On The Market: Five-Bedroom Colonial in family friendly East Falls
This five-bedroom Colonial in family friendly East Falls is on the market for $399,000.
On the Market profiles homes for sale in the Philadelphia region.
Dr. Samir Shah had been living in the East Falls neighborhood since 1998. By 2005 he was married to Dr. Kara Shah, and the two of them were looking for a home that would be big enough for a family with children and close to green space for exploring. The couple worked at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, so commuting distance to Center City was also a consideration.
By their calculus, they were looking for another home in East Falls. A five-bedroom Colonial on grand West Queen Lane fit their specifications.
"We saw this house and thought, boy, this is the perfect location," Shah said. "It's far enough away to be quiet and serene, so I think it was exactly what we were looking for.
The home was built in the early 1920s and the Shahs tried to hew to the spirit of the age as they worked through some fairly extensive renovations after buying it.
In addition to replacing every light fixture in the home, the couple doubled the amount of closet space in the master bedroom.
"Houses of this age," Shah said, "while they're wonderful and have a lot of charm, they often don't have a lot of closet space."
They also renovated one of the home's two bathrooms, adding radiant floors and a separate shower and cast iron claw-foot bathtub.
"It's a beautiful tub that really suits the time period of the house," he said.
The home also boasts a large deck as well as a year-round sunroom that is considered bonus space and is not formally included in the 2,400 square-foot space.
The Shahs have recently relocated to Cincinnati to work at the children's hospital there.
"When we bought the house, our intention was to stay for 40 years," Shah said. "But when this job opportunity came up in Cincinnati, it was very difficult to turn down. We wrestled a lot with it."
Shah said he expects new buyers to be attracted to the tight-knit community found in East Falls, as well as the family-friendly amenities found at nearby Philadelphia University and Penn Charter.
"My children learned to swim by taking lessons at Penn Charter and learned to ride bikes on the Philly U campus," Shah said. "We know all the neighbors on our street. That can sometimes be rare in a city."
The house is currently listed with Connie Gillespie at Elfant Wissahickon for $399,000.