The Block Report

House report

873 N 5th St

4 bd · 4 ba · 3 stories · 2,430 sqft · RSA5 · built 2013

Absentee individual · assessed $637K (2026) · 2027 OPA assessment $637K · sold 1×. On the 800 block of N 5th St.

Property summary

Assessment$637,2002026 OPA assessment · 2027: $637,200 Last sale$520KRecorded 2020 Est. tax bill$8,920/year2026 taxable assessment × 1.3998% Tax delinquencyNo 2022 matchNot proof account is current Permits10Every fetched City permit Violations0 open2 historical across 2 cases

“Open” reflects records available then historical records keep their source dates estimates are labeled

BlockReport AI · cited public records

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Street view of 873 N 5th St
From the street — imagery © Google
From above — imagery © Esri, Maxar

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.

Estimated annual Real Estate Tax$8,920/year

2026 taxable assessment $637,200 × 1.3998%. Estimate—not a bill or account balance.

OPA also publishes a 2027 assessment of $637,200; it is not the 2026 billed-year value.

Official current account balanceCheck live

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 056234005
Open Philadelphia Tax Center →Choose “View period balance” to see the tax year and any credit, interest, or delinquency.
Exemption classificationNo exemption shown

2026 taxable assessment equals the full assessed value.

Historical delinquency sources No current conclusion

This parcel did not match the June 2022 delinquency snapshot. That absence does not confirm the account is current today.

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 record
Finding

Torn down & rebuilt

Why it matters

demolished in 2013 and rebuilt (2013), then sold for $113K in 2013.

View supporting records →

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’re the landlord

If it is rented, verify the Rental License

The fetched license records do not show an active Rental License. Ownership type or a tax mailing address does not prove that tenants occupy the property; if it is rented, verify the current license and legal occupancy in eCLIPSE.

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
$637,200
2026 billed-year assessment · 2027: $637,200 · built 2013
Price / sq ft
$262
block $292 · below block
Appreciation
+11%
+1%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$638K
+1%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax bill / yr
$8,920
1.4% effective
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
No match
not proof the account is current
Gross yield
3.9%
≈$2K/mo rent
Times sold
1

Assessment vs. the block · every dated City record marked on the line

$0$500K$1.0M2016 OPA assessment: $574K2017 OPA assessment: $577K2018 OPA assessment: $577K2019 OPA assessment: $683K2020 OPA assessment: $706K2021 OPA assessment: $706K2022 OPA assessment: $706K2023 OPA assessment: $659K2024 OPA assessment: $659K2025 OPA assessment: $637K2026 OPA assessment: $637K2003 — 2003-03-09: Rental2012 — 2012-11-06: Administrative · 2012-12-12: Zoning board appeal2013 — Deed / sale $113K · Demolished · 2013-01-03: Zoning · 2013-01-08: Zoning/use · 2013-01-11: Demolition · 2013-02-04: New construction · 2013-05-31: Plumbing · 2013-04-03: Mechanical · 2013-04-18: Suppression · 2013-04-29: Electrical · 2013-06-06: PERMB- WK DONE W/O NOTIFY INSP · 2013-11-26: WORKMANLIKE- BUILDING CODE2014 — 2014-04-10: Rental$637K2003200720112015201920232026
This propertyBlock median & rangeDeed / saleTeardownL&I violationAppealPermitLicense
2014-04-10: Rental
Highlight
Every dated record16 events · scroll to browse
  1. LicenseRental
  2. L&I violationWORKMANLIKE- BUILDING CODE
  3. L&I violationPERMB- WK DONE W/O NOTIFY INSP
  4. PermitPlumbing
  5. PermitElectrical
  6. PermitSuppression
  7. PermitMechanical
  8. PermitNew construction
  9. PermitDemolition
  10. PermitZoning/use
  11. PermitZoning
  12. Deed / saleDeed / sale $113K
  13. TeardownDemolished
  14. AppealZoning board appeal
  15. PermitAdministrative
  16. LicenseRental

The paper trail

Torn down & rebuilt

demolished in 2013 and rebuilt (2013), then sold for $113K in 2013.

  1. 2013 ZoningPermitZoning/usePermitDemolitionPermit$113KSoldNew constructionPermitDemolishedTeardownPlumbingPermitMechanicalPermitSuppressionPermitElectricalPermitPlumbingPermit2 L&I violationsL&I

Browse the source ledger

The chart above is the primary timeline. This drawer preserves every underlying dated row and its filed status for source-level review.

Open the City record ↗
Browse 16 dated records deeds, permits, inspections, licenses, violations, certifications & appeals
  1. LicenseRental

    License 624753 · Inactive

    JOHN SARSON (HILLSIDE MANOR LLC) · Expires 2016-02-29 · Inactive 2016-04-29

  2. ViolationWORKMANLIKE- BUILDING CODE

    Case 447030 · Violation 3020120 · CLOSEDCASE

    City marked the case closed; that does not mean the original condition never existed.

  3. ViolationPERMB- WK DONE W/O NOTIFY INSP

    Case 474501 · Violation 2819777 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  4. PermitPlumbing

    Permit 474501 · COMPLETED

    INSTALLATION OF 5" LATERAL, 5" CURB TRAP, 1" WATER SERVICE

  5. PermitElectrical

    Permit 467873 · COMPLETED

    INSTALL A 200A SVC, 35 CKTS TOTAL, 50 OUTLETS, 20 SWITCHES, 25 LIGHTS & 8 120V SMOKES AS PER NEC 2008 (SFD)

  6. PermitSuppression

    Permit 459824 · COMPLETED

    FOR THE INSTALLATION OF A ONE (1) INCH COMBINED SERVICE LINE FOR A FIRE & DOMESTIC SUPPLY LINE WITH A WATER METER FOR A SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING. MULTIPURPOSE RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEM DESIGNED IN ACCORDANCE WITH NFPA 13D.

  7. PermitMechanical

    Permit 462698 · COMPLETED

    INSTALL 1 HVAC UNIT WITH ASSOCIATED DUCTWORK(SFD)

  8. PermitPlumbing

    Permit 461798 · COMPLETED

    INSTALLATION OF (2)LAVATORIES, (2)WATER CLOSETS, (2)BATHTUBS, KITCHEN SINK

  9. PermitNew construction

    Permit 447030 · COMPLETED

    ERECTION OF A THREE STORY ATTACHED FULLY SPRINKLED SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING PER SUBMITTED PLAN. SEPARATE PERMITS REQUIRED FOR ELECTRIC; PLUMBING; MECHANICAL AND FIRE SUPPRESSION SPRINKLER SYSTEM.

  10. PermitDemolition

    Permit 447495 · COMPLETED

    COMPLETE DEMOLITION OF ALL STRUCTURES TO CREATE VACANT LOT.

  11. PermitZoning/use

    Permit 446645 · COMPLETED

    FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN ATTACHED STRUCTURE FOR USE AS A SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING.

  12. PermitZoning

    Permit 435613 · COMPLETED

    RELOCATION OF LOT LINES TO CREATE FOUR (4) LOTS FROM THREE (3) LOTS. TO DEMOLISH ALL EXISTING STRUCTURES ON THE LOTS AND FOR THE ERECTION OF A SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING IN AN ATTACHED STRUCTURE.

  13. Recorded transfer$113K transfer

    2013

  14. AppealZoning board appeal

    Appeal 19342 · CLOSED · Granted

    Related permit 435613 · PERMIT FOR THE COMPLETE DEMOLITION OF ALL STRUCTURES ON EXISTING LOTS, FOR THE RELOCATION OF LOT LINES TO CREATE FOUR (4) LOTS FROM THREE (3) EXISTING LOTS (873, 875 & 877 N. 5TH STREET) AND FOR THE ERECTION OF ONE (1) ATTACHED STRUCTURE (H

  15. PermitAdministrative

    Permit 434980 · EXPIRED

    CERTIFICATION STATEMENT FOR OCCUPANCY OF A SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING BY NOT MORE THAN THREE PERSONS UNRELATED BY BLOOD OR MARRIAGE OR ADOPTION.

  16. LicenseRental

    License 226969 · Inactive

    KEN CREST CENTERS · Expires 2007-02-28 · Inactive 2012-12-22

What this record suggests

The City file documents 10 permits touching kitchen work, bathroom work, electrical work, plumbing. 9 carries a completed, issued, or approved status; that documents the filing, not the present quality of the work.

Flags: 1 zoning/board appeal on record. 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
4
Bathrooms
4
Stories
3
Interior
2,430 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,666 sqft
Basement
Full, finished
city code A
Heat
Forced hot air
city code A
Central air
Yes
Exterior condition
Above average
city code 3
Interior condition
Above average
city code 3
Quality grade
B-
assessor's grade
Zoning
RSA5
city zoning code
Zoning appeals
1
CLOSED · Granted · 2012

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

Run the numbers

What owning 873 N 5th 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.

$637K
20%
6.875%
$2K/mo

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 use this parcel's taxable assessment, not a live Tax Center balance.

Block context

873 N 5th St sits on the 800 block of N 5th St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.

See the whole block →

Next door: 871 N 5th St  ·  875 N 5th St

Where this comes from
Methodology & freshness

This report was assembled Jul 10, 2026, 11:13 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. For this property: Permits: queried · Violations: queried · Investigations: queried · Appeals: queried · Licenses: queried · Building certifications: queried. “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)