How Rehabbing a Blighted Mt. Airy Corner Could Spur Neighborhood Revitalization

"Nothing really good comes from standing outside of a store and drinking all day," Parisse-Ferrarini told the Business Journal last week. So two years ago, he acquired the two houses for $50,000 and went to work overhauling them.

"When we took this project on, a lot of people thought we were crazy," he said. "It was literally falling down."

The investment came to fruition when in January of this year, 6810 Chew Ave. – once a half-sunken half of a twin pocked with broken windows – sold for $300,000. Three months later, 6812 Chew Ave. is ready for TFAD's offices.