Appealing to more home buyers is living close to a town center and having access to public transit that gains you an easy trip to a larger city. Being able to walk to shops, restaurants and schools not only provides a higher quality of life for many homeowners, it also proves to be a good investment. Along the Main Line, Wayne is one of the best examples of a walkable downtown and over the last few years, Wayne has claimed more sales over 1 million dollars than any other zip code outside Philadelphia. Those that are familiar with Wayne know that the closer you are to downtown, the more desirable and often more expensive a property becomes.
As buyers move out of the city, many are setting their sights on finding a home that checks all their boxes. Being able to walk to a downtown, top-ranked schools, access to public transportation and all while still being reasonably priced. Rockwell Development Group, the developers of Parkview in Chesterbrook in Wayne have a pretty good idea what today’s buyers want. Parkview, which we featured in a previous blog sold a remarkable 90 townhouses in the past 12 months. They will tell you that their success is two-fold, a quality product in a great location. I wasn’t surprised when I heard that their next two projects will be located within the walkable suburban towns of Ardmore and Media.
If you’re not familiar with Media, it’s time to change that. Although there are many reasons to love Media, the people of Media seem most proud to say that their town has been voted one of the best places to raise a family in America. Residents say that Media is everyone’s hometown, and they consider that more of a mindset than a slogan. Visitors are welcomed and new residents are encouraged to plant roots and become part of the fabric of the community. I used to work in Media and I have to say that I felt that there was truly a strong sense of community. People are friendly and many strangers I came across waved and said hello.
Media, PA
Smaller than a square mile, the Borough of Media has the feel and charm of a small town but is actually a busy place. Media is the county seat for Delaware County and the court house helps bring in over 300,000 visitors and employees during business hours. That being said, I had no problem finding a parking spot right away to meet some friends for lunch at the Seven Stones Cafe a few weeks ago.
The borough of Media is home to around 6,000 residents and was strategically designed as a planned community so that it could support growth for years to come. The active downtown, the quiet residential streets, and the convenient transportation facilities are all within walking distance of one another. Shops, services, and restaurants line the brick sidewalks and the tree-shaded streets of the shopping district. Children can walk to any of the elementary schools located within the borough. The school district is Rose Tree Media and ranks in at 24th in the state and has received an overall grade of A+. Most nights in the summer, the streets come alive and fill up with people along State Street. If you can imagine liking a place like this, residents say that’s because Media is everyone’s hometown.
Media, PA
There are many people who already know that Media is a great place to live, although luckily for those looking to buy, I don’t believe the secret is quite out. Real estate values have been appreciating in Media for years, although you can still find twin homes under $300,000.
Rockwell Custom is currently under construction on West End Walk, a townhouse community which is part of the redevelopment of the western gateway developed by Arcadia Land Group. In addition to West End Walk, the redevelopment includes a 162 unit luxury apartment community known as West End Flats, which will be built by Cornerstone Group. Included in the redevelopment are improved streetscape and pedestrian walkways.
“As soon as we put our sign in the ground, we started getting calls,” says Brandi Hogan, Vice President of Sales for Rockwell Development Group. Of the 27 luxury town homes available, they already have 8 sold. The floor plans can be customized from 2 bedrooms with 2.5 baths up to 5 bedrooms with 4.5 baths, which allows a homeowner to create a floor plan that meets their needs. Many of the home sites back up to Glen Providence Park and feature uninterrupted beautiful views of this 33-acre natural park setting. Ranging from 2,100 to 3,200 square feet, prices for these new homes start at $439,990. This is an exciting project for Media. More and more buyers are looking for that easy lifestyle that comes along with townhouse living as well as the walkable hometown feel that Media has to offer.
West End Walk currently under construction.
Look for a full blog post on West End Walk once the model is complete, but for now you can check out their website here for more details. The model will be open to the public beginning on 4/22 & 4/23 from 10 am to 6 pm for their Grand Opening weekend. Be sure to give our team a call if you want more information on West End Walk or are interested in buying or selling a home in suburban Philadelphia.
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