Skibum

Conshohocken has all that. In the map link below, you'll find a grocery store at W. Ridge Pike & Butler Pike, restaurants & some shops between 1st and 6th ave on Fayette Street. You can get regional rail at the station at Fayette & Washington St. There are other shops and places to eat scattered around the neighborhood within walking distance. The PA turnpike entrace is about a 2 mile drive. A cab to the airport or center city is probaby about $65.00 so its generally cheaper & easier to take the train. - Sun Mar 2 2008, 10:48

Lots of parts of Norristown are awful. I pulled into a gas station a few years ago around 7pm and had some obviously high chick pull up her shirt and ask me if I wanted "some of this" while trying to open my car door and get in. Taxes tend to be high in Norristown. If you're going to be working in that area, Conshohocken is a much better neighborhood, taxes tend to be lower, most places are in better shape but also more expensive. There are a lot of new condos priced at $250K & up from 800 sq ft. or so from DR Horton that probably aren't selling. Check out HomeMarketSite to see asking prices, taxes, HOA fees (if applicable) and how long the places you are looking at have been on the market which may help determine how desparate the seller is and how far below the asking price your offer can be to have a chance to get accepted. From the asking prices around here, people don't seem to realize the market has cooled a lot and lots of places are sitting on the market for a loooooooooong time.

You can probably rent for less than you can buy right now. Other areas that might be worth looking at include Blue Bell, East Norriton, Plymouth Meeting, West Conshohocken, Jeffersonville, Collegeville. - Sun Mar 2 2008, 10:33

HOA fees are high - up to $600/month, appreciation with that many units on the market, probably not anytime soon. HomeMarketSite is the one site I've found that actually shows you what the place will cost with taxes & HOA fees, how long the place has been on the market (seems like after they hit around 200 days, they sometiems take em' down and start from 0 again), and has a decent variety of pictures of the place without a realtor standing in your way, insisting you sign up with them or come down to see the place before they'll tell you anything. - Sun Mar 2 2008, 09:24