It's not easy to find great parking in the city, especially when you're renting. So consider 1010 N Bodine Street to be your lucky day! Many lucky days, in fact.

This 3 bedrooms 2.5 bath 2,400 sq townhouse comes with garage parking in a secure gated community. And it's available immediately!

Enjoy an open contemporary floor plan filled with tons of natural light and a finished basement. Walk to all of the cafes and restaurants. Accommodate family and friends in the large kitchen with pantry. Overlook the living room and cozy up in front of the fireplace. Hardwood floors throughout, tile in the baths and foyer with wall to wall carpets in the large finished basement. Washer and dryer on the bedroom level. 3 zone HVAC system keeps utility bills low, recessed lighting, beautiful vessel sinks and tile work in bathrooms, huge closets and tons of storage. Master suite has walk out deck and kitchen balcony. First month, last month, and security required.

$3,000 a month. For  more details, please contact the Somers Team.

OPEN HOUSE

Avenue Of The Arts

Sunday, May 20th 12-2pm

1204 S Carlisle Street

Offered at $245,000

Photo Gallery

Tour this 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath home with an Avenue of the Arts Location. This must see home has many original features as well as many upgraded features throughout.

Here are some of this home's impressive features:

• Vintage vestibule with stained glass
• Loft space
• Expansive kitchen with bar bar, granite, glass backsplash and marble flooring
• Finished basement for additional living space
• Large bedrooms
• Upgraded & Stunning bathrooms
• Full tiled powder room and bath with hand laid designs
• Crown molding throughout
• Hardwood flooring throughout
• Rear patio
• Great location – Walk to Center City, See a show on Broad Street, Shop and dine in Passyunk Square

If unable to tour these properties on Sunday call us to schedule your tour at 215-400-2600 - Ask for Chris or Stephanie Somers.

Remax Access - The Somers Team

Chris and Stephanie Somers

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Below is a before photo of a beautiful home we have listed at 1015 N 4th Street in Northern Liberties (only $359,900, BTW!). When we first visited this home, the layout had tons of potential but the way the furniture was positioned it really cluttered the space and did not show off the Open Flowing Layout people have come to love these days. As you see in the before photo below, the couch blocks off the dining area. Although this method of dividing rooms can translate very effectively in a huge oversized room, for the narrower rowhome so prevalent in Philadelphia, this method can backfire and give the illusion of a smaller space.

The current popular trend in home design in Philadelphia is for the main living spaces (kitchen living and dining areas) to flow together seamlessly. So we made some suggestions and the transformation was immediate. Below is the after photo. Notice how the room looks bigger, less cluttered and the Open Flowing Layout has been achieved by simply moving the couch that served as a room divider, out of the living room altogether.

To create a separation between rooms that will not effect the Open Flowing Layout that people are looking for, try these 3 tips:

1) One large piece of art or a large mirror on the wall can define a space and create a focal point for a room without taking up floor space.

2) A neutral colored floor rug that blends with the flooring can define a space without blocking the walking path or drawing too much attention through color to one area of the room.

3) Creatively placed soffets, chandeliers, and lighting can serve as an absolutely brilliant room divider without being at eye level or on the floor. This is my personal favorite solution.

Do you think you can implement these ideas into your home to improve flow? Have you done other things to create the same results in your space? I'd love to know.

Chris Somers, Realtor/Owner of Remax Access in Northern Liberties, was asked to speak at Career Day at Bodine High in Northern Liberties. Chris had a blast. There were other speakers as well, all discussing real jobs for today. It is important that our youth is not filled with messages of fear and foreboding about entering the work force. There are plenty of opportunities and it all starts with a little inspiration.

Stats: This 5th floor level studio condo is single and looking! Located in Old City's Historic Wireworks Penthouse...

301 Race Street, 515 is a total catch. The unit is very clean, offers a lot of storage, built in closets, high 12 foot ceilings, and tons of natural light. South facing, modern kitchen, Washer/Dryer included, central air/heat, all electric, marble counter-top, shower and floors, over-sized, arched windows, easy to maintain laminate wood flooring, and an attic area. The kitchen also features Lynchberg Cherry cabinets, sliding drawer trays, tile floors and glass and subway tile back splash. FHA Approved!

At $149,900, it won't be available for long...make your move! For  more details, please contact the Somers Team.

You're green at home, but how green is your business? This 790 square foot space (with 540 sq basement) at the award-winning Levesque Flats is seeking LEED Platinum Certification.  Rent this Commercial Space in Fishtown for just $2,050 a month. You can have it all at 206 E. Girard Avenue...

Finally, Environmentally Conscious Renters can live and work without compromising beliefs in an environmentally friendly world. This is a commercial storefront with exceptional foot traffic a few blocks from the Girard EL station, built with sustainable, recycled, and energy efficient materials. All the wood that built these flats has been salvaged, beautifully handcrafted, with recycled doors, flooring, and stairs. This commercial space has a backyard, raw bath, finished basement, 2 password protected web cameras, it's a MUST SEE! C2 Zoning.

Showings by appointment. For  more details, please contact the Somers Team.

Need a 2 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath with an Avenue of the Arts Location? Check out 1204 S Carlisle Street, a must-see home! Many of the original features have been retained and used to complete this transitional style home. A vintage vestibule with stained glass and original tile communicates a welcome home message the moment you cross the threshold. A loft space and finished basement adds more room for whatever it is you need to make your home more comfortable and convenient. Priced under $250,000, this home is a huge value and the upgraded kitchens and baths are sure to amaze. Full tiled powder room and bath, hand laid designs, and crown molding throughout. Marble kitchen floor and the remainder of the home is hardwood.

Go see a show on Broad Street. Walk to Center City restaurants and shopping. Stroll over to Passyunk Square for great pubs and BYOBs and local boutiques. This location has it all. Close to public transportation.

For  more details, please contact the Somers Team.

Looking for something fashion-savvy to do this Wednesday? InLiquid and SA VA combine forces for a special Shopping Party & Fundraiser held at SA VA in Rittenhouse Square. Proceeds will help support programming at InLiquid.  Curious about InLiquid? Check out the video feature we did with Rachel Zimmerman last year.

Has the Philadelphia Rental Market Gone Mad?

In the past, I would be upset when a current tenant would call and say they were leaving one of our investment properties that we owned.  I would be concerned that the rental amount might go down and even worse it might take a month or two to rent it out.  There is nothing worse than having a vacancy (or two) as a property owner!

However, in the last 6 months, when a tenant has said they are leaving, no worries!  In every single case, the property was rented out immediately, with multiple applications and a higher rent amount!!  In a few cases, the rent amount went up for my properties as much as 20 percent!

This is also the case for the rental properties that are listed on the MLS. It is amazing the number of Realtors that are working the rental circuit on the tenant side as often times there is no loyalty with an extremely fragmented market.  A potential tenant can see 10 properties with a Realtor all over town and then find a property on Craigslist. We specialize on the listing side of the equation due to all of the investors that are clients as well as some "accidental landlords".  Once listed, the competition is fierce...

 A few observations from the fierce market:

• Rental amounts keep going higher, with no end in sight
• The inventory of properties available for rent remains low which drives prices higher
• The demand for these properties is insanely high as folks remain skittish to buy
• When a new rental property comes up, there is a race to get to it!
• There are multiple applications for each property with very little negotiation on the rental price
• The Rental amounts are much higher than what the mortgage would be if the folks decided to buy instead
• Some Realtors are creating a nice niche in this field, while others are just being run around

For much of the younger generation, when all they have seen is the housing market go down down down every year since 2006, perhaps many of these people can only have a rental mindset as they are taught not to buy.  And others struggle to get financing since the credit markets are still tight, especially for self-employed people.   Add that on top of your regular rental market, and you get one of these situations where rents are escalating...a perfect storm, per se.

It is certainly benefiting investors who have been waiting for higher rents for some time.  And some savvy investors are buying up properties monthly in the very strong Philadelphia rental markets such as Fishtown, Northern Liberties, Port Richmond, Fairmount, Point Breeze and South Philly.  In addition to higher rents, the other benefit will be appreciation when the market eventually turns for at some point these renters will ask themselves that age old question "Why Rent When You Can Own?".

And when they start doing that, the pent-up demand that is building up will not only stabilize the Philadelphia housing market in 2012 but in my opinion, will send the market higher in 2013 for the first time in many years.

SEARCH FOR PHILADELPHIA RENTALS:

And as always, if you are looking to search for Philadelphia rentals, go to our award winning website - Search Philadelphia Rentals and Search by Philadelphia Lifestyle .

Today's Fresh Address takes us over to 800 N Lawrence Street, C in Northern Liberties.

This is Where It's At: Welcome to this charming 1 bedroom bi-level condo w/ a sunny loft space and many desirable features. As for location, walk to Honey's, Cafe la Maude, N 3rd, the Random Tea Room, and all of your favorite Northern Liberties spots.

Come On In: Enter in through a secure gated entrance leading to a private landscaped brick patio. The front door opens to the living/dining area and kitchen. The main level has neutral tile flooring, a soaring cathedral ceiling w/ new windows maximizing natural light, a full kitchen w/ white subway tile back splash, a peek through window (gas stove, dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave included). There is a powder room in the kitchen, a pantry, and storage closet, and storage nook. The 2nd floor offers a large open sun filled loft w/ (possible uses: den, guest room, office, library, etc...). There is a full updated bath, loft closet, huge double wide hall closet, and main bedroom. Hall laundry (washer/dryer included), new heater and air conditioning, low maintenance & condo fees, and efficient utilities.

Come check it out! For  more details, please contact the Somers Team.