Public Records
Edition
Philadelphia600 block of N 38th StJuly 9, 2026

House report

655 N 38th St

Vacant · assessed $39K. On the 600 block of N 38th St.

Street view of 655 N 38th St
From the street — imagery © Google
From above — imagery © Esri, Maxar
The story of this houseAI · written from the public record

Reading this house's deeds, permits and assessments…

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

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’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 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 analyst below to dig into any number.

Assessed value
$39K
Price / sq ft
—
block $115 ·
Appreciation
+243%
+12%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$39K
+12%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
—
Gross yield
—
Times sold
0
licensed rental

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

$0$125K$250KBefore this chart — 2015: 2 L&I violations2020: New Construction 2020: New Construction 2020: New Construction 2020: New Construction or Additions2021: New Construction 2021: New Construction or Additions$39K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangePermit
The paper trailNew construction

built new under a 2020 permit.

  1. 2015 2 L&I violationsL&I
  2. 2020 New ConstructionPermitNew ConstructionPermitNew ConstructionPermitNew Construction or AdditionsPermit
  3. 2021 New ConstructionPermitNew Construction or AdditionsPermit

Flags: active rental license. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).

Run the numbers

What owning 655 N 38th 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.

$39K
20%
6.875%
$700/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.

Next door: 653 N 38th St  ·  657 N 38th St

Where this comes from

City datasets are fetched live from OpenDataPhilly (phl.carto.com) and cached briefly. 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)