YOU’VE HEARD OF THE TINY HOUSE MOVEMENT? They invented that in Philadelphia a couple of centuries ago. The compact ‘trinity houses’ of the late 18th and 19th centuries are now much-coveted for their coziness, charm, and economy. And a dollhouse can be quite livable for 1 or 2, once you get used to the stairs.
This c.1830 trinity, set off the street behind a larger row house, is new to market and very well-priced. It’s in Queen Village, one of the city’s quietest and most attractive neighborhoods. I happen to own a building just around the corner from this one, so I know the area well.
There are actually four floors of usable space: kitchen/dining on the basement level; a living room with fireplace on the ground level; a hall, ‘dressing room,’ and full bath (with fireplace!) on the 2nd floor; and a large open bedroom with a sloping ceiling at the top of the house, for a grand total of about 600 square feet.
The taxes are $1,300/year. For the official listing, go here. To learn more about Philadelphia trinities, click here and here.
5 comments
Comments feed for this article
January 24, 2013 at 9:46 am
Rachelle
How much do you think this little home would rent for? Think it’s a good start as an investment property? Thanks Rachelle
Sent from my iPhone
January 24, 2013 at 9:56 am
cara
Hi Rachelle, thanks for commenting. Maybe $1100-1200/month? With tenants paying heat and utilities. Let’s say you paid full price and borrowed the entire amount of 200K at 5% (though obviously you would need some cash for a down payment). The monthly payment would be just under $1100, so it would be a break-even situation in the beginning. The rent will go up in years to come, and the building will appreciate, so yes, I think it’s a fine, solid, though not instantly profitable investment.
January 24, 2013 at 11:08 am
Julia Mack
Looks like 4 floors of pure design potential!
January 24, 2013 at 11:09 am
Cher Vick
Wow, those taxes are awesome. That is one of the reasons its taken Newburgh so long to get a movement like this one. There are a few neighborhoods that have gorgeous rows of dollhouses like this one. This one look so quaint. A perfect starter home or a home for someone with a small family. Thanks for sharing.
February 1, 2014 at 3:31 am
Roman Blazic
A trinity derives its name from Father ,Son and Holy Ghost. That’s the history of houses so named.
Many surviving trinity houses can be found in the Courts of Fishtown (Philadelphia).
You can see the eight Courts of Fishtown here: http://romanblazicwordsandpictures.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-courts-of-fishtown.html