The 234 Apartment

Philadelphia apartment renters are most likely to relocate to Allentown over other cities in the state, according to a national survey released today by Apartment List . Allentown’s job market and its more affordable housing and quality of life are likely factors, according to the survey. While rent in Philadelphia is more affordable than similar cities across the country, its median rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,160, compared to $1,100 in Allentown, according to a separate study by Apartment List , an online apartment rental marketplace . Nationwide, rents have grown by 2.9 percent over the past year. To better understand trends in renter mobility, Apartment List studied data from its annual survey of 24,000 renters to determine where renters are most likely to relocate to outside and within a state. Outside Pennsylvania, Philadelphia apartment renters are most likely to relocate to Washington, D.C., the survey said. “Renters are traditionally more mobile than homeowners,...

David Engberg wheels through the third apartment he’s had in two years. PHOTO BY KARLOS RENE AYALA David Engberg and James Clark cling to their independence by a thread. Both men were born with cerebral palsy and live off Supplemental Security Income , or SSI—a stipend that puts them under the federal poverty line . So far, they’ve managed to keep a roof over their heads by splitting the cost of rent. But since the affordable housing crisis hit , the roommates have been priced out of two apartments in just two years. The stressful shuffling was witnessed by Jennifer Schmidt, their case manager at InAlliance, a nonprofit that provides employment and living services for people with disabilities. Advocates such as Schmidt are becoming increasingly alarmed by the way skyrocketing rents are affecting Sacramento County ’s 14, 000 disabled residents . Several independent surveys suggest Sacramento is experiencing some of the largest rent increases in the nation. Few feel those tectonic ma...

ARTICLE OPTIONS Throughout his early 60s, Brad Buchner and his wife, Elizabeth, lived in the kind of house that many near-retirees dream of: a peaceful, manageable ranch- style property tucked in a quiet Poconos town surrounded by trees, lakes, and plentiful open space . Costing anywhere from $30,000 to $150,000, tiny homes designed by Escape Homes enable anyone to travel around the country in a single-family home. As it turns out, however, that’s exactly what Buchner and his wife don’t want as they think about the next years of their lives. Three years ago, the Buchners packed their things and headed to Philadelphia, settling down in a Center City rental . As if ditching their longtime rural digs weren ’t enough, the pair also abandoned spaciousness, swapping their three-bedroom, two-bathroom home for precisely 345 total square feet . The transition has meant parting ways with a fully finished basement and a home office, and adjusting to an ovenless kitchenette and two miniature...