The Block ReportBlockReport

House report

2121 S Cecil St

3 bd · 1 ba · 2 stories · 868 sqft · RSA5 · built 1920

Owner-occupied · assessed $84K. On the 2100 block of S Cecil St.

Street view of 2121 S Cecil St
From the street — imagery © Google
From above — imagery © Esri, Maxar

Property summary

Assessment$84KCity assessed value Last sale—No sale value available Est. taxes$340/yearAnnual city record Permits5Shown in this report ViolationsNone openNo open L&I cases

What stands out

From the public record

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

The tax bill is temporary

Today's $340/yr reflects a 10-year abatement. It jumps to about $1,173/yr in 2028 — $833/yr more. Price the full bill, not the current one.

Built 1920: 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.

The last transfer was not a sale

The most recent recorded deed moved for nominal consideration. That is where tangled-title problems live — budget a real title search. (Occupants untangling an inherited deed can get help from the city's Tangled Title Fund.)

If you own it

When the abatement ends, file for Homestead

An abated home cannot also take the Homestead Exemption. From 2028 it can — knocking about $1,400/yr off the full bill.

Derived from this house's public records and the city's rules as of 2026 (abatement ordinance, Homestead, rental licensing, lead certification, L&I process, excavation protections). Informational only — not legal, tax, or investment advice.

The investment read

How this house has moved and where it's pointed: the city's assessed value (not a listing price) over 12 years, charted against its block; appreciation is that history's pace, and the 5-year figure simply extends it. Yield estimates rent-vs-price from area rents. Ask the record to dig into any number.

Assessed value
$84K
built 1920
Price / sq ft
$97
block $96 · in line w/ block
Appreciation
+241%
+12%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$84K
+12%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$340
0.41% effective, abated
Gross yield
18.9%
≈$1K/mo rent
Times sold
0

Value vs. the block, over time — sales, permits & L&I events marked on the line

$0$100K$200KBefore this chart — 2011: Plumbing 2011: Electrical 2013: 2 L&I violations 2013: L&I: 2 failed, 2 passed2019: Plumbing2023: Wall Covering Replacement2026: Roof Covering Replacement$84K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangePermit

The paper trail

New construction

built new under a 2011 permit (tax-abated).

  1. 2011 PlumbingPermitElectricalPermit
  2. 2013 2 L&I violationsL&IL&I: 2 failed, 2 passedL&I visit
  3. 2019 PlumbingPermit
  4. 2023 Wall Covering ReplacementPermit
  5. 2026 Roof Covering ReplacementPermit

Flags: tax-abated — the bill lags real value. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).

The abatement clock

This house pays about $340/yr under a 10-year tax abatement. In 2028 the bill reaches its full ~$1,173/yr — a step up of $833/yr, 1 assessment year out. Drag the slider.

2016: ~$340/yr2017: ~$340/yr2018: ~$340/yr2019: ~$340/yr2020: ~$340/yr2021: ~$340/yr2022: ~$340/yr2023: ~$340/yr2024: ~$340/yr2025: ~$340/yr2026: ~$340/yr2027: ~$340/yr2028: ~$1,173/yr (projected)2029: ~$1,173/yr (projected)201620282029
2027~$340/yrfrom the record

now: ($83,800 assessed − $59,511 abated) × 1.3998% ≈ $340/yr 2028: $83,800 assessed × 1.3998% ≈ $1,173/yr Flat 100% exemption (pre-2022 program, started 2018), then the cliff — reassessments move both lines. After expiry an owner-occupant can claim the Homestead Exemption (~$1,400/yr off); an abated home can't hold both.

The house, on paper

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

Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
1
Stories
2
Interior
868 sqft
livable area
Lot
700 sqft
Basement
Full
city code D
Heat
Undetermined
city code H
Central air
No
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Interior condition
Average
city code 4
Quality grade
C
assessor's grade
Zoning
RSA5
city zoning code

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

Run the numbers

What owning 2121 S Cecil St takes, at your price and your rate. Taxes are this house's actual bill from the city record; rent starts at the area median. Assessed value is not an asking price — set the price slider to the real one.

$84K
20%
6.875%
$1K/mo
Mortgage
—
P&I · 30-yr fixed
All-in monthly
—
+ taxes & insurance
Cash to close
—
down + ~4% costs
Cash flow
—
rent − all costs · /mo
Cap rate
—
NOI ÷ price
Cash-on-cash
—
year-1 return on cash in

Estimates for orientation, not advice. Assumes a 30-year fixed loan, $1,400/yr insurance, 1% of price/yr maintenance; taxes from this parcel's record (with the abatement toggle above).

Block context

2121 S Cecil St sits on the 2100 block of S Cecil St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.

See the whole block →

Next door: 2123-25 S Cecil St  ·  2117 S Cecil St

Where this comes from

Methodology & freshness

City datasets are fetched live from OpenDataPhilly (phl.carto.com) and cached briefly. Dossiers re-pull automatically — on view once they're a few weeks old, plus a nightly rolling sweep — and citywide benchmarks recompute weekly. AI-written passages are generated from these records only and rejected if they state a number the record doesn't hold.

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