Public Records
Edition
Philadelphia600 block of E Johnson StJuly 9, 2026

House report

618 E Johnson St

3 bd · 1 ba · 2 stories · 1,260 sqft · RSA5 · built 2008

Owner-occupied · assessed $199K · sold 4×. On the 600 block of E Johnson St.

Street view of 618 E Johnson 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

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.

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
$199K
built 2008
Price / sq ft
$158
block $130 · above block
Appreciation
+39%
+3%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$199K
+3%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$3K
1.4% effective
Gross yield
5.9%
≈$979/mo rent
Times sold
4

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

$0$100K$200KBefore this chart — 2007: L&I violation 2007: Zoning/use 2007: Major alteration 2008: Major alteration 2008: Plumbing 2008: Mechanical 2008: Electrical 2008: Sold $124K2018: 2 L&I violations 2018: L&I: 2 failed, 1 passed2025: 2 L&I violations 2025: Inspection failed$199K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangeL&I violationPermit
The paper trail

built new under a 2007 permit, sold for $124K in 2008.

  1. 2007 L&I violationL&IZoning/usePermitMajor alterationPermit
  2. 2008 Major alterationPermitPlumbingPermitMechanicalPermitElectricalPermit$124KSold
  3. 2018 2 L&I violationsL&IL&I: 2 failed, 1 passedL&I visit
  4. 2025 2 L&I violationsL&IInspection failedL&I visit

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
1,260 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,118 sqft
Basement
Partial, finished
city code E
Heat
Forced hot air
city code A
Central air
Yes
Garage
1 space
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Interior condition
Above average
city code 3
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 618 E Johnson 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.

$199K
20%
6.875%
$975/mo

When this house last sold (2008) a 30-year mortgage ran about 6.03% — 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: 616 E Johnson St  ·  620 E Johnson 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)