The Block Report

Multi-family report

2137-39 E Firth St

7 bd · 2 stories · 3,575 sqft · RSA5 · built 2018

Owner-occupied · assessed $854K · 3 licensed units · sold 1×. On the 2100 block of E Firth St.

Property summary

Assessment$854KCity assessed value Last sale$1.0MRecorded 2018 Est. annual tax$2K/yearAssessment × 1.3998% Tax delinquency—Snapshot unavailable Permits7Dated events in report ViolationsNone openNone open when assembled

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

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Street view of 2137-39 E Firth St
From the street — imagery © Google
From above — imagery © Esri, Maxar

What stands out

From the public record
Finding

New construction

Why it matters

built new under a 2016 permit (tax-abated), sold for $1.0M in 2018.

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

The current tax estimate is temporary

The taxable assessment implies about $2,392/yr under a 10-year abatement. It jumps to about $11,958/yr in 2030 — $9,566/yr more. Underwrite the post-abatement estimate and verify the actual bill with Revenue.

3 units in RSA5, a single-family district

The building's use almost certainly predates today's code — a "legal nonconforming" use. That status survives a sale but can lapse if the use is abandoned or the building sits vacant; verify the registered use with L&I before pricing it as 3 rents.

If you own it

When the abatement ends, file for Homestead

An abated home cannot also take the Homestead Exemption. From 2030 it can — knocking about $1,400/yr off the full bill.

If you’re the landlord

Licensed rental — keep it that way

Renewal requires city tax clearance and zero open L&I violations on the property. A lapsed license suspends the right to collect rent or evict.

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 building 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
$854K
built 2018
Price / sq ft
$239
block $253 · below block
Appreciation
-4%
-1%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$854K
-1%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$2K
0.28% effective, abated
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
—
Gross yield
-936439.2%
≈$-667M/mo rent
Times sold
1
kept in the family

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

$0$1.0M$2.0M2016: Zoning/use2017: Appeal approved 2017: New construction 2017: Suppression 2017: Plumbing2018: Mechanical 2018: Electrical 2018: Electrical 2018: Sold $1.0M2023: 3 L&I violations 2023: L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed$854K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangeSaleL&I violationZoningPermit

The paper trail

New construction

built new under a 2016 permit (tax-abated), sold for $1.0M in 2018.

  1. 2016 Zoning/usePermit
  2. 2017 Appeal approvedZoningNew constructionPermitSuppressionPermitPlumbingPermit
  3. 2018 MechanicalPermitElectricalPermitElectricalPermit$1.0MSold
  4. 2023 3 L&I violationsL&IL&I: 1 failed, 1 passedL&I visit

Flags: tax-abated — the bill lags real value · active rental license · 1 zoning/board appeal on record · long-held within one family. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).

The abatement clock

This house’s taxable assessment implies about $2,392/yr under a 10-year tax abatement. In 2030 the assessment-based estimate reaches ~$11,958/yr — a step up of $9,566/yr, 3 assessment years out. Drag the slider.

2020: ~$3,128/yr2021: ~$3,128/yr2022: ~$3,128/yr2023: ~$3,355/yr2024: ~$3,355/yr2025: ~$2,418/yr2026: ~$2,418/yr2027: ~$2,392/yr2028: ~$2,392/yr (projected)2029: ~$2,392/yr (projected)2030: ~$11,958/yr (projected)2031: ~$11,958/yr (projected)202020302031
2027~$2,392/yrestimated from assessment

now: ($854,300 assessed − $683,418 abated) × 1.3998% ≈ $2,392/yr 2030: $854,300 assessed × 1.3998% ≈ $11,958/yr Flat 100% exemption (pre-2022 program, started 2020), 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
7
Stories
2
Interior
3,575 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,750 sqft
Heat
Forced hot air
city code A
Central air
Yes
Exterior condition
Newer construction
city code 1
Newer construction
Interior condition
Newer construction
city code 1
Newer construction
Quality grade
B-
assessor's grade
Zoning
RSA5
city zoning code
Zoning appeals
1
approved 2017

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

Run the numbers

What owning 2137-39 E Firth 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 3 licensed units × ~85% of the area's median unit rent — the whole building's income, not one unit's. Assessed value is not an asking price — set the price slider to the real one.

$854K
20%
6.875%
$2K/mo

When this house last sold (2018) a 30-year mortgage ran about 4.54% — Freddie Mac's average that year.

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, $2,100/yr insurance, 1% of price/yr maintenance; taxes from this parcel's record (with the abatement toggle above).

Block context

2137-39 E Firth St sits on the 2100 block of E Firth St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.

See the whole block →

Next door: 2135 E Firth St  ·  2141-43 E Firth St

Where this comes from
Methodology & freshness

Available City datasets are queried from OpenDataPhilly (phl.carto.com), then reports are cached and refreshed on a rolling schedule. Source dates vary: the parcel-level tax-delinquency snapshot is June 2022 and the separate detailed tax ledger ends in 2016, so neither establishes today’s balance. Other dossiers re-pull on view once stale, 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)