A search of the BRT Property lists this as the developer:
SUNBURST REALTY L P 1936 SPRUCE ST PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103-6613
I counted 10 properties in the 4400 block of Sansom. They purchased 7 of the 10 in November 1999 for $537K, which itself is pretty amazing, since the area in 1999 was pretty....tough.
http://brtweb.phila.gov/disclaimer.aspx?st=ad
is where I got my information. It's got a great wealth of information on property in Philly.
1- Yes, Sunburst is one of Rigdon Miller's "trade names."
2- The BRT claims that its list is current, within six to eight weeks of a transcation. However, Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. (My experience is six to eight months!)
There are many slips between the "sale" of a property, the recording of that sale with the Prothonotory's office, and the BRT getting their listings updated.
3- The BRT list is much closer to reality than the list which the various Real Estate brokers use. The Real Estate brokers list (whose name I forget off hand) will record transactions it "hears about" despite if they happen or not. But the Brokers list tends to have info on the transactions "quickly."
I would not expect the BRT list to reflect the new ownership until the end of May at the earliest.
4- If I remember correctly, the $573K price covered a total of 24 properties, or about $23,000 each. (I have the original data, but not handy.)
The only worse Real Estate "developer" in CC/W. Phila in recent memory was Sam Rappaport, who is now dead, but his legacy lingers on. Many others have laid claim to the title, but they merely qualified as "bad apples," in comparison.
The transaction on the 12 Rigdon Miller Sansom and Chestnut Street properties took place the Thursday before the Spruce Hill meeting (3 weeks ago now, I believe). Prior to that a number of the Rigdon Miller and other owner's properties in the 4400 Sansom and Chestnut Street area were sold to a different developer, who has started work on a number of the properties. ("Visible" work has yet to start on the Rigdon Miller properties.) As I understand things, there are two different "suburban" developers now working the block, with intent to "revert" all of the properties back to their single-family status, as they were built, and sell them at "market rates." (Which will be an interesting number to discover.)
By and large, the properties are being treated as shells - gutted and rebuilt from the walls inward (in one case, quite literally). Only time will tell what the end result will be. They appear to be "competent" workmen, but until there is a finished product, it is not possible to assess. One property, on the South Side of Sansom, did have it's front brick wall demolished, and completely rebuilt in brick, and, so far, looks good.
The good news is that virtually ALL of the empty properties in the 4400 blocks of Sansom and Chestnut are being done in the same time frame. This means that the "attractiveness" of the entire area improves at the same time, and that the appraisers are happy that the properties "nearby" are being "improved," not sitting vacant.
By the way, in this case, gentrification doesn't apply -- unless one is willing to admit that the folks being "dispossessed" are squatters in the first place. Mike Drum emptied the properties in preparation to selling them. When Rigdon Miller bought them, they were awaiting renovation and new tenants -- since then, they have never had tenants. Most of these properties have been vacant, and sadly, well vandalized, for something on the order of 5 years now.
The properties in the 4500 block of Sansom have yet to be "attacked." If I remember correctly, the are all "individually owned," and therefore not an "attractive package," for quick pick-up.
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