Public Records
Edition
Philadelphia2600 block of Janney StJuly 9, 2026

House report

2638 Janney St

3 bd · 3 stories · 1,602 sqft · RSA5 · built 2020

Owner-occupied · assessed $461K · sold 3×. On the 2600 block of Janney St.

Street view of 2638 Janney 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

The tax bill is temporary

Today's $1,291/yr reflects a 10-year abatement. It jumps to about $6,454/yr in 2032 — $5,163/yr more. Price the full bill, not the current one.

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.

If you own it

When the abatement ends, file for Homestead

An abated home cannot also take the Homestead Exemption. From 2032 it can — knocking about $1,400/yr off the full bill.

$2,026 in back taxes on record

Interest and penalties keep compounding until a Revenue payment agreement is in place, and a lien is already filed — an owner-occupant agreement also stops the sheriff-sale track.

Construction next door (2637 Janney St, 2025)

Excavation deeper than 5 feet, or within 10 feet of an adjacent structure, legally requires the developer to survey neighboring homes first and give owners 10 days' written notice. Insist on the pre-construction survey — it is your evidence if cracks appear.

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
$461K
built 2020
Price / sq ft
$288
block $294 · in line w/ block
Appreciation
+6394%
+46%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$472K
+46%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$1K
0.28% effective, abated
Gross yield
Times sold
3

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

$0$250K$500K2017: Land $17K2018: Appeal granted with conditions2019: Zoning/use 2019: New Construction 2019: New Construction 2019: New Construction or Additions 2019: New Construction 2019: New Construction2021: Sold $370K2025: Sold $368K$461K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangeSaleLand buyZoningPermit
The paper trail

Bought for $17K in 2017, built new under a 2019 permit (tax-abated), sold for $368K in 2025.

  1. 2017 $17KLand buy
  2. 2018 Appeal granted with conditionsZoning
  3. 2019 Zoning/usePermitNew ConstructionPermitNew ConstructionPermitNew Construction or AdditionsPermitNew ConstructionPermitNew ConstructionPermit
  4. 2021 $370KSold
  5. 2025 $368KSold

Flags: tax-abated — the bill lags real value · $2K back taxes (2005–2016, $413 of it interest & penalties, lien filed) · 1 zoning/board appeal on record. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).

The abatement clock

This house pays about $1,291/yr under a 10-year tax abatement. In 2032 the bill reaches its full ~$6,454/yr — a step up of $5,163/yr, 5 assessment years out. Drag the slider.

2016: ~$99/yr2017: ~$230/yr2018: ~$230/yr2019: ~$230/yr2020: ~$230/yr2021: ~$230/yr2022: ~$1,187/yr2023: ~$1,032/yr2024: ~$1,032/yr2025: ~$1,179/yr2026: ~$1,179/yr2027: ~$1,291/yr2028: ~$1,291/yr (projected)2029: ~$1,291/yr (projected)2030: ~$1,291/yr (projected)2031: ~$1,291/yr (projected)2032: ~$6,454/yr (projected)2033: ~$6,454/yr (projected)201620322033
2027~$1,291/yrfrom the record

now: ($461,100 assessed − $368,873 abated) × 1.3998% ≈ $1,291/yr 2032: $461,100 assessed × 1.3998% ≈ $6,454/yr Flat 100% exemption (pre-2022 program, started 2022), 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
Stories
3
Interior
1,602 sqft
livable area
Lot
504 sqft
Basement
Full, finished
city code A
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
Zoning
RSA5
city zoning code
Zoning appeals
1
granted with conditions 2018

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

Run the numbers

What owning 2638 Janney 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.

$368K
20%
6.875%
$3K/mo

When this house last sold (2025) a 30-year mortgage ran about 6.6% — 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, $1,400/yr insurance, 1% of price/yr maintenance; taxes from this parcel's record (with the abatement toggle above).

Next door: 2636 Janney St  ·  2640 Janney 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)