New to Pitt: better to buy in Squirrel Hill or Mt. Lebanon? Two small children. (Fox Chapel: for sale, apartments) - Pittsburgh - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

mettabelle · 07-12-2011, 12:55 PM

Looking for feedback on better place to buy a home. I have two small children and schools are an issue. 200,000$ range. Anyone have any experience at the Enviromental Charter School in Frick? How is hard is it to get a spot in the lottery? Thanks.

BrianTH · 07-12-2011, 01:14 PM

The ECS is extremely popular so lots of people don't get in through the lottery. Fortunately there are many other good lower-grade options in the PPS, and I personally would be fine with the feeder schools in Squirrel Hill, but you really can't bank on the ECS specifically.

gg · 07-12-2011, 01:28 PM

$200K in Aspinwall could be a good fit. There is a home in Fox Chapel listed for $174K that would be great for kids, but a little small.

BrianTH · 07-12-2011, 01:34 PM

Aspinwall is often a good choice for people who like East End neighborhoods like Squirrel Hill but want to be in one of the best local school districts (Fox Chapel).

I suppose in general it would help if you could explain why you were looking at Mt Lebanon and Squirrel Hill in the first place (although you would be far from the first person to cross-shop those particular neighborhoods, the details might help us come up with more alternatives).

DomerJen · 07-12-2011, 01:54 PM

We went w/ Mt. Lebanon over Squirrel Hill, mostly b/c I didn't want to go through the work of figuring out which house was in which elementary-middle-hs feeder pattern and THEN determining if that elem/ms was likely to remain top notch for the 12+ years we'd be living there. I've heard that elementary schools can vary more quickly than HS just b/c they draw from a smaller area.

The presence of the T to get downtown was another benefit for us. Though Squirrel Hill is pretty close, parking is still $$$ downtown, and bus commutes aren't as pleasant as a train in general.

I don't think you can go wrong either way, though we're excited about the amenities and family feel in Mt. Lebanon (we haven't spent time in SqH, so I can't comment on the "feel" there).

mettabelle · 07-12-2011, 01:57 PM

that is really good to know, that is, not to depend on the lottery for the ECS. i like these neighborhoods because as I toured them they felt right for my family. my favorite was Regent Square, however i couldn't find an affordable rental and it looks like buying would be out of the question. i think from what i know right now the Aspinwall/Fox Chapel location would be too far of a commute for my husband who works on Bedford downtown. i'm not much of a suburban mom but i couldn't help but like the neighorboody yet not cookie-cutter feel of Mt. Lebanon...not to mention the glowing reviews from everyone about the schools. i think we are settling on a rental in a nice spot in Squirrel hill yet it is more than i wanted to spend. as we learn the city i would like to buy early next year so i'm gathering info. thanks for any and all help!

gg · 07-12-2011, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DomerJen

We went w/ Mt. Lebanon over Squirrel Hill, mostly b/c I didn't want to go through the work of figuring out which house was in which elementary-middle-hs feeder pattern and THEN determining if that elem/ms was likely to remain top notch for the 12+ years we'd be living there. I've heard that elementary schools can vary more quickly than HS just b/c they draw from a smaller area.

The presence of the T to get downtown was another benefit for us. Though Squirrel Hill is pretty close, parking is still $$$ downtown, and bus commutes aren't as pleasant as a train in general.

I don't think you can go wrong either way, though we're excited about the amenities and family feel in Mt. Lebanon (we haven't spent time in SqH, so I can't comment on the "feel" there).

Very nice post. Thanks. Mt. Lebo is sure a nice place and the T sure doesn't hurt let alone that great school and little downtown.

mettabelle · 07-12-2011, 02:03 PM

thanks great info!
can you give a referral for the best place to buy in Mt. Lebanon? it's relatively small yet there is a ot for sale. What are the better elementary schools? i'm looking for a really friendly not ("snoby") location

DomerJen · 07-12-2011, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mettabelle

thanks great info!
can you give a referral for the best place to buy in Mt. Lebanon? it's relatively small yet there is a ot for sale. What are the better elementary schools? i'm looking for a really friendly not ("snoby") location

If you are renting, you'll probably be limited in your area as not much comes on the market. There are a lot of rental apartments on the north end of town near the dormont border and near/on washington rd.

There isn't a "bad" neighborhood, for sure. Sunset hills (the area between the cemetary and the golf course) has smaller, cheaper homes. I've heard great things about their elementary school (howe). We ended up in the Lincoln elementary school neighborhood. We found it to be unpretentious in feel and like that it's close to the beverly rd shops. "virginia manor" is on the west side of the hospital... it's the "fancy" part of town I guess. We never drove through it b/c it was pretty far from amenities like main park and the T. Our "target" zone was Mission Hills (the Orchard/Jefferson loop) but there is very little available there right now. There is a little "triangle" that we thought would be awesome, too, bordered by cochran and washington rds... so close to everything. Markham (south of bird park) has a great reputation. So, basically you can't go wrong.

We thought the southwest side of the city (between cedar and bower hill) was kind of suburban-ish compared to the rest of the areas we saw there.

Anyway, we haven't actually moved there, that's just from months of research and weeks of actual home searching. We close in a couple of weeks and are moving in November from Atlanta. Good luck!

mettabelle · 07-13-2011, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DomerJen

If you are renting, you'll probably be limited in your area as not much comes on the market. There are a lot of rental apartments on the north end of town near the dormont border and near/on washington rd.

There isn't a "bad" neighborhood, for sure. Sunset hills (the area between the cemetary and the golf course) has smaller, cheaper homes. I've heard great things about their elementary school (howe). We ended up in the Lincoln elementary school neighborhood. We found it to be unpretentious in feel and like that it's close to the beverly rd shops. "virginia manor" is on the west side of the hospital... it's the "fancy" part of town I guess. We never drove through it b/c it was pretty far from amenities like main park and the T. Our "target" zone was Mission Hills (the Orchard/Jefferson loop) but there is very little available there right now. There is a little "triangle" that we thought would be awesome, too, bordered by cochran and washington rds... so close to everything. Markham (south of bird park) has a great reputation. So, basically you can't go wrong.

We thought the southwest side of the city (between cedar and bower hill) was kind of suburban-ish compared to the rest of the areas we saw there.

Anyway, we haven't actually moved there, that's just from months of research and weeks of actual home searching. We close in a couple of weeks and are moving in November from Atlanta. Good luck!

thank you and good luck to you as well. we are moving from Nashville. my husband is from Macon GA. Message me and maybe we could hook up when you get to town!!