Public Records
Edition
Philadelphia3900 block of N 9th StJuly 9, 2026

House report

3952 N 9th St

3 bd · 1 ba · 2 stories · 1,024 sqft · RSA6 · built 1920

Owner-occupied · assessed $116K · sold 6×. On the 3900 block of N 9th St.

Street view of 3952 N 9th 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 $227/yr reflects a 10-year abatement. It jumps to about $1,627/yr in 2027 — $1,400/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.

Zoned RSA6: one household by right

Single-family attached, small lot. 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 2027 it can — knocking about $1,400/yr off the full bill.

$738 in back taxes on record

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

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
$116K
built 1920
Price / sq ft
$113
block $105 · above block
Appreciation
+85%
+6%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$117K
+6%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$227
0.2% effective, abated
Gross yield
Times sold
6

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

$0$100K$200KBefore this chart — 2005: Sold $40K 2005: Sold $47K 2008: 5 L&I violations 2008: Sold $22K 2009: Sold $68K 2010: 3 L&I violations 2013: L&I violation 2015: Plumbing2017: Sold $35K2024: Sold $75K2025: Alterations 2025: Wall Covering Replacement$116K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangeSalePermit
The paper trail

Bought for $40K in 2005, built new under a 2015 permit (tax-abated), sold for $75K in 2024.

  1. 2005 $40KSold$47KSold
  2. 2008 5 L&I violationsL&I$22KSold
  3. 2009 $68KSold
  4. 2010 3 L&I violationsL&I
  5. 2013 L&I violationL&I
  6. 2015 PlumbingPermit
  7. 2017 $35KSold
  8. 2024 $75KSold
  9. 2025 AlterationsPermitWall Covering ReplacementPermit

Flags: tax-abated — the bill lags real value · $738 back taxes. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).

The abatement clock

This house pays about $227/yr under a 10-year tax abatement. In 2027 the bill reaches its full ~$1,627/yr — a step up of $1,400/yr. Drag the slider.

2016: ~$880/yr2017: ~$733/yr2018: ~$880/yr2019: ~$129/yr2020: ~$0/yr2021: ~$0/yr2022: ~$0/yr2023: ~$43/yr2024: ~$43/yr2025: ~$0/yr2026: ~$0/yr2027: ~$227/yr2028: ~$1,627/yr (projected)201620272028
2027~$227/yrfrom the record

now: ($116,200 assessed − $99,983 abated) × 1.3998% ≈ $227/yr 2027: $116,200 assessed × 1.3998% ≈ $1,627/yr Flat 100% exemption (pre-2022 program, started 2017), 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
Bathrooms
1
Stories
2
Interior
1,024 sqft
livable area
Lot
816 sqft
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Interior condition
Average
city code 4
Quality grade
C
assessor's grade
Zoning
RSA6
city zoning code

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

Run the numbers

What owning 3952 N 9th 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.

$75K
20%
6.875%
$825/mo

When this house last sold (2024) a 30-year mortgage ran about 6.72% — 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: 3950 N 9th St  ·  3954 N 9th 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)