How Much Space Could They Find in Greater Philadelphia for Less Than $500,000?

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Kevin, Teri, John and Bethanie Love near the family’s new home outside Philadelphia, where they recently relocated from Henderson, Nev. The Loves, who weren’t familiar with the Philadelphia area, hoped to find a house with some character.

Over the years, Teri and Kevin Love found plenty to appreciate about life in Henderson, Nev. There was the close-knit subdivision where they raised their four children. There were the careers they had built there: Mrs. Love works as a licensed professional counselor; Mr. Love is a civil engineer. Then there was the beauty of the desert and the sweet smell of creosote bush after a rainstorm.

Still, Mrs. Love, who had spent most of her life in the Las Vegas Valley, longed for a change of scenery, a place that offered more than the rows of identical stucco tract homes with gravel yards.

“I really wanted to move to the green,” she said.

It was a pull she had felt for years, especially after visits to extended family on the East Coast. There may have been more innate reasons, too. “I later found out my biological family’s there,” said Mrs. Love, 54, who was adopted. “I have a friend that’s like, ‘Well, maybe you knew.’”

After the three oldest Love children — Joseph, now 23; Cayna, 21; and Bethanie, 19 — left home for college, a cross-country move began to seem feasible. When Mr. Love’s company opened an office in Philadelphia, the timing, and the location, felt right.

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The Loves’ 16-year-old son, John, was on board. Mr. Love, 48, needed some convincing, but ultimately came around. “Not to sound too sappy, but I just wanted her to have the things she was really wanting,” he said.

There was one hitch: They didn’t know much about Philadelphia. The last time they visited, during a family road trip in 2016, “the most we did was get a cheesesteak,” Mrs. Love recalled.

“We didn’t even stay,” Mr. Love added. “We drove past the Liberty Bell.”

So the couple set aside a long weekend in June to scope out properties for around $500,000. They wanted something near public transit so Mr. Love could commute to his office (Mrs. Love can take telehealth appointments from home), in a place with a school district that offered a strong mix of academics and athletics for John, set to enter his junior year. They also wanted enough bedrooms to accommodate their children, including Bethanie, who is taking a gap year from college.

And Mrs. Love had one more box to check: “something just a little quirky.”

The couple contacted Brian Griffin, a real estate agent with Keller Williams Main Line, in Ardmore, Pa., who warned them that $500,000 could be a tricky number. “It’s right in the middle of the road,” he said. “There’s more people looking in that range.”

Together with Mr. Griffin and his colleague Chelsea Lamb, the Loves toured 18 properties in 11 towns, most in a C-shaped array around Philadelphia.

“They had some funny questions,” Mr. Griffin recalled. “It kind of blew their mind that, like, not every house has an irrigation system here.”

Among their options:

No. 1

This four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom house, built in 1930, was in Drexel Hill, a neighborhood to the west of Philadelphia. It had more than 3,000 square feet and plenty of character, with an entry hall, bay windows and living room fireplace. The bedrooms were accessible from the main staircase in the front hall and another staircase off the kitchen. The basement was unfinished, but had been waterproofed, giving it potential. Recent upgrades included a new hot-water heater, although the house still needed renovation. A public high school and a Septa trolley station were about a five-minute walk away. The asking price was $479,900, reduced from $494,900; annual taxes were about $13,000.

No. 2

This three-bedroom, two-and-half-bathroom, 1,840-square-foot house was in Glenside, about 13 miles north of downtown Philadelphia. The Loves appreciated its circa-1900 charm, big fenced yard and stone patio. The sunny interior had hardwood floors, granite countertops and built-in shelving. There were only two bedrooms, on the second floor, but a spacious third-floor room could serve as another sleeping space, a home office or storage, and the detached two-car garage had a “bonus” space above. The closest rail station was a seven-minute walk away, providing a direct commute to central Philadelphia. The asking price was $459,900, reduced from $480,000; annual taxes were about $8,500.

No. 3

This four-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-story house, built in 1952, was about 2,100 square feet. It sat on a leafy street in Elkins Park, a community known for its historic architecture, including buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Kahn. The house was somewhat idiosyncratic, with its two separate front doors, but it had a cozy layout and a sloped site that offered views of the treetops. Recent upgrades included a new roof, updated bathrooms and an exterior paint job. But the basement was unfinished, and the kitchen needed renovation. The asking price was $419,000; annual taxes were around $9,200.