Public Records
Edition
Philadelphia3900 block of Cambridge StJuly 9, 2026

House report

3922 Cambridge St

3 bd · 1 ba · 2 stories · 1,278 sqft · RSA5 · built 1920

Owner-occupied · assessed $65K · sold 2×. On the 3900 block of Cambridge St.

Street view of 3922 Cambridge 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

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.

If you own it

$1,399/yr may be unclaimed

This home reads owner-occupied but shows no Homestead Exemption, which removes $100,000 from the taxable assessment (worth up to $1,399/yr). Applying through the City is free and takes minutes.

2 open violations: the clock matters

L&I appeals must be filed within 30 days — just 6 days if a property is designated UNSAFE or IMMINENTLY DANGEROUS. Left unresolved, the city can do the work itself, bill the owner (routinely $50,000+ on a rowhouse), lien the property, and add court fines of $300+/day.

Construction next door (3924 Cambridge 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
$65K
built 1920
Price / sq ft
$51
block $104 · below block
Appreciation
+406%
+16%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$65K
+16%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$907
1.4% effective
Gross yield
Times sold
2

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

$0$100K$200KBefore this chart — 2006: Sold $17K 2007: Sold $50K2018: 2 L&I violations2019: L&I violation2021: 12 L&I violations2024: L&I violation$65K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangeL&I violationPermit
The paper trail

Traded 2×: $17K in 2006 → $50K in 2007 (+203%).

  1. 2006 $17KSold
  2. 2007 $50KSold
  3. 2018 2 L&I violationsL&I
  4. 2019 L&I violationL&I
  5. 2021 12 L&I violationsL&I
  6. 2024 L&I violationL&I

Flags: 2 open L&I violations. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).

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
1,278 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,388 sqft
Basement
Full
city code D
Exterior condition
Sealed / compromised
city code 7
Sealed / compromised
Interior condition
Sealed / compromised
city code 7
Sealed / compromised
Quality grade
E-
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 3922 Cambridge 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.

$65K
20%
6.875%
$700/mo

When this house last sold (2007) a 30-year mortgage ran about 6.34% — 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.

Next door: 3920 Cambridge St  ·  3924 Cambridge 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)