Cindy Ridgway's Lower Merion & Narberth "New Listing" Tour - The "New Year" 2018 Edition

If there was any doubt that the 2018 Spring season was going to start early, you can forget about it.  The dramatic post-holiday  activity spike in Cindy's voicemail and inbox are a sure indication that the season is starting early and moving fast.  Word to the wise - if you are looking for a home in one of the especially competitive markets, like the Narberth and Lower Merion neighborhoods that make up the Lower Merion School District - get yourself an agent that knows that specific market.  Your agent-friend from Philly or the other side of the Blue Route is not likely to find out about new and pre-market properties as quickly as one of the agents that regularly buy and sell properties right here.  Those looking without an agent, hoping for that rare private transaction, are putting themselves at a serious disadvantage, and usually for no good reason. It costs you nothing to hire a good buyers agent, and the vast majority of transactions will have agents representing both sides.  Cindy RIdgway makes sure her clients have the latest info on all the inventory in this market.  To that end, she offers her notes on some of the listings she toured in the last few weeks.  Some have been on the market, and some are brand new listings. 

They say location is everything in real estate, and this Merion Station 5 bed/3.1 bath may be perfectly located for the right family.  Listed at $749K, this extensively renovated 2851 sq ft home, is walking distance to the award- winning Merion Elementary, the park, and the train station.  The railroad tracks behind the back yard could be a minus for some, but the house has plenty of plusses to make up for it. In addition to a driveway and garage, the home has a long list of upgrades and renovations inside and out, including  a new kitchen, baths, and master suite. The renovations deliver the amenities and conveniences of a new home with the charm and character of an existing home in an established neighborhood. See more at:  216 Valley Road, Merion Station, PA 19066. 

---

In nearby Bala Cynwyd is another restored home mixing older architecture with modern upgrades.  For a list price of $825K, you get a fully restored 3482 sq ft, 5 bed/3.1 bath Victorian a few blocks from the Bala Cynwyd Library.  The inside is full of upgrades including a big new kitchen with two sinks and two dishwashers.  Outside there's a big porch and an attached garage on more than a third of an acre.  See the details and photo gallery at:  119 Birch Ave, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. 

The first of two Wynnewood homes on Cindy's tour was this 3 bed/2 bath in the neighborhood between the Wynnewood Shopping Center and Shortridge Park. Outside, there's a big back yard, side porch, driveway and two car garage. Inside has some upgrades including a decent kitchen and some newer baths, plus new HVAC, windows and plumbing. It's listed at $510K.  See the rest at:  1038 Nicholson Road, Wynnewood, PA 19096. 

---

In the Lower Merion School District, competition for homes under 400K can be especially fierce.  This 3 bed/2 bath brick Colonial in Wynnewood's Penn Wynne neighborhood, listed for $385K,  is already under contract.

---

These two Narberth Borough homes also fall into the sub-$400K price range.  The homes are practically next door to each other on Iona Avenue in the Borough neighborhood close to the Montgomery Ave business district. 247 Iona Ave is a 1532 sq ft,  bed/1.1 bath, listed for $339K. It looks bigger on the inside than you's expect, and has a decent-sized eat-in kitchen that's open to the dining room. The enclosed front porch with radiant heat and skylights adds extra living space.

---

​243 Iona, also a 3 bed/1.1 bath is just two doors down. The 1404 sq ft single is listed for sale for $330K, and alternatively, available to rent. This one has a covered front porch and a cute fenced back yard. The living and dining rooms are open to each other, making a comfortable main living area.  Both homes are just a few blocks from the shops and restaurants in Narberth's popular downtown.

---

Over in Ardmore is this 7 bed/3.1 bath, with an unusual layout.  It has 4499 sq ft of living space on a third of an acre in a great neighborhood.  Attached to the main house, but accessed by another entrance is this soaring open two-story studio.  The landscaped back garden is nice and private.  See the details and the rest of the photos in the gallery here:  114 Llanfair Road, Ardmore, PA 19003. 

---

Also in Ardmore was a coming soon listing that was open for agents to tour this week.  It's a 3 bed/1.1 bath for $355K, not far from Linwood Park. Call Cindy if you want to keep tabs on this one.

---