What is Shaler like?

[hinsey86]

I really like Shaler. There is such a mixture of styles and prices. A friend who is a lawyer purchased a beautiful old Victorian and my nephew bought a small 1960's brick cheap starter home. Overall the people I have known there have been fine. We looked and looked when we were buying but Could not find anything to suit us. since we had time constraints we ended up elsewhere but I would have loved Shaler..including the easy commute to the city.

[robrobrob]

With a 350,000 budget you probably should be looking in more upscale areas than Shaler. The problem is that you want character which means older houses which is a little tough in some of the better school districts. I probably would sacrifice the character for schools and look in Hampton. 350K is sort of an odd budget in that it gets you in the door in some nice areas or gets you a great house in some average areas (I would call Shaler, Bethel Park, Ross average).

If you really need/want character then look in Ben Avon or Ben Avon Heights. Not as many houses for sale but the schools are better than Shaler. I think you might be able to find something decent for 350,000 there.

If you want a more urban looking neighborhood with great schools then Aspinwall is perfect. It really is a community that has few rivals in the burgh.