When Brett and Nichole Peanasky first came to Philadelphia, they didn’t necessarily have long term plans to stay here. Yet, by the time Brett finished graduate school, the couple were comfortable in the city and saw no reason not to extend their stay.

Eager to ditch their small Fitler Square apartment for an upgrade in the form of a South Philly rowhome, the Peanaskys turned to Solo Real Estate. It was actually Brett’s tenure at Penn Design that brought the house hunters to Solo. Brett and Alejandro Franqui were classmates at Penn, so working with the Solo realtor was the obvious choice.

Alejandro was incredibly helpful to Brett & Nichole throughout the ups and downs of their house search. There were certainly some surprises along the way for the first time home buyers. Yet, Franqui helped them stay realistic and optimistic during the whole process.

Then, one day while walking around what would become their neighborhood of Passyunk Square, the Peanaskys chanced upon 1225 Ellsworth Street with a for sale sign out front. While it didn’t look like much from the outside, this South Philly rowhome turned out to be just what they needed.

In terms of location, this South Philly hub is ideal. The proximity to Brett’s Center City job as a land use attorney was really appealing. It was also important to find somewhere close to the highway to ease Nichole’s commute to New Jersey where she works as a nurse practitioner.

The home had all of the important stuff such as the kitchen, floors, and mechanicals already updated. It was mainly cosmetic finishes that remained to be done. In a way, this was the best of both worlds for these first time home buyers. They got to add personal touches to their new home without the stress and financial burden of bigger renovations.

After closing on the home they set to work putting in all new windows, repainting the interior, adding a new banister, and fixing up the stairs. Down the road they hope to do more work on their home. For example, they would love to take off the paint and restore the brick on the house’s facade. They’ve also discussed plans for tearing up the back patio to plant more vegetation. Another pipeline project would be building a more usable roof deck off the third floor.

For now, however, the couple are busy exploring their new neighborhood with their five-month old Arlen and dog Louie. Beyond being thrilled with their home, the Peanasky’s love their South Philly neighborhood. One thing they mention right off the bat are the mix of long time residents and new, young families. The proximity to popular sights like Columbus Square, the Italian Market, and Passyunk Square sweeten the deal as well.