We buy houses in Kensington.

Kensington runs from the Delaware River waterfront west to Front Street and from Norris Street up through the Fairhill and East Kensington blocks toward Allegheny. It's one of the oldest industrial neighborhoods in Philly, and the housing stock reflects that.

The blocks east of Kensington Avenue near the El stops (Somerset, Allegheny, Tioga) look different from the blocks near the Fishtown line (Norris, Palmer, Frankford Ave). The condition swings from block to block. We know which blocks are seeing investment dollars and which ones are still struggling.

Kensington rowhomes are mostly 2-story brick rowhomes built between 1880 and 1920. Typical sizes run 800 to 1,200 square feet. Most have 2 or 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. The plaster walls are original on most blocks, which means crumbling plaster and knob-and-tube wiring behind them.

Repair budgets on Kensington houses we buy are usually $40,000 to $75,000 — roofs, heating systems, electrical, plumbing, new kitchens and baths. Some need structural work on the back wall where the kitchen was added in the 1960s.

The #1 seller situation in Kensington is code violations. L&I has flagged thousands of Kensington rowhomes for open violations, and many owners just can't afford to clear them. We buy those houses and clear the violations ourselves.

The #2 pattern is inherited vacant houses. Someone's parents owned the house on Emerald Street or Mascher Street for 40 years, passed away, and the heirs have a vacant rowhome they can't maintain.

The #3 pattern is long-hold owners who are ready to sell after watching the neighborhood change. They bought in the 80s or 90s for $20,000 and they want to cash out now.

Kensington ARVs climbed significantly in 2025 — the 19134 zip code median jumped about 50% year-over-year. Blocks south of Lehigh Avenue and near Fishtown hit $290,000+ fixed up. The same size house near Somerset and G Street runs $160,000-$200,000.

Our typical Kensington offer runs $40,000 to $95,000 depending on ARV and condition. The deeper distressed houses with major repairs and open violations are at the low end. The cleaner houses closer to Fishtown land higher.

• →Code ViolationsL&I notices don't scare us. We've closed on houses with 20+ violations.
• →Vacant HouseEmpty, boarded, or squatter-risk? We buy it before it gets worse.
• →Tax DelinquentSheriff sale on the calendar? There may still be a path.
• →Inherited HouseYou inherited a rowhome. We'll walk you through the real options.

• Fishtown
• Frankford
• North Philadelphia