willow avenue | chestercountyramblings

How do you know Main Line real estate prices are crazy? Look no further than 256 Willow Avenue in North Wayne in Little Chicago. As in North Wayne, Delaware County, not far from the Wayne train station.

I actually know this particular street fairly well, and even when it used to have more rentals than it does now, it was a super cute little neighborhood in North Wayne in Radnor Township. Emphasis on little. This was a workingman’s neighborhood that sprang up as twins and small single homes after the Wayne Natatorium was finished circa 1903. So that would be early 20th century. Most of the twins were I believe what they called stick frame construction maybe?

Yes literally this street was once a huge outdoor swimming pool, fed by underground springs and the Gulph Creek which runs behind one side of the street. This is literally where I got the historic marker approved at the edge of Cowan Park on Radnor Street Road at Willow Avenue. Creek and underground springs exist still today.

Willow Avenue is NOT a million dollar neighborhood or anything close. It’s just a nice little middle class neighborhood with a park at the end of the street. Again, twins and small singles. Definite stormwater issues because well (again) this was built on the site of the Wayne Natatorium, for which they did not bring in water, it was the springs and the creek.

The flooding issues go way back, but you can see it referenced circa 2018 in this article:

Radnor declares disaster from flooding

Poplar Avenue which is kind of “above” Willow and one street over during 2018:

Now literally, Hurricane Floyd in 1999 pretty nearly killed this little street and many others. But the Floyd flooding almost killed this street. I think back then there was talk of FEMA coming in but has been so long, right?

Anyway, why am I visiting this today? Easy an alert came up for a TOWNHOUSE on Willow Avenue in Wayne PA for….wait for it…. $735,000.00 ! (When this house last sold it was for….$325,000 at end of 2025 and looks like settled in 2026?)

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/256-Willow-Ave_Wayne_PA_19087_M31264-13267

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/256-Willow-Ave-Wayne-PA-19087/9422431_zpid/?

Old listing:

https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/pa/wayne/256-willow-ave/pid_68685206

Granted it looks better but it’s NOT a townhouse, it is a TWIN. A little 2 story twin in Little Chicago. A lot of those twins had shared attics too at one point in time, didn’t they?

It’s obviously a flip:

So it looks like on this small street, four properties are still rentals and one is commercial. And then there are the gargantuan things built on the corner of Plant and Willow Avenues where the scary houses once stood. Now granted, it’s great not looking at those (photos to follow), but these townhouse things are huge and out of character and no one can seem to really park in their driveway which makes going by on Plant Avenue a bit of squeeze at times. (see https://designhomestudios.com/portfolio/industrial-chic/ where you literally don’t see how big they are considering where they are squeezed into)

Then you see some other OLDER listings here and there which give you a flavor of the street:

https://www.redfin.com/PA/Wayne/258-Willow-Ave-19087/home/39142824

So yeah, lovely little neighborhood, but close to a million because of those ridiculous townhouse condo things at the site of scary house? I mean even the twins that replaced the twins that caught on fire years ago are overinflated:

Blaze leaves two Wayne families homeless

Of course this is a small street, narrow with a dog leg that had a limo bus catch on fire in 2014 and crash into what was once the Wayne Natatorium clubhouse and caused quite the fire.

Limo bus fire ignites home in Wayne

I like Willow Avenue, always did because I just have always liked these small neighborhoods in Wayne, as well as the similarly sized ones in Lower Merion or even the Village of Berwyn, Haverford Township, or Malvern Borough. BUT, and it’s a BIG BUT, they are now overpriced and what once were more working people’s neighborhoods that became starter homes or downsizing senior abodes are just well….OVERPRICED.

Here is who is listing the overpriced 256 Willow Avenue, Wayne, PA of it all:

Our Team

Never heard of her, but that is not saying much because there are just so many Realtors but if I quantify that, never heard of this firm. Some seem to have come out of LV Homes. Anyway I found one thing for this listing going back to June, 2026 so it has been sitting. According to Zillow the price was cut $20,000 as of August 11, which means it was originally listed for $755,000? Ummm yeah that is definitely an LOL meets eye roll, meets how much in Little Chicago?

Oh and the address listed on property records for this property looks like a Mailboxes etc or whatever address?

Anyway, this gave me quite the giggle. It’s a small twin and they want how much? Maybe they will get it, but all of these people who overpay because of the way these properties are overinflated? Will they ever get their money out?

One final note for the record: I think most houses are overpriced and overinflated these days. I also am not a fan of speculative real estate types pricing people out of areas. But truly for this street and others in North Wayne? Pay attention to the storms.