The Block Report

House report

944 Marcella St

3 bd · 1 ba · 2 stories · 1,078 sqft · RSA5 · built 1940

Absentee individual · assessed $161K · sold 3×. On the 900 block of Marcella St.

Property summary

Assessment$161KCity assessed value Last sale$127KRecorded 2019 Est. annual tax$2K/yearAssessment × 1.3998% Tax delinquency—Snapshot unavailable Permits4Dated events in report ViolationsNone openNone open when assembled

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

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Street view of 944 Marcella St
From the street — imagery © Google
From above — imagery © Esri, Maxar

What stands out

From the public record
Finding

Renovated & sold on

Why it matters

Bought for $127K in 2019, major alteration permit in 2018, sold for $127K in 2019 (+46%).

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

Built 1940: 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’re the landlord

No active rental license on file

If this property is rented, Philadelphia requires a Rental License (via eCLIPSE) — without it a landlord cannot legally collect rent or evict, and tenants can withhold. Licensing needs tax clearance and no open violations.

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
$161K
built 1940
Price / sq ft
$149
block $152 · in line w/ block
Appreciation
+116%
+7%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$161K
+7%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$2K
1.4% effective
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
—
Gross yield
-4978220.3%
≈$-667M/mo rent
Times sold
3

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

$0$100K$200K2018: 3 L&I violations 2018: L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed 2018: Major alteration 2018: Mechanical 2018: Plumbing 2018: Electrical2019: Sold $127K 2019: L&I violation 2019: Inspection failed ×22021: L&I violation 2021: Inspection failed ×32022: Inspection passed$161K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangeSaleL&I violationInspection

The paper trail

Renovated & sold on

Bought for $127K in 2019, major alteration permit in 2018, sold for $127K in 2019 (+46%).

  1. 2018 3 L&I violationsL&IL&I: 1 failed, 1 passedL&I visitMajor alterationPermitMechanicalPermitPlumbingPermitElectricalPermit
  2. 2019 $127KSoldL&I violationL&IInspection failed ×2L&I visit
  3. 2021 L&I violationL&IInspection failed ×3L&I visit
  4. 2022 Inspection passedL&I visit

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
1,078 sqft
livable area
Lot
930 sqft
Basement
Partial
city code H
Heat
Hot water / radiators
city code B
Central air
No
Garage
1 space
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 944 Marcella 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.

$161K
20%
6.875%
$700/mo

When this house last sold (2019) a 30-year mortgage ran about 3.94% — 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

944 Marcella St sits on the 900 block of Marcella St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.

See the whole block →

Next door: 942 Marcella St  ·  946 Marcella St

Where this comes from
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)