Philadelphia Kingsessing Neighborhood

[Katherine O.]

Hello Everyone,

I have a question which I realize now I should have asked much earlier. I live in San Jose and I'm considering buying a SFH in Philadelphia in the Kingsessing Neighborhood. It's south of University City. The property is on South Ruby St. The person selling the home said that the home is in the path of development because the area around University City is improving.

When I first entered into the contract, I looked up the crime statistics for the area and found there was quite a bit of theft/burglary, but no violent crime.  Several weeks later I checked again and discovered there was some violent crime (assaults).  The home is still being remodeled, and we have not closed escrow yet.  But, I started to wonder if I checked the neighborhood closely enough.

My question is for those of you who live in or are familiar with Philadelphia.  Is this really an up and coming neighborhood?