I need housing help! All options welcome! (Pittsburgh, Ross Township: apartments, rentals) - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

spitale22 · 10-23-2012, 07:48 AM

Good morning all!
Well, after a frustrating weekend in Pittsburgh looking at rentals, I come back to you all for help! My husband starts his new position in Pittsburgh on 12/3 and we need to find a place to live. We are looking for a rental for 1 year so we can settle in and then start looking to buy.

We have 2 small girls and need an area where it is safe to play outside.

We need a rental that is at least 3 bedrooms and allows pets. We have 1 cat and a large, lab mix. Both are well behaved and super friendly.

We know that we will likely have to pay a bit more to get what we want, but we can't even find that! And our current home needs to be rented before we can figure out how much more we can pay, but we are open to all options right now. We would like to stay north (even as far as Cranberry and that general area, but I balk at paying close to $2000 a month for rent!) but will also consider other safe areas that aren't a horrible commute to McKnight (ie. I've been told Forest Hills would be a nightmare commute.)

We currently live in a suburban area and my husband tends to shy away from typical city neighborhoods, but we liked the nice area of Brighton Heights, Glenshaw, Shaler, McCandless, Squirrel Hill, etc. Those types of area are what we are looking for. Unfortunately, if it isn't clean and safe, my husband won't consider it. He balked at Bellevue and Mt. Washington, etc. so that gives you an idea of what we are looking for. Although, that being said, we did realize that a couple of blocks makes the difference (which I had seen here previously).

At this point we are also considering townhomes and apartments, but need one that will allow large dogs and have 3 bedrooms. Any suggestions on those?

Are the Residences at South Hills still a bad area regarding safety? I see that they have been taken over by new management. I could live with some outdated features, but want it to be a safe area.

Thanks so much for any help you can provide! I'm at a loss and getting stressed and frustrated!

spitale22 · 10-23-2012, 08:09 AM

Any thoughts on the Emsworth area? Particularly 219 Center Ave at Orchard?

Thanks!

Hopes · 10-23-2012, 08:09 AM

All of the areas you mentioned are safe. One thing to know about Pittsburgh is that dirty and unkept doesn't equate to unsafe.

If he's working on McKnight, consider Ross Township. It's right where he works. It's a nice suburb that is more affordable than others. Shaler too.

There's no reason to live in the South Hills or elsewhere.

You can find something in the North Hills and keep his commute as short as possible so you have more time to househunt.
Here are some ideas:

Shaler $1,425 -- House for Rent

Shaler $1,200 -- Awesome Remodeled 3 bed/1.5bath house in North Hills

Ross $995 -- Spacious brick ranch on dead-end street

Ross $1,450 -- 3BR Private Brick House -- Great Location

Fox Chapel $1,300 -- Cape Cod in Fox Chapel School District

There are others. Check out Craig's List.

spitale22 · 10-23-2012, 08:12 AM

Thanks Hopes! The problem we are having is the pets. Most of the homes you linked don't allow pets and the one that does is more than we can commit to rent until our current home is rented.

If we can rent our current home for what we have it listed, then we might be able to consider more to stay in the North hills area.

Did I see on another thread that you lived in Emsworth? Thoughts on 219 Center at Orchard? It looks like there is a large remodeled apt. there.

Hopes · 10-23-2012, 08:14 AM

I don't live in Emsworth, but I can tell you it's a safe area.

What's your limit for rent without renting your current home?

I missed that you have pets. Sorry. I'll look for places that take cats and dogs.

Sometimes you can convince a landlord to rent to you if you offer additional security deposit.

robrobrob · 10-23-2012, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spitale22

Good morning all!
Well, after a frustrating weekend in Pittsburgh looking at rentals, I come back to you all for help! My husband starts his new position in Pittsburgh on 12/3 and we need to find a place to live. We are looking for a rental for 1 year so we can settle in and then start looking to buy.

We have 2 small girls and need an area where it is safe to play outside.

We need a rental that is at least 3 bedrooms and allows pets. We have 1 cat and a large, lab mix. Both are well behaved and super friendly.

We know that we will likely have to pay a bit more to get what we want, but we can't even find that! And our current home needs to be rented before we can figure out how much more we can pay, but we are open to all options right now. We would like to stay north (even as far as Cranberry and that general area, but I balk at paying close to $2000 a month for rent!) but will also consider other safe areas that aren't a horrible commute to McKnight (ie. I've been told Forest Hills would be a nightmare commute.)

We currently live in a suburban area and my husband tends to shy away from typical city neighborhoods, but we liked the nice area of Brighton Heights, Glenshaw, Shaler, McCandless, Squirrel Hill, etc. Those types of area are what we are looking for. Unfortunately, if it isn't clean and safe, my husband won't consider it. He balked at Bellevue and Mt. Washington, etc. so that gives you an idea of what we are looking for. Although, that being said, we did realize that a couple of blocks makes the difference (which I had seen here previously).

At this point we are also considering townhomes and apartments, but need one that will allow large dogs and have 3 bedrooms. Any suggestions on those?

Are the Residences at South Hills still a bad area regarding safety? I see that they have been taken over by new management. I could live with some outdated features, but want it to be a safe area.

Thanks so much for any help you can provide! I'm at a loss and getting stressed and frustrated!

I think you need to tell us your budget. Right now the only thing we know is that you don't want to pay 2000 a month. I would think that you need to spend at least 1200 for a single family home in decent area. I am sure there are exceptions but frankly it doesn't seem like you have the time to wait on the perfect place at the perfect price.

spitale22 · 10-23-2012, 08:16 AM

I would like to stay under 1200 if possible without knowing what our current home would rent for. If it rents soon and for a good price, we could consider more if absolutely necessary. Obviously, less is better.

We have 1 cat that is older and an 8 year old lab mix dog. Both are housebroken and well behaved, but the dog is big and that scares people away. He really is the sweetest dog ever though.

spitale22 · 10-23-2012, 08:17 AM

Also, my husband's organization will put him up in a hotel until March, so we do have some time, but of course, he doesn't want to live in a hotel until March.

My frustration over this past weekend was that there was absolutely nothing that met our needs available and it seemed like we exhausted all options that are available right now. I think that stressed me out more than anything.

greg42 · 10-23-2012, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spitale22

Any thoughts on the Emsworth area? Particularly 219 Center Ave at Orchard?

Thanks!

Nothing wrong with Emsworth to my knowledge. I used to live there though that was almost 10 years ago. The area around that has a town grid with streets but Emsworth does not really have much if any businesses left within that grid. That's part of what makes it less commonly chosen than some other areas. It's just too small to sustain any businesses back there where no traffic comes through. The main businesses in Emsworth are the ones along the Ohio River Blvd (which really aren't that much either, but there are a couple). That road, PA Rt 65, is 4 lanes and has a lot of traffic especially at rush hour. But a few blocks away from that it can be relatively calm. There won't be much traffic in the streets where that apartment is because there's no reason to go in there except for people who live there or are visiting. Note that this location might be rather near the fire hall, which may make for some noise of that nature now and then.

Hopes · 10-23-2012, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spitale22

Also, my husband's organization will put him up in a hotel until March, so we do have some time, but of course, he doesn't want to live in a hotel until March.

That's what families do. My father transferred all over the world for a fortune 500. We'd be separated from him sometimes while we waited for our houses to sell. The only transfer we weren't separated was when we moved to Holland because the company provided a corporate house. Once we all lived in a motel room together (2 parents, 4 kids, and 1 big dog) for months while my parents house hunted in NC. Another time we stayed in WV at my grandparents' house while we waited for our house to be built here in Pittsburgh. My father was in a hotel then too. You gotta do what you gotta do.