Public Records
Edition
Philadelphia500 block of E Godfrey AveJuly 9, 2026

House report

578 E Godfrey Ave

3 bd · 1 ba · 2 stories · 1,454 sqft · RSA5 · built 1925

Owner-occupied · assessed $197K · sold 3×. On the 500 block of E Godfrey Ave.

Street view of 578 E Godfrey Ave
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 $0/yr reflects a 10-year abatement. It jumps to about $2,755/yr in 2031 — $2,755/yr more. Price the full bill, not the current one.

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

When the abatement ends, file for Homestead

An abated home cannot also take the Homestead Exemption. From 2031 it can — knocking about $1,400/yr off the full bill.

$329 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
$197K
built 1925
Price / sq ft
$135
block $144 · below block
Appreciation
+108%
+7%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$197K
+7%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
—
Gross yield
—
Times sold
3

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

$0$125K$250KBefore this chart — 2002: Sold $35K 2004: Sold $65K 2005: Sold $116K 2008: 3 L&I violations 2011: 2 L&I violations 2013: Electrical 2015: Plumbing2022: Alterations 2022: Alterations$197K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangePermit
The paper trailNew construction

Bought for $35K in 2002, built new under a 2013 permit (tax-abated), sold for $116K in 2005.

  1. 2002 $35KSold
  2. 2004 $65KSold
  3. 2005 $116KSold
  4. 2008 3 L&I violationsL&I
  5. 2011 2 L&I violationsL&I
  6. 2013 ElectricalPermit
  7. 2015 PlumbingPermit
  8. 2022 AlterationsPermitAlterationsPermit

Flags: tax-abated — the bill lags real value · $329 back taxes (2016, $5 of it interest & penalties). 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 2031 the bill reaches its full ~$2,755/yr — a step up of $2,755/yr, 4 assessment years out. Drag the slider.

2016: ~$901/yr2017: ~$901/yr2018: ~$901/yr2019: ~$777/yr2020: ~$763/yr2021: ~$0/yr2022: ~$0/yr2023: ~$0/yr2024: ~$0/yr2025: ~$0/yr2026: ~$0/yr2027: ~$0/yr2028: ~$0/yr (projected)2029: ~$0/yr (projected)2030: ~$0/yr (projected)2031: ~$2,755/yr (projected)2032: ~$2,755/yr (projected)201620312032
2027~$0/yrfrom the record

now: ($196,800 assessed − $196,800 abated) × 1.3998% ≈ $0/yr 2031: $196,800 assessed × 1.3998% ≈ $2,755/yr Flat 100% exemption (pre-2022 program, started 2021), 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
1,454 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,218 sqft
Basement
Full
city code D
Heat
Undetermined
city code H
Central air
No
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Interior condition
Average
city code 4
Quality grade
C+
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 578 E Godfrey Ave 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.

$197K
20%
6.875%
$1K/mo

When this house last sold (2005) a 30-year mortgage ran about 5.87% — 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: 576 E Godfrey Ave  ·  580 E Godfrey Ave

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)