New construction
Why it mattersBought for $500 in 2003, built new (tax-abated), sold for $3K in 2007.
View supporting records →House report
246 W Cornwall St
2 bd · 1 ba · 1 story · 728 sqft · RM1 · built 1920
Owner-occupied · assessed $73K · sold 4×. On the 200 block of W Cornwall St.
Property summary
Assessment$73KCity assessed value
Last sale$3KRecorded 2007
Est. annual tax$0/yearTax-exempt assessment
Tax delinquencyNo 2022 matchNot proof account is current
Permits0Shown in this report
ViolationsNone openNo open L&I cases
What stands out
From the public recordWhat 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 $0/yr reflects a 10-year abatement. It jumps to about $1,018/yr in 2029 — $1,018/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.
If you own it
When the abatement ends, file for Homestead
An abated home cannot also take the Homestead Exemption. From 2029 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
$73K
built 1920
Price / sq ft
$100
block $99 · in line w/ block
Appreciation
+61%
+4%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$73K
+4%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
—
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
No match
not proof the account is current
Gross yield
14.1%
≈$852/mo rent
Times sold
4
Value vs. the block, over time — sales, permits & L&I events marked on the line
This houseBlock median & rangePermit
The paper trail
New constructionBought for $500 in 2003, built new (tax-abated), sold for $3K in 2007.
- 2003 $500Sold$500Sold$500Sold
- 2007 $3KSold
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 $0/yr under a 10-year tax abatement. In 2029 the bill reaches its full ~$1,018/yr — a step up of $1,018/yr, 2 assessment years out. Drag the slider.
now: ($72,700 assessed − $72,700 abated) × 1.3998% ≈ $0/yr
2029: $72,700 assessed × 1.3998% ≈ $1,018/yr
Flat 100% exemption (pre-2022 program, started 2019), 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
2
Bathrooms
1
Stories
1
Interior
728 sqft
livable area
Lot
651 sqft
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Above averageBelow average
Interior condition
Average
city code 4
Above averageBelow average
Quality grade
C
assessor's grade
ABCDE
Zoning
RM1
city zoning code
OPA field-assessment attributes. Condition and grade are the assessor's codes, not an inspection.
Run the numbers
What owning 246 W Cornwall 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.
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
246 W Cornwall St sits on the 200 block of W Cornwall St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.
See the whole block →Next door: 244 W Cornwall St · 248 W Cornwall St
Where this comes from
- Assessment, spec sheet & owner — OPA Property Assessments, Office of Property Assessment
- Sales & deed history — Realty Transfer Tax records, Recorder of Deeds
- Permits, violations & inspections — L&I Property History · Atlas
- Tax delinquency snapshot · June 2022 — Real Estate Tax Delinquencies, Dept. of Revenue
- Historical tax ledger & liens · through 2016 — Real Estate Tax Balances, Dept. of Revenue
- Current property-tax balance — Verify with Philadelphia Revenue
- Zoning appeals — L&I & Zoning Board appeals
- Neighborhood income & rents — US Census ACS 5-year estimates
- Historical mortgage rates — Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, annual averages
- Imagery — Street photo © Google · Aerial © Esri, Maxar
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.
First time here?
This is 246 W Cornwall St,
on paper.
Built 1920. Every deed, permit, L&I visit, tax bill and sale for this house — plus its whole block.
No signup, no teaser
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.
Three taps, you're oriented
What to catch on the way down.
On the way down: the story of the house, its paper trail drawn on the value chart, and run-the-numbers, a calculator seeded with this house's actual tax bill.
Official city record ↗ · L&I history ↗ · See the whole block · Download this record (JSON)