"What is disconcerting is that people don't seem to realize what they get for that: well-built plaster walls, hardwood floors, large bedrooms and closets," she says -- not only in her house, but in others as well.
"The only thing we don't have is spa bathrooms," Block says, affirming what Miller and Yannessa say is a critical point with today's buyers -- they want 100-year-old houses with 21st-century amenities.
Miller's advice is to appeal the property taxes.
"A lot of people have done this successfully," she says. "I recommend people planning to sell at some point to do this as soon as they can, to be in a good position when their houses go on the market."
Max Minkoff remains firm in his belief Cheltenham is a good bet for buyers.
Minkoff, president of the board of the new CreekSide Co-op on High School Road in the township's Elkins Park section, moved his family from Mount Airy almost five years ago for "the opportunity to be a bigger part of the community, to raise my kids, and for a larger backyard."
Schools "are a factor, obviously," says Minkoff, whose children are still a little too young to attend them.
CreekSide, which opened on the old Ashbourne Market site in November, was five years in the making and has just under 2,000 members.
Not only does its 12-hour-a-day operation more than fill the gap left by Ashbourne's closing five years ago, but it has, Realtors and local residents say, created interest in Cheltenham among younger buyers, added new businesses, and revitalized older ones.
"Two new restaurants are coming this spring, adding to the Rail Stop at Elkins Park station" that opened in March 2012, Minkoff says.
That's one example of the cooperative action typical of Cheltenham.
Another is the 11-acre High School Park behind his Elkins Park home, created on the site of the old high school and maintained by volunteers.
"A great thing done by the community," Minkoff says.
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Cheltenham, By the Numbers
Population: 36,793 (2010).
Median income: $78,034 (2009).
Size: 9 square miles.
Homes for sale: 103.
Settlements in the last three months: 9.
Average days on market: 162.
Median sale price (single-family homes): $239,000.
Median sale price
(all homes) $239,000.
Housing stock: 14,897, a substantial number of pre-World War II houses.
School district: Cheltenham Township.
SOURCES: U.S. Census Bureau; Movoto.com; Zillow.com; Trulia.com; City-data.com
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Contact Alan J. Heavens at 215-854-2472, aheavens@ phillynews.com, or follow @alheavens at Twitter.
