NEWCOMER to PA needs advice (Pittsburgh, Scranton: low crime, houses, job market)

[nyny2000]

Hey everyone. I am looking for a small single family home to buy in pennsylvania that is in a decent area. Is there anything I can get for $50-100,000 that is not in a run down area but may need some work??? ANYwhere in Pennsylvania. I found some properties upstate ny in that range but they needed a TON of work. Some 2 families and single families. Well I am from long island and there is nothing I can afford here lol. My friend moved to PA and likes it and says its much more affordable. So is there anything you think I can find? And what towns to look in. I did some research but I'd like to see what people who actually live in PA think of towns etc. Not just statistics on a website. THANKS!

[Summering]

Originally Posted by nyny2000

Hey everyone. I am looking for a small single family home to buy in pennsylvania that is in a decent area. Is there anything I can get for $50-100,000 that is not in a run down area but may need some work??? ANYwhere in Pennsylvania. I found some properties upstate ny in that range but they needed a TON of work. Some 2 families and single families. Well I am from long island and there is nothing I can afford here lol. My friend moved to PA and likes it and says its much more affordable. So is there anything you think I can find? And what towns to look in. I did some research but I'd like to see what people who actually live in PA think of towns etc. Not just statistics on a website. THANKS!

I think Scranton has some pretty nice homes at that price. SWB would have to tell you which area is the best, as far as decent areas.
I saw a nice listing 06-6383 which didn't look too bad in the pictures, and is a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath. ( 89,000)
That price in the Stroudsburgs would be a fixer upper..........and most likely not in a good area.
Scranton is a wonderful town however, and has some good pricing.

[CortlandGirl79]

You may also want to check out Eastern Ohio. There are several towns just over the PA border that have nice houses in your price range. Also, from what i hear the taxes in Ohio are cheaper, don't quote me though!

[mams1559]

Originally Posted by nyny2000

Hey everyone. I am looking for a small single family home to buy in pennsylvania that is in a decent area. Is there anything I can get for $50-100,000 that is not in a run down area but may need some work??? ANYwhere in Pennsylvania. I found some properties upstate ny in that range but they needed a TON of work. Some 2 families and single families. Well I am from long island and there is nothing I can afford here lol. My friend moved to PA and likes it and says its much more affordable. So is there anything you think I can find? And what towns to look in. I did some research but I'd like to see what people who actually live in PA think of towns etc. Not just statistics on a website. THANKS!

Since you did say "anywhere in PA", I would assume you'd also consider my corner of the state. The Johnstown/Somerset/Altoona/State College area is a really nice area to live. Economically it is slower going than eastern PA, but there's still lots of positives. For the price range you're looking in, you'd get a really nice home in my area, not even a fixer-upper. There's lots of outdoor activities, sports and you're not too far from the larger urban areas of Pittsburgh/Harrisburg (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hrs). Even Philly/Baltimore/DC is only 4 to 6 hrs away.

[PAman]

Coal Region in Schuylkill and Northumberland Counties you can find plenty of homes that are "fixer uppers" or perhaps even better in some of the towns. Kulpmont is a quiet place, so is Mount Carmel, coal region is generally quiet, save the occasional bar fight or isolated incident. the Laurel highlands, as suggested are good as well for that. some of the old steel towns outside of pittsburgh are still clean,honest towns where you can find homes cheaper to "fix up", I like Sharpsburg myself, also Sharpsville outside Sharon is a nice place. Hope PA treats you as well as its treated me!

[Sheradenmom]

My advice is to first decide on an area, Eastern, Southwestern Pa, and then look into cities and towns. It is a large state with such a variety in home values, etc. Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas are nice, reasonably priced homes, but you also want to consider the job market.

[chessplus]

Hi, just saw your post. I'm from Long Island, and needed to move to a more affordable area. I first moved To Kulpmont, and then to Mount Carmel. I also looked around a lot in NY, and found mostly wrecks in that price range. Binghamton was the exception, but was still a little overr my price range, and they have more extreme cold weather in that area, north east Pa and south west NY. This coal reagion area has weather very similar to LI, without the hurricanes. These small towns are more like living in Brooklyn or Queens (where I'm originally from) because there are sidewalks, so you get to meet your neighbors. It's a friendly, low crime area. I was looking for a place where there'd be lots of kids since I was bring my child with me. It's worked out nice for us. : )
Good luck in your search.