What $500K Will Buy You in Bryn Mawr

Three homes, three different styles, one price (give or take $900).


11 Arthur Rd., Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010 | TREND image via BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors

Want evidence of how hot the area real estate market is these days? Try searching for homes selling near the middle of the market, like our $500,000 price point. In community after community, you will find relatively slim pickings.

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You will rarely, however, find relatively slim pickings all priced the same.

But that’s what we found this week in Bryn Mawr. We found a total of four properties within our price range of $475,000 to $525,000. One of them was a house that has office space on the first floor and an apartment above. The other three houses represent three different styles — Tudor, rancher and Colonial — and all three are in great shape.

All three are also just about identically priced. One of them lists for $900 more than $499,000, while the other two sell for that amount on the nose.

So what will $499,000 buy you in Bryn Mawr? Read on.

11 Arthur Rd. (above) | 3 beds, 1 full, 1 half baths, 1,396 square feet, $499,900

So what does that extra $900 buy you? A huge rear deck and an in-ground pool, that’s what. That strikes us as a small price to pay for a couple of really nice extra amenities tacked on to the back of this well-kept, attractive Tudor cottage just steps from the heart of Bryn Mawr. The agent describes this home as “straight out of [House] and Garden magazine,” and we’re inclined to agree with her: its owners have given its interior a heap of style and flair by mixing traditional furniture with reclaimed, found and vintage accessories and objects, all of which form a single ensemble thanks to the large archways between living room, dining room and sun room that give the main floor an open-plan feel. You might want to get the contact info for their interior designer should you buy this handsome home, ask them for advice on furnishing it if they did it themselves, or just offer to buy the furniture too. But what about the house itself, you ask? It’s got all the features and amenities you might want, including a nice brick fireplace in the living room.

11 Arthur Rd., Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010 [Erica Deuschle | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]

1 Black Friar Rd., Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010 | TREND image via BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors

1 Black Friar Rd. | 3 beds, 2 baths, 1942 square feet, $499,000

This handsome Colonial feels more like a contemporary home on the inside thanks to a recent top-to-bottom refresh that gave the rooms clean lines throughout and recessed lighting in the living room, kitchen and master bedroom. The master bedroom also got a soaring, vaulted ceiling with exposed beams in the course of the makeover. The efficient main floor layout has the eat-in kitchen with breakfast bar spanning the back of the home, joining the living room with its handsome fireplace and the dining room with its large bay window at their rear. Large archways in the front of the two rooms lead to the entrance foyer and stairs to the bedrooms. The owners have done one thing that will make life easier for you: in addition to the regular washer and dryer in the basement, they’ve installed an LG combination washer-dryer unit on the second floor. The stone terrace out back is perfect for outdoor entertaining.

1 Black Friar Rd., Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010 [Lynne Garrity Mayer | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]

911 Academy Lane, Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010 | TREND image via Long & Foster Real Estate

911 Academy Lane | 3 beds, 2 baths, 1,952 square feet, $499,000

You might note the similar basic stats between the two identically priced homes — this one has 10 more interior square feet of space than the other — but the similarities end there. This one’s a handsome rancher that’s been well maintained over the years. Its main floor features three distinct levels: the bedrooms are a few steps up from the huge open foyer while the living room is a few steps down. The living room has a beautiful full-height stone fireplace and the eat-in kitchen got a new Thermador cooktop and wall oven to go with its classic 1950s cabinetry. Both the master and hall bathrooms likewise combine newer fixtures with their original tilework. The laundry facilities are in the unfinished walkout basement, and there’s a huge backyard for outdoor fun and relaxation. The home’s basic systems have all been recently replaced.

911 Academy Lane, Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010 [Lisa Leven-Kahn | Long & Foster Real Estate]