 30-yr fixed
All-in monthly
+ taxes & insurance
Estimated cash needed
down + 4% planning allowance
Modeled cash flow
rent − shown costs · /mo
Modeled cap rate
modeled NOI ÷ price
Modeled cash-on-cash
modeled year-1 return

Scenario for orientation, not advice. Assumes a 30-year fixed loan, $1,400/yr insurance, 1% of price/yr maintenance, and buyer cash equal to the down payment plus 4%. Taxes use this parcel's taxable assessment, not a live Tax Center balance. Cash flow and returns exclude vacancy, management, utilities, HOA or condo fees, leasing costs, income tax, and unplanned capital work.

Block context

1039 Mercy St sits on the 1000 block of Mercy St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.

See the whole block →

Next door: 1037 Mercy St  ·  1041 Mercy St

Where this comes from

Methodology & freshness

This report was assembled Jul 11, 2026, 2:34 AM ET. Available City datasets are queried from OpenDataPhilly (phl.carto.com) and the cited City ArcGIS feeds; record queries paginate rather than silently taking a first page. For this property: Permits: queried · Violations: queried · Investigations: queried · Appeals: queried · Licenses: queried · Building certifications: queried. “Unavailable” means the source query failed or was not supplied, not “no record.” Reports re-pull on view after seven days and on an overnight rolling schedule; citywide benchmarks recompute weekly. Source dates still govern: the parcel-level tax-delinquency snapshot is June 2022 and the separate detailed tax ledger ends in 2016, so neither establishes today’s balance. The live balance and date-effective payoff must be verified in Tax Center. AI-written passages are grounded in the assembled record and rejected if they state a number the record does not hold.

Official city record ↗  ·  L&I history ↗  ·  See the whole block  ·  Download this record (JSON)