Easton, PA why are these properties so cheap? (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: bank owned, for sale)

[Misophonic]

Good Afternoon;

I have been reading a lot about Easton/Bethlehem area and visited few times. It seems like an ideal place to move my family to.

I came across these two properties and trying to figure out if they are in the "crime" area of Easton

Both of these seem extremely cheap to me, so I am wondering if anyone is familiar with the area can chime in.
Canal-Park-Easton-PA-18042 and W-Wilkes-Barre-St_Easton_PA_18042_

To add more to if someone has any other ideas

When are you moving? Spring 2015
Where are you coming from? Brooklyn NY
Why are you moving? Lower cost of living, NYC is also not a place to raise my son
Where will you be working? I am a security contractor so I work all over US
Have you been here yet? few times, I got gun range membership at few ranges so frequent Easton a lot.

Will you buy or rent? buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? either, budget is $175k
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? don't care

Are you married or single? Do you have children? married, 2 year old son lives with me and 5 year old daughter is in NJ with mom
Do you prefer public or private schools? does not matter, quality is what I am looking for
Do you have pets? puppy, American Eskimo Dog
Do you want or need a yard? prefer a small yard
Are you keeping a car? 2 cars
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?calm

What do you want to be closest to? gym, basic services, park


Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? as long as crime is low, i don't care about anything else

Phillies or Mets? Mets season ticket holder since 2000, mom works for Mets so I get my tickets 50% off


I am a security contractor, I am pretty much a driver and body guard for high profile individuals. Most of my work is in NYC but work takes me places such as Miami, LA, Phoenix, Austin, Dallas, Orlando and anywhere requested. I don't work daily so travel is not an issue.

[Delaware Davy]

Your first listing is just about as good a place as you're going to find for the money; and it's located in an older, well established part of town. I won't kid ya: There's a lot of serious crime and drug abuse in Easton. (More than most people think; but, overall, the area seems to be improving rather than declining.) I, also, belong to The Heritage Guild on Hilton Street; and Easton Fish & Game runs some of the best IDPA matches in NEPA.

By the way, the second link you posted doesn't work.

[Misophonic]

Originally Posted by Delaware Davy

Your first listing is just about as good a place as you're going to find for the money; and it's located in an older, well established part of town. I won't kid ya: There's a lot of serious crime and drug abuse in Easton. (More than most people think; but, overall, the area seems to be improving rather than declining.) I, also, belong to The Heritage Guild on Hilton Street; and Easton Fish & Game runs some of the best IDPA matches in NEPA.

By the way, the second link you posted doesn't work.

The first link I posted, is there crime in that particular area? If there is crime and drug issue on the other side of town, it won't effect me.

second house listed W Wilkes Barre St, Easton, PA 18042 is For Sale.

Again my budget is around 150k, where should I be looking at?


Also what about this area 11 W 2nd St UNIT 102, Bethlehem, PA 18015 is For Sale - Zillow

I know its not Easton but looks nice.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by Misophonic

The first link I posted, is there crime in that particular area? If there is crime and drug issue on the other side of town, it won't effect me.

second house listed W Wilkes Barre St, Easton, PA 18042 is For Sale


Again my budget is around 150k, where should I be looking at?


Also what about this area W 2nd St , Bethlehem, PA 18015

I know its not Easton but looks nice.

W Wilkes Barre St, Easton, PA 18042 is 74 years old, half a twin with an empty lot next door. There are a lot of foreclosures within a few blocks. Although the homeowner bought it for over $100K 9 years ago, this property looks like it is in freefall. Since it is half your budget, I would look elsewhere.

The South side condo is almost the opposite end of the spectrum. Riverport development was built as a trendy addition for what was hoped to be a development boom. It is a giant space with lots of places to eat nearby (limited in supermarkets). The top end units were purchased for half a million dollars when it opened.

I think that condo you are looking at was probably never sold, and has been a rental for many years. It was listed for sale at $190,000 two year ago, and has been reduced to $115,000. A lot depends on the condo fee, as it might be very high and be out of your price range.

Here is a bank owned property which you might be able to get for under $90K. It's small but it has an EXCELLENT school within walking distance.
Foley Ave, Hellertown, PA 18055 3 beds 1 bath 1,040 sqft

Here is a similar home, also within walking distance, but it isn't in forclosure. They have dropped their price from $170K to $153K in a few weeks.
Magnolia Rd, Hellertown, PA 18055 3 beds 1 bath1,045 sqft

Hellertown would be a much better choice for your son's education than Easton

[Delaware Davy]

I second Paco's advice on Hellertown. (Which, also, has an active and well run gun club - Not to mention one of the best taverns, (Braveheart) anywhere, within 25 or 30 miles!)

As for Easton? It can be a, 'fooler'. Many areas of Easton seem to be improving; but, overall, some of these improved areas are only that: The homes have been upgraded; but the local residents haven't changed.

ANYTHING within walking distance of Neston Heights has to be approached with caution. When my wife and I were considering the purchase of a new unit at Neston we were told there had been 8 murders in the area during the previous 10 years; AND, Neston Heights management wouldn't allow firearms in the community. (Which I was told by a builder's representative while I had two pistols underneath my jacket!)

Several area Realtors assured us that the town had, 'cleaned up drug abuse in the area; and things were much better now (2011) than they used to be'. Imagine my surprise when I was told, just 3 or 4 months ago, that 2 more murders had recently taken place in the area.

Overall I like what I've watched happening in Easton; but, at the same time, I wouldn't want to live (or work) there, or pay the city taxes. Area crime, and the proximity of the Southside of town to the huge (Charles Chrin) sanitary landfill on the other side of Interstate 78, (as well as the excellent view of the dump from many places in and around the Southside) ultimately turned us off to living in Easton.

Hellertown, Coopersburg, or even certain parts of Palmer or Bethlehem Townships are, in my opinion, much better community choices. One of my close acquaintances recently purchased a condo in Coopersburg. They've been living there for (about) the past 2 years; and he likes the area a lot better than where they used to live in Monroe County.

[toobusytoday]

Posters - According to our Terms of Service, you cannot post links or specific addresses for properties for sale. The reason for that is it could be considered soliciting. We do not want realtors using our forums as a way to advertise their properties. It's perfectly acceptable to mention the street name and that would be easy enough for anyone to look up vs. giving the actual house number and street name. Misophonic, your links will not work because you are a new poster and the site only makes links active after posters have posted for (I think) 10 posts. That also has to do with spammers using this forum. Not that you are doing that, but it's how this site is set up.

[toobusytoday]

I agree with the other posters regarding where to live. If the point of moving is so your son gets a better education, than it makes no sense to move to Easton, which does not have very well regarded schools.

[Misophonic]

I really appreciate the replies, its a lot to think about and research.

toobusytoday; sorry for posting the links, did not mean to spam just wanted input

[SteelCityRising]

I'll third the recommendation for Hellertown. If you're looking for a more "urban" environment, then Bethlehem is typically considered to be the most desirable of the three primary cities in the Lehigh Valley, although housing prices in Bethlehem tend to be higher than they are in Allentown and Easton to reflect that popularity. My uncle used to live in Fountain Hill when he was attending graduate school at Lehigh University. From what I remember the town was charming, but I can't comment on the public school situation there. He lived in a cute early-1900s-era home on Norway Place, just down the hill from an elementary school.

As a caveat I've never lived in the Lehigh Valley. I grew up in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, now live in Downtown Pittsburgh, and am considering the Lehigh Valley because it is close to my family and my partner's family (Lancaster, PA), hence the research I've been doing as of late.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by Misophonic

I really appreciate the replies, its a lot to think about and research.

The best places for both good schools and low home prices are the boroughs of Hellertown, Coopersburg, and Nazareth. Hellertown, being closer to the Interstate, had more of a property boom than the other two, so more people are trying to sell over the market price to cover their mortgage balance.

It is true that Easton is improving since 25 years ago it had the highest crime rate of Lehigh Valley. Now the highest crime rate is center city Allentown. But even center city Allentown does not have the crime rate of other Southeast Pennsylvania cities like Reading, Harrisburg, York, Chester or parts of Philadelphia.