Hazelwood (Pittsburgh, Stowe Township, Stowe: credit, lenders, buying a house)

[gg]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

What don't you like about it? The paneling?

I ride my bike up through there sometimes. It is not my favorite areas. I think you can be closer to things and a better location. Parts of Shaler, O'Hara, Sharpsburg, outer Millvale, Reserve, Northside and other places I think could be a better fit.

[bradjl2009]

I think it's worth a try. The interior looks dated but the house is far from a P.O.S. You should take a good look at the neighborhood because some parts of Hazelwood aren't that bad and if it's something for you, go for it.

[Uptown kid]

Well I actually know a good deal of people (family and family friends) from Hazelwood, some have been shot, I even have a cousin who was kilked in Hazelwood back in the day (when Hazelwood Mob ran the streets)... As a child I spent lots of summers in Hazelwood as well, so I'm pretty familiar with the area...
First off Hazelwood has been crip since before I was born... The street the property in question is located off of (Johnstown Ave) is several blocks away from debatably the most active part... Glen Hazel... In Glen Hazel there's one way in and one way out... And so shootings are rare since riddaz' from rival hoods (East Hills) know that it's not even worth a shot to try to "roll" on an enemy because there's a slim chance that they'll make it out alive.

Hazelwood is a place where drugs and gangs have hurt so many for so long that all the non affiliated people cooperate with the police and aren't afraid to stand up & challenge the gang members.
Yea sure there are lots of very nice people, but you best be sure as hell that there are a lot of crooks, gangstas, crackheads and thugs too. If you move to Hazelwood get use to: hearing the phrase "homies cuh" (Crip neighborhood pharse used as slang for several expressions by most people <40) blue/black/white graffiti, litter, people's loud music (in house & in cars), the ever present threat of being robbed/having your house broken into, and most notably GUN SHOTS (I can remember in the long summer nights hearing rounds of gun shots weekly). Although I have to admit things are settling down and getting better in the neighborhood... Both of the sets are currently in some kind of truce, and the neighborhoodwatch, all of the churches, and most innocent people cooperate with the police.

I don't advise you to move into the bad part of Hazelwood (south of Hazelwood Ave-east of 2nd Ave), it's one of the city's worst hoods and I can't remember the last year when there hasn't been a murder! Although I'd say it's safer in Hazelwood than in Larimer...

[PreservationPioneer]

Location is important, but a house has to "speak" to you, as well. It sounds like you found a house that you really like, and it is cute, except for the wood paneling -- but mine has that crap, too!

I would have made more of an effort to live in the city, rather than Stowe Township, when I was looking for a house. But I was absolutely determined to find a row-house, and not just any row-house, but one that looked historically intact from the outside. So that narrowed my prospects considerably, especially in the price range I was looking in.

I think you can urban pioneer in Hazelwood, but there are a couple important things to remember:

1) Expect that your neighbors will be trash, section 8, thugs, etc. There may be a few old-timers around, but they are dying, and being replaced with section 8 rentals, or their homes sit abandoned.

2) Buy a home security system.

3) Be prepared to pick up litter every day. Yesterday I looked at the vacant lot next to my house and noticed that somebody decided to throw a bunch of old tires there. The township refuses to do anything about it because the owner can't be located.

I think you should go for it, though. I really do (if that's what you want to do).

[Denton56]

Are you and your partner handy with home repairs, plumbing, electrical, wall repair, gutters, all that home stuff? You can learn it, but if you start out knowing little or nothing it will make it much more difficult. It won't be such a steep learning curve if you've already done rehab and have some experience. And you won't lose so much money because things get screwed up and you have to buy the same part three times or more. Rehab is not for the faint of heart. It's very hard work, and dirty work too. It's also expensive, depending on your level of experience and knowledge. It's always harder and more complicated that people expect. Always takes longer too, and is more expensive than anticipated.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

3) Be prepared to pick up litter every day. Yesterday I looked at the vacant lot next to my house and noticed that somebody decided to throw a bunch of old tires there. The township refuses to do anything about it because the owner can't be located.

Sorry to go off topic, but couldn't they still cite the owner, and if he ignores enough citations, eventually the property could be seized by the city and auctioned off (hopefully to you, since it's next to you)?

Originally Posted by Denton56

Are you and your partner handy with home repairs, plumbing, electrical, wall repair, gutters, all that home stuff? You can learn it, but if you start out knowing little or nothing it will make it much more difficult. It won't be such a steep learning curve if you've already done rehab and have some experience. And you won't lose so much money because things get screwed up and you have to buy the same part three times or more. Rehab is not for the faint of heart. It's very hard work, and dirty work too. It's also expensive, depending on your level of experience and knowledge. It's always harder and more complicated that people expect. Always takes longer too, and is more expensive than anticipated.

Being handy certainly helps, but if you assume that SCR and his partner are saving $500 - $1000 a month depending on their current rent and utilities (if not more), they should be able to save up enough to hire people to do the tough stuff or stuff that requires skill.

SCR, my advice is to only do it if you're pretty happy with this particular house and get an acceptable vibe from the neighborhood (visit at night and on the weekend as well). The price isn't *that* low that you couldn't find comparable houses listed from time to time elsewhere. Good luck with your decision!

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

Sorry to go off topic, but couldn't they still cite the owner, and if he ignores enough citations, eventually the property could be seized by the city and auctioned off (hopefully to you, since it's next to you)?

I looked into it, and it would cost me at least $4,000 to acquire the vacant lot. Yes, that's pretty cheap, but I would also have to pay to have it landscaped (it's a mess), and considering I could probably buy a house for a few thousand more than that, it doesn't seem like that great of a deal. I've decided to save up for a Victorian mansion in McKees Rocks instead. I only need roughly 25k to afford one.

Being handy certainly helps, but if you assume that SCR and his partner are saving $500 - $1000 a month depending on their current rent and utilities (if not more), they should be able to save up enough to hire people to do the tough stuff or stuff that requires skill.

SCR, my advice is to only do it if you're pretty happy with this particular house and get an acceptable vibe from the neighborhood (visit at night and on the weekend as well). The price isn't *that* low that you couldn't find comparable houses listed from time to time elsewhere. Good luck with your decision!

I agree -- go in the afternoon and evening, especially (on different days) to get an accurate feel for the neighborhood.

Old houses are fun to work on. I've hired out most of the work on my house and while it's not cheap, a lot of it is cheaper and less of a financial drain than I imagined. My house has gone through a complete exterior rehab, and I'm gearing up to do the interior. There are a lot of things you can live with until you save enough to have them fixed (such as my crumbling plaster). There are many ways you can be economical when fixing an old house. For one thing, you don't put expensive stuff on a cheap house. You go with moderately priced (or inexpensive) upgrades that do not detract significantly from the historic character of the house, well unless you want to dig a money pit. I'm not putting custom wood windows and doors, green energy heating systems, and granite counters in a 10k house.

[escilade18]

I say if you like it go for it. Hazelwood isn't all that bad, just more of a sleepy neighborhood (think Polish Hill). It is that cheap likely because it is not the trendy place to live. Best of luck with the house, it looked nice and could be really nice with a little tender love and care. One thing to think of is much of Hazelwood is on a flood plain, and flooded badly when we had the heave rains back in August (I was lucky enough to be traveling thru there to get home from Kennywood.) Maybe talk with the neighbors to find out info about this

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I think you can urban pioneer in Hazelwood, but there are a couple important things to remember:

1) Expect that your neighbors will be trash, section 8, thugs, etc. There may be a few old-timers around, but they are dying, and being replaced with section 8 rentals, or their homes sit abandoned.

2) Buy a home security system.

I agree here, as this is a realistic approach when looking to buy a cheap home in a notoriously "hood" area. I also recommend a home defense firearm and perhaps obtaining a LTCF wouldn't be a bad idea either.

I guess by definition I meet the "urban pioneer" requirement and always found it necessary to provide adequate safety measures for myself and my loved ones. Just one of those sacrifices you have to make.

[Caladium]

I thought you were looking for a better job. What are you going to do if you get that career opportunity you've been longing for, but it's no where near the house you bought? Why not get the job first, and then buy a house near the job.

Also, how are you financing this purchase? There are a lot of expenses that go with buying a house, and getting a loan may be challenging (if not impossible). Most banks I know roll their eyes when they see low-paying jobs like delivery driver. You can try glorifying your job title but they'd probably see right through that.