Around the Block: 10/14/2022

October 17, 2022 BY JEFF CITY BLOCK

Time to vote, our new and current listings, and Philly happenings. If you’d like to discuss real estate or anything in this newsletter please send me an email: [email protected]. This edition of Around the Block was originally published on Friday, 10/14/22.

10/14/2022

Relevant Commentary, all information Philly (real estate and otherwise), Open Houses, Listings, Happenings, and More — by Jeff “City” Block

Vote!

Immediacy can make things seem like the “most important.” In sports, in business, in so many areas of life. And nowhere is this said more than elections: “This is the most important election ever.” I am sure Americans felt that way ever since the election of 1800. Do you think they felt that way in 1860? 1960? 2016?

The truth is that every election is important, and every vote is important. So please make a plan to vote in this upcoming election on Tuesday, November 8th, or before if you have a mail-in ballot. It is not a presidential election obviously, but in Pennsylvania, we will elect our next governor to a four-year term and our next United States senator to a six-year term (among other elections). In Philadelphia, we will also elect four members of City Council, as that number of Council Members have recently resigned to run (or explore running) for mayor in 2023. Here is some basic information on the candidates running in the councilmanic election. Significantly, the Philadelphia mail-in ballots were delayed this year (just mailed out this week) due to the recency of these City Council resignations.

Both in-person and mail-in voting are excellent, secure, and accurate ways to vote. You obviously need to be registered to vote in any manner and must request a mail-in ballot if you prefer to vote by mail. If you have not registered or requested a ballot (if voting by mail) you should do both of these things immediately as the deadlines are fast approaching and your mail-in ballot must be processed, mailed to you, properly completed, and returned by mail or drop box by election day.

You can register to vote in PA here.

You can request a mail-in ballot here.

If in Philly and voting in person, you can look up where you vote on November 8th here.

If you are voting by mail in Philadelphia, and are concerned with the speed or reliability of the US mail, or are voting last minute and concerned your ballot may not be delivered by the November 8th deadline, you can drop off your mail-in ballot at one of the 17 secure, video monitored, fire-proof drop boxes throughout the city. The location of these drop boxes can be found here, and you can read more about these drop boxes and their locations here.

Mail-in ballots are really convenient, but you must be sure to complete your ballot exactly as stated in the directions. This is because if you do not, then your ballot may not be counted with no opportunity to fix your mistake. This is based on a decision earlier this week when the US Supreme Court vacated a 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that stated that undated ballots (that were otherwise compliant and timely) must be counted. Now, if you forget to date your ballot, it may not be counted, even if your voting preference is clear and the ballot was received in time. So make sure your ballot is returned in the secrecy envelope and dated and signed everywhere required (inside and out).

Both the PA Gubernatorial and Senatorial elections are predicted to be extremely close. Every vote can make a difference and literally change history.

Go back to 2000 for a clear example. That was the year of the perfect storm when the election was decided by the United States Supreme Court after several thousand Florida voters (demographically, mostly elderly Jewish Democrats) voted for candidate Pat Buchanan in the likely mistaken belief they were voting for Al Gore. First, the infamous “Butterfly Ballot” was confusing. Second, the Palm Beach County voting districts in question were strongly liberal-leaning. And third, Pat Buchanan was a renowned conservative who actually left the Republican party to run to its right. Buchanan appeared on the Today Show two days after the election and this is what he said:

“MATT LAUER: I’m fine. Not the way you wanted your name used in the headlines after the election, but there it is nonetheless. What do you make of all this, Pat?

PAT BUCHANAN: Well, you know, I looked at it as closely as you folks have, but it does seem to me that those are probably not my vote in those precincts in Palm Beach County, the out-size nature of my vote. And I’ve looked at that ballot, and it is–on the left side, it is Bush and then Gore, one, two, but if you–the dots, one, two, are Bush, Buchanan. And so my guess is I probably got some votes down there that really did not belong to me. And I feel–I do not feel well about that. I don’t want to take any votes that don’t belong to me. And…

LAUER: That’s kind of the tip of the iceberg, though. If we look at a couple of thousand votes that may have gone your way because of that, then we have to look at the bigger issue, 19,000-plus votes…

BUCHANAN: Mm-hmm.

LAUER: …that were nullified because voters pushed not only one, but two candidates for president.

BUCHANAN: All right, well, Matt, we’ve got to take a look at those–those ballots. If the two candidates they pushed were Buchanan and Gore, almost certainly those are Al Gore’s votes and not mine. I cannot believe someone would vote for Gore and say, `I made a mistake, I should have voted for Buchanan.’ Maybe a small minority of them would have done that. But I–I’ve got to think that the vast majority of those would naturally belong to Al Gore and not to me, because we didn’t run any ads, as I recall, television or radio spots, in Palm Beach County. I’ve got a condominium down there, my wife does, and we visit there a lot, but we didn’t run ads there. And my only two visits were from Orlando, north, down there, and they were brief visits because we had an abbreviated campaign because of the surgery. So I find it hard to believe those are truly my votes.”

The American Presidency Project, November 9, 2000.

First, whatever you think of Buchanan’s politics, note his honesty. He did not say the election was rigged or make up any other conspiracy theories. He was honest. Simple as that. He even went as far as to state that he did not want any mistaken votes that were not meant for him. Likewise, the ultimate loser of the election Al Gore conceded, even though he just as easily could have been the winner or claimed the election was rigged. Both Buchanan and Gore put our Nation first. Second, we will never know the exact intent of those voters, but we know for sure that many ballots were improperly completed and invalidated.

So please vote and closely follow the instructions when completing your mail-in ballot (and voting in person).

Thank you,

Jeff

Spotlight Property

NEWBOLD

1413 S Chadwick Street

New Price

3 BD | 3 BA | 2,340 SF | Finished Basement | Custom Upgrades |

2 Outdoor Spaces | $539,900

Situated on a quiet street in Newbold, this unique newer construction home has been tastefully updated and meticulously maintained by the current owners. Consisting of just over 2,300 square feet of living space, with 3 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, a finished basement, 2 outdoor spaces and various custom upgrades, this home cannot be overlooked. When you enter you immediately notice the wide plank Pine hardwood floors and custom moldings that are featured throughout the home. The open layout, eastern and western exposures, recessed lighting, and large windows provide a bright and airy feel.

Great central location, quick walk to Passyunk Ave, Sprouts, Target, American Sardine Bar, and more. Easy access to various bus lines and the Broad Street line. TAX ABATEMENT remaining!

View full listing here

Philly Fun This Week

Music, Art, and Theater Events

Watch the Philadelphia Ballet dance to Sergei Prokofiev’s mystical score as they perform a beautiful production of the fairy tale classic, Cinderella. (Shows run until October 23rd.)
Get into the Halloween spirit with a musical twist on the popular horror movie, SAW. Last Saturday, SAW The Musical: The Unauthorized Parody of Saw opened at the Adrienne Theater. It only runs for a limited time in Philly before hitting the road, so catch it while you can.
Head to the Barnes on Sunday for a new exhibition that features Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani’s works. The show delves into his methods and the materials he used to create his unique surrealist pieces.
This week the much-anticipated show, ROCKY, the Musical opened at the Walnut Theatre, From now until November 6th catch this musical version of the Rocky movie and enjoy new musical numbers and favorite songs such as “Gonna Fly Now” and “Eye of the Tiger.”

Photograph from uwishunu and content courtesy of uwishunu & thephiladelphiacitizen.org.

Fun-filled Festival

This Wednesday was the start of the DesignPhiladelphia Festival which includes events that showcase community engagement, thoughtful design, and collaborative business practices. These events are created and run by local architects, creative professionals, and designers.

Photograph designphiladelphia.org and content courtesy of uwishunu.

Seasonal Events, Tours, and More

This weekend the public can enjoy hundreds of artists and community spaces during the annual Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST). This event’s goal is to make galleries, workshops, and other creative spaces more accessible. The event commences with tours in South Philly on Saturday and tours in West Philadelphia on Sunday. To see the list of participating galleries and artists please visit POST’s website.
Get yourself and the kids costumed up and head to the Philadelphia Zoo for the annual Boo at the Zoo. This Halloween event runs for three weekends in October and includes special family-friendly activities and trick-or-treating throughout the zoo. Regular zoo admission includes Boo at the Zoo.
Once again during this Halloween season, Eastern State Penitentiary hosts its iconic fright-filled extravaganza. This year the event will feature five separate haunted houses, and like previous years before the pandemic, guests can “opt-in” and choose to allow the prison “monsters” to touch them and take them away from their group. Tickets start at $34 and the event runs until November 12th.
Looking for more spooky experiences? Head to what was the former Mad River space in Manayunk for the brand-new Lincoln Mill Haunted House. This building was damaged by flooding when Philly was hit by Hurricane Ida. The now rundown space is the perfect backdrop for a spooky experience that also features top-tier animatronics, special effects, and 40 live actors ready to terrify you. And on noon to 4 pm on Saturdays the haunted house is toned down and made family-friendly. Proceeds from ticket sales go to rebuilding efforts in Manayunk, and $1 from every sale also goes to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Photograph from thephiladelphiacitizen.org and content courtesy of uwishunu & thephiladelphiacitizen.org.

Featured Listings

NEWBOLD

1413 S Chadwick Street

NEW PRICE

3 BD | 3 BA | 2,340 SF | $539,900

UNIVERSITY CITY

349 S 47th Street #A310

2 BD | 2 BA | 1,481 SF | $325,000

MOUNT AIRY

7111 Germantown Avenue

New Construction

$340,000 – $1,200,000

UNIVERSITY CITY

4928 Pine Street

Duplex | 2,025 SF | $479,000

SOCIETY HILL

742 Lombard Street

3 BD | 2 BA | 1,446 SF | $725,000

UNIVERSITY CITY

403 S 42nd Street

6 Units | 4,790 SF | $1,200,000

UNIVERSITY CITY

4614 Paschall Avenue

4 BD | 4.5 BA | 2,800 SF | $650,000

AVENUE OF THE ARTS SOUTH

1324 Locust Street #1517

Studio | 1 BA | 342 SF | $99,000

FRANKFORD – PHILADELPHIA

4115 Salem Street

3 BD | 1 BA | 648 SF | $79,900

Know Someone Looking to Buy or Sell?

As always, please know that I’m humbled by and appreciative of your introductions and referrals. If you have a friend, colleague, or family member that is in need of Expert Real Estate Representation, please have them contact me.

Be assured, I will do my best to exceed their expectations! Thanks for taking the time to read this issue of Around the Block.

Some imagery in this e-newsletter was sourced via UWISHUNU, thephiladelphiacitizen.org, and Canva.

Office: 212-913-9058

Compass RE is a licensed real estate broker. All material is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description or measurements (including square footage). This is not intended to solicit property already listed. No financial or legal advice provided. Equal Housing Opportunity. Photos may be virtually staged or digitally enhanced and may not reflect actual property conditions.

Vote!

1413 S Chadwick Street

New Price

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