Buying a house in Mahanoy City (York, Pottsville: rental car, real estate, foreclosure)

[oldhomefan]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to get peoples opinions and advice on buying one of the "rowhomes" in Mahanoy City.

Ive just stumbled upon this website and have read through the older posts, and its seems to be 50-50 with some saying stay away and others saying its a great place...

So, my story. I live overseas ( Australia ) but have a little spare cash ( ironic considering the economy today in general ) and was looking at purchasing a row home in East Pine street for about 10K from one of the forclosure companies. It needs a fair bit of work but I think thats half the fun of owning one of these types of homes.

Why? Because I intend to spend most of my holiday time in the US from now on and I think it would be good to have a place of my own rather than just staying in hotel rooms all the time. And I love the snow, which Im sure there is plenty of in the winter....

Ive seen a lot of pictures of the town on sites such as FlickR, and I really like those old types of homes. I know the town is fairly depressed at the moment but Im not one of these uppity types that needs to have an Abercrombie & Fitch store nearby. Sitting at the pub with a beer is more my style anyway! I dont however want to live in the "ghetto" or have drug deals going on right outside my front porch......

So, in your honest opinions, do you think I would be crazy to buy such a place, especially sight unseen and without ever having been to the City? I noticed that Mahanoy City has an active restoration plan in place for the downtown, and this sounds very encouraging. I also like the closeness to NYC without the hassle of actually living in the big city....

Any real nitty gritty advice would be appreciated. Also if anyone knows, what would I be looking at dollar wise in regards to upgrades on the home if it needed any ( new electrical, plumbing, heat, coat of paint etc )

Thanks, Joe.

[Will Kelly]

You are the first person in the world to ever refer to Mahanoy city as close to New York. I think you should be very careful of buying a home over the internet from a "foreclosure company" unless you are willing to risk the full $10,000.

My wife is from the Mahanoy city area and it is very nice. There is a much older feel to that part of the state.

If you are someone who wants to be a part of the action of NYC then I don't think it's a good fit.

I also don't think it makes financial sense as a holiday home. There are no major forms of public transportation and it's accessibility to a major airport or train is very limited.

Every time you visit you will have to pay for a rental car. You will have to carrying costs to maintain the home, real estate taxes which may skyrocket in PA because the state is close to broke, homeowner's insurance, etc.

$10,000 seems like a great price but if there is no one local willing to pay that...it should tell you something. The property should not be more attractive to you because you're in Australia and unattractive to someone in the states, if it's a good deal.

Just my thoughts.

Will

[oldhomefan]

Will,

Thanks for the reply. I know its not "close" close to New York, but according to google maps its about 2.5 hours - is this an accurate estimate or a little ambitous? In any case Im not considering it just to be near NYC, I just thought that would be a bonus.

I like the NEPA area mostly for its greenery, scenery and snow, and of course the old school type homes and the rowhomes which I think gives it that "village" feel. The taxes are listed at around $900 per year, and of course home insurance but its a expense that I think I could manage, especially considering my previous holiday's over here cost about 2 grand just for a hotel for 2 weeks.

Anyways the main concern is that most people on this forum are saying stay away from NEPA, its depressed, drugs, gangs, illegal immigrants etc etc. But Ive seen that everywhere Ive been in the States. Just trying to get an accurate picture and distinguish between whats real and who is just saying that because they grew up there and want to get away.

I know it sounds like crystal ball stuff, but do you think it is really going to just keep going downhill, with no chance of redemption, or is this just a reflection of the economy at the moment - considering all things ebb and flow at times.

And great advice about its proximity to airports etc. Good point. Thanks again for the reply, and welome anyone else's advice, especially people who live in Mahanoy now.

Joe.

[cowboyxjon]

I grew up not far from there (Pottsville), and I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend it to someone who wants a vacation home. I like NEPA and love to return to visit my family, but I don't think I would ever want to live there again. It's economically depressed, very gray and cloudy during the winter, and there just really isn't much to do.

The housing stock is also very old. Not ALL old homes have this, but it's possible that the basement floor is dirt. My grandparents house was like that. It wasn't really liveable space. Also, the home may need new electric or plumbing, and it may not be worth it to make the repairs.

The GMaps estimate may be a bit ambitious. I'd say the travel time would be more like 3 hours with traffic as you get closer to NYC.. but then again, it all depends.

As far as your crystal ball question, I lived in the area for 23 years, and aside from a few businesses leaving the area, not much has changed. I wouldn't say it's going downhill, but it's not necessarily getting better, either.

Hope this helps.

[kibeme]

I see your post was from months ago, however I just stumbled onto it and wondered what your decision was.... I currently live on E Pine St in Mahanoy City and if you want inside information, I can really help you. The rowhouse next to mine is vacant. Feel free to e-mail me, if you're still interested in information. mod cut - please do not post e-mail addresses, use DM

Originally Posted by oldhomefan

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to get peoples opinions and advice on buying one of the "rowhomes" in Mahanoy City.

Ive just stumbled upon this website and have read through the older posts, and its seems to be 50-50 with some saying stay away and others saying its a great place...

So, my story. I live overseas ( Australia ) but have a little spare cash ( ironic considering the economy today in general ) and was looking at purchasing a row home in East Pine street for about 10K from one of the forclosure companies. It needs a fair bit of work but I think thats half the fun of owning one of these types of homes.

Why? Because I intend to spend most of my holiday time in the US from now on and I think it would be good to have a place of my own rather than just staying in hotel rooms all the time. And I love the snow, which Im sure there is plenty of in the winter....

Ive seen a lot of pictures of the town on sites such as FlickR, and I really like those old types of homes. I know the town is fairly depressed at the moment but Im not one of these uppity types that needs to have an Abercrombie & Fitch store nearby. Sitting at the pub with a beer is more my style anyway! I dont however want to live in the "ghetto" or have drug deals going on right outside my front porch......

So, in your honest opinions, do you think I would be crazy to buy such a place, especially sight unseen and without ever having been to the City? I noticed that Mahanoy City has an active restoration plan in place for the downtown, and this sounds very encouraging. I also like the closeness to NYC without the hassle of actually living in the big city....

Any real nitty gritty advice would be appreciated. Also if anyone knows, what would I be looking at dollar wise in regards to upgrades on the home if it needed any ( new electrical, plumbing, heat, coat of paint etc )

Thanks, Joe.