Edward A Welch, III, is a native and well regarded Philadelphia Area Real Estate Broker, Appraiser, Property Manager, Investor & Developer known for his experience, dedication and integrity. Mr. Welch is owner of Higgins & Welch Real Estate, Inc (formerly H. Higgins Realtor, Inc founded 1976), Higgins & Welch Appraisers, LLC, Welch Real Estate, LLC, Welch Settlement Services, LLC, Welch Neighborhood Stabilization, LLC and other companies engaging in residential and commercial real estate related activities throughout the Philadelphia Region. These services include real estate sales and property management; appraisal and valuation, consulting, testimony and expert witness services, property development, community revitalization, and title and settlement services.

Since 2003, Mr. Welch has served as a licensed Real Estate Broker, Certified Real Estate Appraiser, General Manager, President and Owner. During this time, he has acquired 17 separate licenses, certifications and designations in PA and NJ; and has been successful in working with a diverse client base ranging from private market, legal, and finance related clients, as well as a variety of non-profit, government and quasi-government entities on the local, state and federal levels. Relating to work within the City of Philadelphia, these include HUD/FHA, Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA), Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA), City of Philadelphia Department of Public Property, Division of Aviation – Department of Commerce, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Other multifaceted experience includes the affordable housing complexes Greater Grays Ferry Estates, Lucien E. Blackwell Homes (West Philadelphia), Falls Ridge (East Falls), Ludlow Homes (North Philadelphia), and Martin Luther King Plaza (Hawthorne). He was listing broker for the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and 13 developers in the Neighborhood Stabilization Program; was selected by the PRA as Listing Broker in the Vacant Land Sale Program; and is the listing broker and appraiser for the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

Mr. Welch has grown two companies and 8 people to seven companies and 50 people and has a successful record of assembling teams and executing large scope projects within stringent timelines. Recent examples include title and settlement services & appraisals for hundreds of properties a part of the Blumberg/Sharswood condemnation project; and valuation of 1000~ property Nova Bank Portfolio in receivership with F.D.I.C.

Current projects include Sheldon Crossing, a Manayunk Subdivision of high performance, high efficiency sustainable luxury homes fetching record-breaking values.

Mr. Welch has participated in more than 10,000 real estate appraisals and in the development or sale of more than 2000 properties. He has a proprietary database of 55,000+ property appraisals including more than 500,000 properties.

Mr. Welch invested in a technology project digitally filming and geocoding each parcel of Real Estate in the City of Philadelphia and portions of Montgomery County.

Higgins & Welch Real Estate Inc. has been ranked three times in the Philadelphia Business Journal Top 100 Fastest Growing Privately held companies (#25 in 2009; #9 in 2010; and #37 in 2011; and an honorable mention in 2014). After positioning the company to focus on the distressed markets, it grew 414% after the last real estate housing market crash. Today, a new distressed asset division has been created that bundles valuation, property management, and disposition to prepare for the next phase of the market cycle.

As an area native, Mr. Welch has an affinity for the Philadelphia Region and a love for improving its communities. He has been an active contributor to communities and charitable groups, including: Waldorf School of Philadelphia; Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; Susan G Koman For the Cure; Media Mobilizing Project; American Heart Association; National Coalition of 100 Black Woman; PhillySEEDS, local fire and police departments, sports clubs; and more.

Mr. Welch is a Board Member of the Philadelphia Children’s Foundation, where he joined the board in 2013 assisting P.C.F. in fundraising efforts before taking time off to focus on his businesses and four children. Ed rejoined the board in 2015, and immediately began helping to improve the organizations financial position.

In 2016, Mr. Welch started “Welch Neighborhood Stabilization, LLC” an approved “Community Buyer” and “Responsible Developer” with the National Community Stabilization Trust. Mr. Welch works to restore vacant and abandoned properties to productive use, protect neighborhoods from blight, and provide rental and purchase opportunities to Low and Moderate Income Households. Its recent ten projects are in various stages and experiencing returns upwards of 40%. A commitment has been made for 2017 to identify a property to be acquired, renovated and donated to a household in need.

Most recently, Mr. Welch is excited to have the privilege of establishing and running the Isaac Lucas Foundation, a non-for-profit organization investing in the real estate industry and donating profits to various charitable organizations.

Mr. Welch’s foundation in Real Estate was as a carpenter building custom homes and remodeling for a family-run construction company. This was one of multiple jobs that funded his college education.

Mr. Welch has degrees in Business Management from the Fox School of Business Management at Temple University (2003) and a Masters of Business Administration from Arcadia University (2008).

He has several affiliations with civic, charitable and professional organizations that include though are not limited to; Appraisal Institute, American Society of Appraisers, Association of REALTOR, Past Board member of Temple Fox School of Business Alumni Association; and Founding President of the Arcadia University Business Alumni Association;

Travel has contributed to an innate ability to be socially adaptable, analytical, patient, compassionate, and grateful. Mr. Welch has studied and/or lived in England, Italy, China, Sweden, and the Island of Dominica. Other travel includes Haiti, Peru, France, Netherlands, Canada, Caribbean and many U.S. States.

Mr. Welch’s greatest passion is his family, including four children, Annabelle, Elizabeth, Carter & Emily. He greatly enjoys coaching their sports teams and volunteering as room parent and all the other privileges of being a father.