Buying A Home and/or Investment Property in Manayunk, Philadelphia - A Realtor Tells His Story
I lived in Philadelphia for 8 years and attended Temple University. While I was living in Philadelphia I
moved all over the city from West Philly to Germantown and a few places in between, but when it came
time to buy my first home for my wife and I and our new born son we settled down in Manayunk. There
were a few reasons we chose Manayunk. Being young parents affordability and a safe neighborhood
topped our list. Sure we checked out some great places in South Philly, but none of them offered the
charm that Manayunk had. It really feels like a quaint old European town with the rolling hills and small
streets. But it also offers a great nightlife on Main St., great neighborhood bars tucked off the beaten
path, it's only an 18 minute ride to downtown Philadelphia, but also offers the canal and Wissahickon
Valley Park, and numerous playgrounds for the kids so there's really an abundance of everything you
could want. Our first home was a small 2 bedroom 1 bath rowhome with a decent backyard which was
another perk Manayunk offers that many places in Philladelphia don't. We're dog lovers so we needed a
yard and a pet friendly neighborhood which Manayunk is great for. However we knew that our first home
wasn't going to be forever, but I knew that my mortgage was less than what we could rent the house for so
when the time came we would become real estate investors.
We got a good deal on the house since it needed some updating and we immediately got to work
updating the kitchen, adding a patio in the backyard, and then just painting and restaining the floors. In
a down market we improved the value of our home by $40,000 (we had an appraisal done so we could
refinance)!!!! Not too shabby! Then a couple of years later my wife was pregnant again with our second
son. usually, it would be time to panic since we only had a small 2 bedroom rowhome, but we had thought
it all through from the get go and now with the upgrades on our Manayunk home we could rent it out for
$1,300 per month plenty enough to cover our mortgage and then some. So we became real
estate investors and found ourselves our new home in Bucks County where I grew up.
We've been renting out the Manayunk home for 3 years now and have expanded our investments to other
areas of Philadelphia as well. The Manayunk investment property has been great. It's only been vacant
for 5 days in the last 3 years and that's because we had to paint it when we moved out. We have found a
renter quickly each year and have continued to pay down the mortgage. We should have the home paid
off in about 15 years!
I tell you all this because not only do I believe Manayunk is a great place to live & invest, but to show you
it's not all that hard to do with the right Realtor their to guide you. In fact, I have helped others get into
the Manayunk area at great prices and they are now enjoying a great return on investment as well. Here
are what a few of my Manayunk clients had to say about working with me:
* Real Estate Investors in Newtown Grant & Manayunk, Philadelphia
"We have a couple of investments in Newtown Grant's Society Place, and we love the professional environment and were looking to purchase another condo investment in the neighborhood. We contacted Dale without knowing him, but after receiving a mailing of his that let us know he had expertise on condo's and investments. He showed us a condo in Society Place, but also began sharing his knowledge on different areas, and talked to us a good bit about positive cash flow and appreciation. He convinced us to take a ride down to Manayunk in Philadelphia to look at some real estate investments together. It wasn't long before we realized that cash flow and appreciation in Manayunk was definitely possible. After seeing about 20 properties in Manayunk, we put an offer in a place we fell in love with. An investment property that could also be our home. Dale was a strong negotiator and got us a fantastic deal. He also helped us with the getting tenants as we were new to the area. All the tenant applicants were young professionals and we were able to secure renters immediately. We are so grateful to Dale for introducing us to Manayunk and we are now looking forward to selling our Newtown Grant, Society Place condos to better invest our money in Manayunk because it has many advantages, including the positive cash flow, professional tenants, and great location."
The Whatley's Real Estate Investors in Society Place & Manayunk, Philadelphia
* First Time Investor Manayunk Philadelphia
"Dale did an amazing job helping me purchase my first investment property in Manyunk, Philadelphia. Being new to this type of endeavor, I really had to lean on his real estate investment expertise. I am very glad I did. His tireless energy, passion, and knowledge of his craft made a potentially stressful process go very smoothly. He always had my best interests in mind and was very easy to work with. I will definitely be using his services again!!"
Keith Derby Real Estate Investor Manayunk, Philadelphia
* First Time Home Buyer in Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA
"After several unsuccessful months of working with other realtors to buy a Manayunk home, I was referred to Prudential Fox & Roach by a friend. The Cosack Team set me up with Dale Cosack. Dale is a consummate real estate professional. He was very familiar with the Manayunk/Roxborough area, and found me my dream home in no time. As a first time buyer, he walked me through every step of the process and made sure that I fully understood everything. Most importantly, he made himself available for me whenever I had questions. In rare event that he was not available, his team stepped up and helped me out. He did a fantastic job of putting the every single detail of the deal together for me. I would recommend Dale Cosack to anyone looking for a Manayunk Realtor!
Thanks again for everything!"
- Kate Peters, Manayunk, PA
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All pictures are by Juli Cosack a preofessional photographer, artist & musician in the area. Check her out at http://www.julitoons.com
