The Hunt
A New Yorker Decamped to the Philadelphia Area With a Townhouse in Mind. What Would $500,000 Buy?
With a new job at Bryn Mawr and a grandchild on the way, an academic looked for the things she couldn’t afford in Manhattan: more space, more green, more parking.
After spending three decades moving around the country while working in K-12 education, Jeanine Molock found herself back in her hometown, New York City, in 2015.
Dr. Molock had returned to care for her ailing mother, who was shortly thereafter diagnosed with lung cancer. She took a job as an institutional research manager at LaGuardia Community College in Queens and looked for a place to buy. But she grew frustrated at how expensive the city had become, and wasn’t sure that she would be able to own a home again as a single woman.
“When I returned to New York and lived in Harlem, it was not the city I left,” Dr. Molock, 57, said. “The areas where I grew up and frequented were no longer affordable.”
In November of 2022, after a stint at the CUNY School of Professional Studies, she got a new job at Bryn Mawr College, outside of Philadelphia and turned over caregiving responsibilities to her brother. It was an ideal landing spot: One of her two sons, Kyle, and his wife had settled into a town a few miles from campus.
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Dr. Molock rented an apartment in Malvern, Pa., for a few months to get acquainted with the area, and then started her home search last summer, as her lease was about to end. For all her planning, though, she still faced the challenges of the real estate calendar. As her search extended into August, she was competing with families scrambling to buy homes in places with superior school districts, like Lower Merion Township, where she was focusing her search.
She worked with Derek Ryan, a real estate agent with Keller Williams, who had helped her son find his home. “Jeanine is really savvy and really smart,” Mr. Ryan said. “She pays attention to details, she’s diligent, and that helps with this sort of search.”
With a budget of around $500,000, Dr. Molock prioritized neighborhoods that were close to work and to her son and his family, as well as resale value based on school districts. As for a wish list, hers was familiar to anyone who has longed for an escape from the city: more space, more green, more parking.
Among her options:
No. 1
Three-Bedroom in Wynnewood
This three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom townhouse was about 10 minutes from Dr. Molock’s son and her new office. It was 2,260 square feet, with a recently renovated kitchen, skylights, a private rear patio and plenty of storage in the finished basement. There was also a private one-car garage and street parking. The asking price was high, at $535,000, with $210 in monthly homeowner association fees and about $8,200 in annual taxes.
No. 2
Three-Bedroom in Newtown Square
This three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home was about 20 minutes from Dr. Molock’s office. Its 1,898 square feet included a two-story dining room, a living room with a fireplace, a large upstairs loft and a rear deck. The house needed some updating, but the complex had a community pool and tennis courts. There were also state parks and nature preserves nearby. The asking price was $440,000, with $240 in monthly homeowner association fees and about $6,500 in annual taxes.
No. 3
Two-Bedroom in Springfield
This two-bedroom, two-bathroom twin home with 1,483 square feet was about 25 minutes from Dr. Molock’s office. It was fully renovated, with a spacious eat-in kitchen, abundant natural light, glass doors leading from the living room to a rear deck, carpeted bedrooms, a walk-in closet, and a two-car garage and driveway. The asking price was $424,900, with $262 in monthly homeowner association fees and about $7,065 in annual taxes.
Find out what happened next by answering these two questions:
Which Would You Choose?
Three-Bedroom in Wynnewood
Three-Bedroom in Newtown Square
Two-Bedroom in Springfield
Which Did She Buy?
Three-Bedroom in Wynnewood
Three-Bedroom in Newtown Square
Two-Bedroom in Springfield