This week's Philadelphia house of the week is a four-bedroom, 3½-bath Victorian in Wissahickon listed for $750,000. The 3,101-square-foot home retains original wood floors, crown and chair moldings, and two usable fireplaces, along with an updated kitchen with granite countertops and a large island. It is close to the Wissahickon Regional Rail station, Kelly Drive, and I-76, the kind of walkable, transit-connected package that continues to drive strong demand in Northwest Philadelphia.
At the other end of the market, a new RentCafe report shows Philadelphia's newest apartments are getting smaller, not bigger. Units built between 2016 and 2025 averaged about 750 square feet, roughly 100 square feet smaller than the decade before, and apartments currently under construction are averaging just 630 square feet. The shift reflects rising demand from single-person and smaller households, with developers prioritizing studios and one-bedrooms to fit more units into each building. Together, the two stories capture a city where character homes still hold real value, even as new rental construction trends smaller and more efficient.
Key Points:
- This week's Wissahickon house of the week is a $750,000 four-bedroom Victorian near Kelly Drive and I-76
- New Philadelphia apartments built from 2016 to 2025 averaged about 750 square feet, down roughly 100 square feet from the prior decade
- Apartments currently under construction in Philadelphia average just 630 square feet
- The shrinkage is being driven by demand from single-person and smaller households, per RentCafe's research
Whether you're looking at a character-filled Wissahickon Victorian or the newest rental tower, Philadelphia's housing stock is telling two very different stories about what buyers and renters want right now.
👉 Read more on the Wissahickon listing here
Attribution: The Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY
Photo Credit: Donkin Media / Thomas Donkin, courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer
