Frequently traded
Why it mattersTraded 5×: $17K in 2006 → $125K in 2020 (+635%).
View supporting records →House report
5221 W Clarkson Ave
3 bd · 1 ba · 2 stories · 1,026 sqft · RSA5 · built 1925
Owner-occupied · assessed $157K · sold 5×. On the 5200 block of W Clarkson Ave.
Property summary
Assessment$157KCity assessed value
Last sale$125KRecorded 2020
Est. annual tax$2K/yearAssessment × 1.3998%
Tax delinquency—Snapshot unavailable
Permits0Dated events in report
ViolationsNone openNone open when assembled
“Open” reflects records available then historical records keep their source dates estimates are labeled
BlockReport AI · cited public records
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Question or correct this record
BlockReport can explain a discrepancy, but it cannot rewrite an official City record. Use the agency that owns the underlying fact:
What stands out
From the public recordRecords to verify together
Rule-based groupings across this property's dated public records. Each flag shows the records that belong in the same verification step and where the inference stops.
Assessment/permit mismatch
The assessment jumped 102% in 2023, but no matching permit appears in the property timeline.
Evidence: assessment moved from $56,600 to $114,100 · no permit shown in 2022-2024
Limit: Not proof of unpermitted work; reassessment, corrected data, or a permit under another parcel can also explain it.
Transparent record rules, not a score or forecast. Each flag is a prompt to verify the cited records, not a prediction or allegation.
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 1925: 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.
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
$157K
built 1925
Price / sq ft
$153
block $117 · above block
Appreciation
+329%
+14%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$158K
+14%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$2K
1.4% effective
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
—
Gross yield
6%
≈$787/mo rent
Times sold
5
kept in the family
Value vs. the block, over time — sales, permits & L&I events marked on the line
This houseBlock median & rangeSalePermit
The paper trail
Frequently tradedTraded 5×: $17K in 2006 → $125K in 2020 (+635%).
- 2006 $17KSold
- 2007 $35KSold$90KSold
- 2012 $27KSold
- 2014 L&I violationL&IL&I: 1 failed, 1 passedL&I visit
- 2015 L&I violationL&IInspection failedL&I visit
- 2020 $125KSold
Flags: long-held within one family. 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
1,026 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,381 sqft
Basement
Full, unfinished
city code C
Heat
Forced hot air
city code A
Central air
No
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Above averageBelow average
Interior condition
Above average
city code 3
Above averageBelow average
Quality grade
C
assessor's grade
ABCDE
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 5221 W Clarkson Ave takes, at your price and your rate. Taxes start with an annual estimate from the City’s taxable assessment, not a current bill or balance; rent starts at the area median. Assessed value is not an asking price — set the price slider to the real one.
When this house last sold (2020) a 30-year mortgage ran about 3.1% — 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.
Block context
5221 W Clarkson Ave sits on the 5200 block of W Clarkson Ave. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.
See the whole block →Next door: 5219 W Clarkson Ave · 5223 W Clarkson Ave
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.
Official city record ↗ · L&I history ↗ · See the whole block · Download this record (JSON)