What $500K Will Buy You in Point Breeze

Nice offerings abound in this neighborhood, all of them new or newly renovated.


1941 (or 1943) Wilder St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146 | Bright MLS image via Keller Williams Realty

Point Breeze has served for some time now as the poster child for gentrification in Philadelphia, with all the accompanying sturm und drang over the issue.

But even many longtime Point Breezers will tell you that they welcome the better neighborhood amenities that have come with the new arrivals. And luckily for you, builders continue to put up houses in Point Breeze that have some pretty nice amenities themselves.

We found more homes for sale in the middle of the market in Point Breeze this week than in any of the other communities we’ve checked out recently — our search of listings on Zillow produced 12. And like those “pricey” homes in Brewerytown, all of them are either brand-new or newly rehabbed. Here are a few representative examples of what you can expect to find:

1941 and 1943 Wilder St. (above) | each 3 beds, 3 baths, square footage unavailable, $475,000

These are two identical-twin row houses that typify the God-is-in-the-details approach Point Breeze builders take towards building and renovating homes. They may be vanilla boxes, but they’re trimmed with elements that add a touch of class, like marble backsplashes in these homes’ kitchens. Other nice touches include floating dual vanities in the master bedrooms and wet bars at the bases of the stairs leading from the master suites to the roof decks. Both also have large paved rear patios fenced in pressure-treated wood.

1941 Wilder St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146 [Nicholas Giganti | Keller Williams Realty – Philadelphia South]
1943 Wilder St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146 [Nicholas Giganti | Keller Williams Realty – Philadelphia South]

Bright MLS image via Coldwell Banker Preferred

1817 Dickinson St. | 3 beds, 3 baths, square footage unavailable, $489,000

The details that builder Green Tomato used to set this home apart from other vanilla boxes are a little splashier than those in the Wilder Street pair. For starters, the main living/dining area boasts built-in speakers and a fireplace, and the kitchen has a wine cooler among its array of appliances. A glass divider and accent lighting show off the staircase, the master bath has a three-head shower, and you’ll find another wine fridge in the wet bar just inside of your top-floor deck. The exterior also plays a little nicer with its neighbors than is typical for new Point Breeze houses. Its exterior mix of brick and wood trim gives it warmth that comes close to matching its neighbors, and its top floor is set back from the facade by that deck. The paved patio in the rear also has room for plantings. And all this will run you a mere $14,000 more than the homes above.

1817 Dickinson St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146 [Larry Levin | Coldwell Banker Preferred]

TREND image via Century 21 Advantage Gold

1718 Alter St. | 3 beds, 2 full, 1 half baths, 1,720 square feet, $499,900

Some of you may recall a TV commercial for plumbing fixtures in which a woman challenges a starchitect to design a house around a bathroom faucet. We sensed something similar was going on with the light fixture in the kitchen of this place. It’s definitely the standout element in this renovated home’s main floor, which is a vanilla box painted light gray. The Shaker-style cabinets and the glass tile backsplash finish the clean, modern look the light fixture promises. This home boasts two decks, one directly off the master suite and a second atop it. Together they make great outdoor hangouts. The facade of the home has a little more metal than we would like to see but again makes an effort to play nice with its neighbors.

1718 Alter St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146 [David Lombardo | Century 21 Advantage Gold]