2010 Report: PGH with most affordable housing among Top 100 metros (Pittsburgh: real estate, house)

[globalburgh]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Where are you living for that? Certainly a fringe area at best. Don't kid yourself, if you want to live in a safe area, you are going to pay over $200K.

I was referencing the example the other poster used. Data from that price range was used to make a point about the relatively high property tax rate in Pittsburgh.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Pittsburgh is expensive because the more expensive homes have a wildly high tax bill.

Again, this fails to account for how much homes in the top central city neighborhoods would actually cost in most other central cities. If you bought a comparable home in a comparable neighborhood in most central cities, your purchase price would be a lot higher, and you'd end up with a comparable property tax bill PLUS also be paying a lot more in mortgage, cost of capital, and insurance.

No matter what part of the market you are looking at, median, high-end, or low-end, much higher purchase prices will more than wipe out any advantage you think you would get from lower property tax rates.

Sure Brian, Pittsburgh is affordable if you take all the properties in the city limits and pull out the median home price, but if you take out neighborhoods that aren't filled with crime, Pittsburgh is expensive.

As was clearly noted in the thread title and OP, the statistics in the OP are for the median home in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. The median home in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area is not in a crime-filled neighborhood.

But we have been through all this before. Some people just do not want to admit that housing here is relatively inexpensive, but by the standards of most large metros, it is.

[steindle]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Where are you living for that? Certainly a fringe area at best. Don't kid yourself, if you want to live in a safe area, you are going to pay over $200K.

I guess that "safety" is relative and some people won't feel safe until they're behind a gate in Cranberry, but I know plenty of people who have purchased homes in not-terrifying Bloomfield for less than $100k, and I am buying a house in Troy Hill for substantially less than that. I don't feel that I'm hugely jeopardizing my safety, but I also attended 12 years of Pittsburgh Public Schools without ever going through a metal detector or joining a gang, so I am obviously imaginary.

[pman]

Originally Posted by Debbie1125

Pittsburgh's were twice as high on the lower priced homes ($80,000 to $100,000) than Philadelphia.
I am considering a move to Pittsburgh in the future. However the property taxes and transit situation will weigh high on whether I decide to relocate there or to another state entirely.

the city of Philadelphia has very low property taxes not only compared to pittsburgh but compared to other places in its region. still, a property tax of $4k a year isn't going to offset the $100k plus interest in homes savings you get. h curtis is complaining about $250k homes in good neighborhoods as if they're expensive. those war street homes would be double that in Philadelphia, and available only to the richest of the rich in ny. still, property taxes aren't low, but they aren't the $8-15k people are paying in nj. I'd also point out that for half the money, you get less urban convenience but also much less crime, the stats I've seen on that area just don't agree with what h curtis is saying. don't get me wrong, there are bad neighborhoods, but not every cheap neighborhood is crime ridden.

[gg]

Originally Posted by steindle

I guess that "safety" is relative and some people won't feel safe until they're behind a gate in Cranberry, but I know plenty of people who have purchased homes in not-terrifying Bloomfield for less than $100k, and I am buying a house in Troy Hill for substantially less than that. I don't feel that I'm hugely jeopardizing my safety, but I also attended 12 years of Pittsburgh Public Schools without ever going through a metal detector or joining a gang, so I am obviously imaginary.

Yes, Bloomfield is one place you can do it that is safe and a suburban mind can deal with it. You can buy your aluminum or plastic sided home with no yard and no parking for the $100K. Some of the worst housing stock in our region, but it is there and cheap enough, safe and a good example that I wouldn't argue against it. Troy Hill is like living in a suburb, but it is okay I guess. Sort of out of the way.

My point is, if you want to live in an area that is as safe as a suburb or close, you are going to pay one heck of a lot of money. Everyone has their tolerances, but to say Pittsburgh is cheap for all, it really isn't. The continual pounding of school taxes eating away at you every year makes sure you have to be quite rich to live in a $200K home in the city.

[gg]

Originally Posted by pman

...but they aren't the $8-15k people are paying in nj.

Bringing up NJ around the NYC area, isn't really much of a point. All places near to NYC are wildly expensive, but Pittsburgh can't be compared to such a place. If you can get into the NYC within an hour or a little longer, you are going to pay huge amounts of money. Pittsburgh is a tiny city in comparison. One needs to look at cities that are compatible, not NYC. Cleveland, Cincinnati and Buffalo are more in line with Pittsburgh. Even Philly would be hard to compare to Pittsburgh. It is WAY bigger and the Main Line as well as access to NYC via train and DC? We can't compete with Philly.

[BrianTH]

The study in the OP looked at the Top 100 metros (the Pittsburgh Metro is #22 by population).

[gg]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The study in the OP looked at the Top 100 metros (the Pittsburgh Metro is #22 by population).

So what is your point? I assume it would be directed at me, since that is your life's work. Are you saying, we can compare NYC metro to Pittsburgh? Philly? I hardly think so. You can compare them, but I think I will take a pass and am fine with agreeing to disagree. Those cities have HUGE infrastructure and have access to the entire eastern cities via that infrastructure. Pittsburgh is an island. We can't take a train for a day trip to NYC to catch a play or enjoy that huge place. We can't zip down to DC for the day via train.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

So what is your point?

That housing in the Pittsburgh Metro is affordable not just in relation to the largest East Coast metros, but also in relation to the vast majority of decent-sized metros throughout the country.

[Debbie1125]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Where are you living for that? Certainly a fringe area at best. Don't kid yourself, if you want to live in a safe area, you are going to pay over $200K.

Brookline has a good stock of affordable homes and it seems like it's a good, safe neighborhood. Any area of a city is going to have some kind of crime. The places I would definitely rule out would be the neighborhoods with violent crimes like homicide and sexual assault.