Philadelphia is a chain of small markets that share a name. Center City and University City mean towers, condos, hospitals and campuses.
Around them runs a grid of rowhouse neighborhoods, from South Philly and Fishtown to Manayunk and Roxborough, where old plumbing and heating meet active landlords. Chestnut Hill in the northwest has a village feel of its own.
West of the city line, the Main Line brings stone houses and bigger systems, and King of Prussia brings office parks and a retail belt.
Across the Delaware, Cherry Hill and the rest of South Jersey sit under New Jersey rules, reached over the Ben Franklin and Walt Whitman bridges. Winter puts boilers under stress, and summer storms fill basements.
Home shoppers use Zillow, Bright MLS and Realtor.com. Pennsylvania and New Jersey license brokers and contractors separately. HeyLead is the marketing team and never the license holder.