2026 taxable assessment $34,200 × 1.3998%. Estimate—not a bill or account balance.
OPA also publishes a 2027 assessment of $129,700; it is not the 2026 billed-year value.
House report
6251 E Wister St
3 bd · 1 ba · 2 stories · 1,088 sqft · RSA5 · built 1925
Owner-occupied · assessed $134K (2026) · 2027 OPA assessment $130K · sold 3×. On the 6200 block of E Wister St.
Property summary
Assessment$134,2002026 OPA assessment · 2027: $129,700
Last sale$150KRecorded 2021
Est. tax bill$479/year2026 OPA · Homestead-adjusted
Tax delinquency—Snapshot unavailable
Permits4Dated events in report
Violations0 openNo historical match in fetched records
“Open” reflects records available then historical records keep their source dates estimates are labeled
BlockReport AI · cited public records
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Property tax
The estimate, live balance, and back-tax record are different.
BlockReport can calculate the annual tax from the City’s taxable assessment. Payments, credits, interest, and a current amount due live separately in Philadelphia Tax Center.
A Tax Center balance is net of bills, payments, credits, interest, and adjustments. A credit—or an amount due—is not automatically “back taxes.”
OPA 1725405002026 OPA removes $100,000 from the taxable assessment through the owner-occupant exemption.
Historical delinquency sources Record found
The June 2022 delinquency snapshot was not verifiably available in this cached report. No conclusion about a match—or today’s balance—can be drawn from that absence.
A separate historical parcel ledger ending in 2016 records $13,178.94 and a lien entry. It is shown as historical context only.
2004$845.48 total · $0.00 principal · $367.52 interest · $36.88 penalty2005$504.10 total · -$43.94 principal · $430.03 interest · $37.04 penalty2006$424.43 total · -$100.00 principal · $404.88 interest · $37.04 penalty2007$922.22 total · $369.16 principal · $434.76 interest · $37.04 penalty2008$1,109.30 total · $568.70 principal · $418.00 interest · $39.81 penalty2009$1,055.05 total · $568.70 principal · $366.82 interest · $39.81 penalty2010$538.17 total · $300.13 principal · $166.57 interest · $21.01 penalty2011$1,038.12 total · $624.99 principal · $290.62 interest · $43.75 penalty2012$1,015.37 total · $649.07 principal · $243.40 interest · $45.43 penalty2013$986.98 total · $672.41 principal · $191.63 interest · $47.07 penalty2014$1,887.54 total · $1,339.13 principal · $261.13 interest · $93.74 penalty2015$1,759.79 total · $1,339.13 principal · $140.61 interest · $93.74 penalty2016$1,092.39 total · $919.37 principal · $15.30 interest · $9.19 penalty
For a purchase, refinance, or closing, request the City’s official Property Payoff statement in Tax Center under “More options.”
What stands out
From the public recordRenovated & sold on
Why it mattersBought for $3K in 2015, major alteration permit in 2017, sold for $150K in 2021 (+9900%).
View supporting records →Legal due diligence
What this record proves—and what it does not.
These checks are triggered by this property’s actual City rows. They identify the controlling document to verify; they do not declare a use legal, a building safe, or title clear.
3 verify
VerifyA rental license does not transfer with the deedThe parcel summary indicates an active Rental License; a detailed license row is not present in this payload.
Why it mattersIf dwelling space is rented, the buyer must obtain a new annual Rental License; the seller’s license is not transferable. New applications require proof of ownership and legal occupancy, tax compliance, no open L&I violations, and lead compliance where applicable.
Verify nextPlan the buyer’s replacement license before settlement.
Open the controlling City guidance ↗VerifyLead compliance is a separate recordOPA records a 1925 build year; BlockReport does not receive the Health Department’s unit-level lead certificate file.
Why it mattersPhiladelphia requires covered pre-March-1978 rentals to be certified lead-safe or lead-free for a new or renewed lease and for a new or renewed Rental License. A certificate is unit-specific; a renovation does not by itself create an exemption.
Verify nextRequest the current lead certificate or City exemption for every dwelling unit.
Open the controlling City guidance ↗VerifyHomestead is tied to owner occupancy and the deedOPA shows the Homestead Exemption.
Why it mattersPhiladelphia limits Homestead to an owner’s primary residence. The City says a deed change can require a new application or update.
Verify nextA buyer should apply in their own name and not assume the seller’s benefit continues.
Open the controlling City guidance ↗Closing file: checks no public-record summary can replace5 documents/searches to assign before settlement
Property Sales Certification
The seller must obtain Philadelphia’s certificate showing the base zoning, last use in the zoning record, and open violations. The City warns that it does not prove Building Code occupancy or show zoning overlays.
Next: Obtain the fresh certificate and compare it with the CO, permits, and Atlas overlays.
Official guidance ↗Date-effective City Property Payoff
The Tax Center Property Payoff covers Real Estate Tax, Commercial Trash, and L&I abatement-work invoices. Philadelphia says it does not include business-tax debts or liens, water and sewer charges, or fines for code violations.
Next: Request the City statement effective through settlement; read every period and invoice.
Official guidance ↗Professional title and water-lien searches
OPA ownership, deed summaries, and a zero tax balance are not clear title. Mortgages, judgments, municipal claims, water liens, easements, heirs, and other encumbrances require separate searches.
Next: Use a Pennsylvania lawyer/title company and obtain owner’s title insurance; order the separate water search/payoff.
Official guidance ↗Separate water-lien guidance ↗Seller-specific tax relief is not the buyer’s bill
LOOP and low-income or senior Real Estate Tax freezes depend on the qualifying owner and continued program eligibility; a buyer cannot assume the seller’s capped or frozen bill continues. A separately verified property abatement often remains with the property for its remaining term, but program-specific new-owner filing, use, and tax-compliance conditions still must be confirmed—not inferred from the reduced assessment alone.
Next: Have Revenue or OPA identify every current benefit, model the buyer’s bill without seller-specific relief, and confirm any verified abatement in writing.
Official guidance ↗Separate water-lien guidance ↗Seller disclosure and independent inspections
For a covered Pennsylvania residential transfer, obtain the statutory seller disclosure. It reports the seller’s knowledge; it is not a warranty, title search, code review, or substitute for inspections. Because OPA dates this building before 1978, separately obtain the required federal/City lead disclosures and any test results.
Next: Have the agreement and disclosure reviewed for this transaction’s coverage and exceptions.
Official guidance ↗Informational only—not a legal opinion, title report, code inspection, tax payoff, or substitute for a Pennsylvania lawyer, title company, inspector, or tax professional.
Records 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.
Post-purchase work pattern
A recorded purchase followed by 2 permit events matches the early part of a renovate-and-resell sequence.
Evidence: purchase recorded in 2021 · permit activity in 2024
Limit: This does not show that the property is listed or that a sale is planned.
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
$13,179 in the historical tax ledger through 2016
Historical context only, not a current payoff figure; that ledger also contains a lien entry. Verify today's balance and lien status directly with Philadelphia Revenue before relying on it.
If you’re the landlord
Lead certificate is not optional
Built 1925: every rental unit needs a lead-safe or lead-free certificate on file with the City. Without one: fines up to $2,000/day per unit, tenants may withhold rent, courts can order rent refunded — and no eviction will stand.
Licensed rental — keep it that way
Renewal requires city tax clearance and zero open L&I violations on the property. A lapsed license suspends the right to collect rent or evict.
Derived from the fetched property records and linked City guidance as of 2026. Assessment treatment is not a substitute for an exemption approval, live balance, title report, license, occupancy certificate, or inspection. 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
$134,200
2026 billed-year assessment · 2027: $129,700 · built 1925
Price / sq ft
$119
block $119 · in line w/ block
Appreciation
+69%
+5%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$130K
+5%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax bill / yr
$479
0.37% effective
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
—
Gross yield
-6168080.2%
≈$-667M/mo rent
Times sold
3
licensed rental
Value vs. the block, over time — sales, permits & L&I events marked on the line
This houseBlock median & rangeSaleL&I violationPermit
The paper trail
Renovated & sold onBought for $3K in 2015, major alteration permit in 2017, sold for $150K in 2021 (+9900%).
- 2014 L&I: 1 failed, 1 passedL&I visit
- 2015 3 L&I violationsL&I$3KSold
- 2016 3 L&I violationsL&IInspection failed ×3L&I visit
- 2017 Major alterationPermit3 L&I violationsL&IL&I: 4 failed, 3 passedL&I visit
- 2018 Major alterationPermit
- 2021 $150KSold
- 2024 Roof Covering ReplacementPermitAddition and/or AlterationPermit
Flags: active rental license · historical tax ledger through 2016 recorded $13K with a lien entry. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).
The property, on paper
The city assessor's field record — the physical spec sheet behind the assessed number.
Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
1
Stories
2
Interior
1,088 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,408 sqft
Basement
Full
city code D
Heat
Hot water / radiators
city code B
Central air
No
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Above averageBelow average
Interior condition
Average
city code 4
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 6251 E Wister St 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 (2021) a 30-year mortgage ran about 2.96% — 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 use this parcel's taxable assessment, not a live Tax Center balance.
Block context
6251 E Wister St sits on the 6200 block of E Wister St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.
See the whole block →Next door: 6249 E Wister St · 6253 E Wister St
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
This report was assembled Jul 10, 2026, 3:32 AM ET. Available City datasets are queried from OpenDataPhilly (phl.carto.com) and the cited City ArcGIS feeds; record queries paginate rather than silently taking a first page. “Unavailable” means the source query failed or was not supplied, not “no record.” Reports re-pull on view after seven days and on an overnight rolling schedule; citywide benchmarks recompute weekly. Source dates still govern: the parcel-level tax-delinquency snapshot is June 2022 and the separate detailed tax ledger ends in 2016, so neither establishes today’s balance. The live balance and date-effective payoff must be verified in Tax Center. AI-written passages are grounded in the assembled record and rejected if they state a number the record does not hold.
Official city record ↗ · L&I history ↗ · See the whole block · Download this record (JSON)