On the market in Center City: A dog-friendly condo with a view

Jason Martin was living at the Academy House in Center City, enjoying views from his 30th floor unit, but something was missing.

"I wanted to get a dog," Martin said.

Dogs were verboten at the Academy House, so he began his search for a new home.

Martin said he had three priorities during his condo search: a location in the Center City or Rittenhouse neighborhoods, a unit on a high floor with a balcony, and a place that would be welcoming to dogs.

"At the time, there were a lot of apartment buildings that allowed dogs, but there weren't so many condo buildings that allowed dogs," he said.

The Murano building, which opened in 2008, was a perfect fit. He found a one-bedroom unit with only one previous owner. "Everything had nice finishes," he said.

The 1,100-square-foot unit also checked off Martin's two other priorities. In addition to being on the 34th floor, the unit includes a private balcony.

"The balcony is nice because you can actually walk out and have chairs out there," he said. It was a nice contrast to the Juliet-style balcony he had at the Academy House.

"It checked all the boxes and even had parking, which was huge, too," he said.

Not long after he moved in, Barkley, a terrier-corgi-lab mix, moved in, too.

Martin said they have both enjoyed their time in the Murano. "The neighborhood is nice," he said. "There's everything you need."

Including a well-maintained dog park just down the street.

But after 10 years of daily commuting to Blue Bell from Center City, Martin said he is ready to move closer to his office.

"The commute is just more of a burden," he said. "Ten, 12 years ago, the city life outweighed the burdens of the commute."

His new home will is "literally five minutes from my work," he said.

The Murano condo is listed by Erin Heilig at EveryHome Realtors for $679,000.