Any Hershey/Palmyra (or thereabouts) Singles for $150-160K? (Pittsburgh: for sale, real estate)

[soulsurv]

Hi. Yeah...I know it's extremely low, but I have to go with a single and a decent-sized back yard so I can fence for my dogs. I don't need more than 2 bedrooms with 1 1/2 baths.

I can substitute teach in any PA school district, so employment is not a problem. I will say, though, that I am 60 and on a limited income, but will collect SS at 62, so that should help a bit. Would LOVE Lancaster County, but it looks as though I'm priced out of that area for singles which aren't "handyman specials."

Now I HAVE checked out some "manufactured communities," but they don't allow fencing or Dobermans - and I'll ALWAYS have a least one Dobie until they drag me out feet first . I've become accustomed to societal ignorance, though it's not easy.

Are there any areas with natural gas heat which I greatly prefer to oil or (Lord forbid) electric? Been there.

If I MUST leave PA because of housing costs, I'll be broken-hearted and simply can NOTimagine living in the South with it's dank humidity.

Any particular neighborhood suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[rowhomecity]

Hershey is some of the most expensive real estate in the Harrisburg area, so I would not start there. Really you are going to have to go to a more smaller town/exurban/rural area if you want space and more modern in Eastern/Central PA.

Within Central PA I would suggest these areas:


Elizabethtown
Dillsburg
Etters
Northern York County
Chambersburg
Selinsgrove
Lebanon

These towns kind of go in every direction with Harrisburg as the starting point but they are all further out.


I would use those as a starting point. Most likely what you will find is a ranch or bi level. About 40 - 60 years old. Maybe a few updates. On anything from 1/4 - 1/2 of land is my guess.

Also housing is cheaper in Western PA, the outskirts of Pittsburgh might be an option. Or somewhere like Altoona ?

Or Northern PA. Like Scranton area.


I would post this to the Pittsburgh forum and see what you get. Housing is more affordable out there than the southern and eastern part of the state.

[soulsurv]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

Hershey is some of the most expensive real estate in the Harrisburg area, so I would not start there. Really you are going to have to go to a more smaller town/exurban/rural area if you want space and more modern in Eastern/Central PA.

Within Central PA I would suggest these areas:


Elizabethtown
Dillsburg
Etters
Northern York County
Chambersburg
Selinsgrove
Lebanon
.

Thank you! Very kind of you to respond!

[ki0eh]

Middletown Borough (17057) has smaller single homes within that range.

I know that's not a Good School District (tm), but easy transportation links (road/air/rail), grocery stores still walkable from neighborhoods, and seemingly a bit larger lot size than most SE PA boroughs.

A couple of things to watch out for in Middletown are:
-flood zones
-Much of the land in town (north/east sides, the objectively more desirable areas) is/was owned by the Frey Trust. I understand some homeowners bought out the trust rights, but not others. I have heard at least one large mortgage lender in this area won't write loans on homes where the land remains in the trust's name, though the land rent is apparently long term and nominal.

I wish I knew how to find specific gas service areas, but they are spotty in southcentral PA. (As in, I can't get it in a 1970's relatively dense development, but on my back line is a 1990's larger-lot development that has gas, same township)

[Crashj007]

Look out around Elizabethtown. There might be some spots along Ridge road.

[medievalbooks]

There is a cute house in Cashtown (15 min from Gettysburg and about 20 min from Chambersburg) for sale for 99k. It looked like it had a nice yard and around 2 bedrooms or so. Someone just finished fixing it up and it has been on the market for about a month. Granted Cashtown is a very small town - 450 or so people and shopping won't be horribly easy - 15 min or 20 min away. But it has a small PO and small bank. Lots of orchards and farmland. Volunteer fire dept. Churches of course. We just moved there - well still in the process - and have already made friends.

[Dequindre]

Have you considered Shippensburg, PA? You would have Shippensburg, Carlisle, Chambersburg, Big Spring, and South Middleton School Districts all within close driving distance. You also seem to get quite a bit of house for your money in Shippensburg; much more than in Lancaster County.

Here are some examples of homes in Shippensburg within your price range:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...92992417_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...78631542_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...ect/12_zm/2_p/

The last home in an active adult community with very reasonably priced, one-level homes, so that may be something to look into.

[medievalbooks]

Originally Posted by medievalbooks

There is a cute house in Cashtown (15 min from Gettysburg and about 20 min from Chambersburg) for sale for 99k. It looked like it had a nice yard and around 2 bedrooms or so. Someone just finished fixing it up and it has been on the market for about a month. Granted Cashtown is a very small town - 450 or so people and shopping won't be horribly easy - 15 min or 20 min away. But it has a small PO and small bank. Lots of orchards and farmland. Volunteer fire dept. Churches of course. We just moved there - well still in the process - and have already made friends.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...04_rect/13_zm/

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by ki0eh

Middletown Borough (17057) has smaller single homes within that range.

Agree with the above. My first house was in Middletown. Not the Borough, but in a suburban development well outside the Borough. This was in the late 80's so times, and prices have changed. I was working in Lancaster at the time. I looked in Hershey, but found I could get much more value in Lancaster, and it was a much better commute for me at the time.