What are some good areas in Pittsburgh for under 1 mil? (Lebanon: sales, condos)

[jessemh431]

Hi everybody.

I currently live in Los Angeles, but I'm thinking of relocating elsewhere. I am looking for somewhere that I can get more home for less money. Coming from LA, I can afford close to LA without feeling like it's too much, but I'd rather go cheaper since I would like to escape the high home prices here. What are some nice areas with 3/2 homes in the 600-800k price range? Also, are the property taxes a lot more out there?

Are the areas overlooking downtown good areas b/c i think it would be great to have a view like that?

Any suggestions of zip codes would be great.

Oh, one last thing. I'm a dentist and make 100k+ a year. Would I make less out there?

[Maaz]

I wouldn't recommend Mount Washington (the area overlooking downtown). It's nice, but from what I can see, only certain condos are really upscale while the rest of the neighborhood is purely middle class.

If you want to live in the city, I would recommend Shadyside. You can get a really nice 3/2 house there for probably $400k-$500k.

If you give us the property tax rate you're paying in L.A., we could possibly try to do a comparison.

Yeah, you may make less out here (maybe not significantly), but your housing costs will be cut in half.

[MaryS80]

Other then two or three areas, average home cost is well under a million in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is one of the few places left with affordable housing.

Do you know what area you will be working in?

What kind of neighborhood are you looking for? good schools? Older homes, or newer homes?

Sewickely is first place that comes to my mind in the $600k-$800k range. It's a small burough along the Ohio River. Mostly upper class and some mega rich. There's a country club and private school in town. There is a nice little downtown area with shops and restaurants. It's a nice quiet bedroom community.

I don't think property taxes would be higher, but there is a state income tax.

Fox Chapel and Squirrel Hill might fit the bill for you as well, but I am not very familiar with those areas.

[jessemh431]

Schools would be important and usually newer homes are larger and need less fixing up so i would like something newer, not brand new though. Any good gated or planned communites? They usually seem to be best for families and safety.

[jessemh431]

Property tax here is 1.1 percent. I researched some homes in shadyside. Are places near Negley Ave/Elmer St. intersection safe enough for kids to play outside? Is there much to do there(shopping, theaters, restaurants, etc.)?

[guylocke]

What are some good areas in Pittsburgh for under 1 mil?

To be perfectly honest with you, aside from about one to two special areas, there is no place in Pittsburgh housing would be a million dollars. Even the most exclusive and brand new neighborhoods would run no more than about 600,000, and we're talking like 4-car garages and three stories and 50 bathrooms. :P

Oh, one last thing. I'm a dentist and make 100k+ a year. Would I make less out there?

It's very likely you may make a bit less, but I know some dentists, and if you'd make less, it wouldn't be by much.

Are the areas overlooking downtown good areas b/c i think it would be great to have a view like that?

How important are schools to you? Any place that looks over the city would be part of city-schools, however, there are some really fantastic downtown condo's that are just opening and more to come, would you be interested in something like that?

[Hemingway]

I think with the proper realtor, you can find that upscale property for significantly less, and a decent location. As far as salary, why not contact some contemporaries out here and ask? Also, a very good realtor should have some knowledge or information regarding that. Regarding schools, if you are looking to live within city limits,you might also want to consider one of the private schools in the vicinity. I have almost NO knowledge of the current issues facing the City Public Schools (except that, like every other public city school in the US they do HAVE issues), but I'm just throwing that out there too. I know that Shadyside Academy, Winchester-Thurston School, The Ellis School(girls), and Sewickley Academy have good reputations...I don't know anything about the Catholic schools. HTH

[right-here-i-say]

An $800K home in Mt Lebanon would have $24K per year in property taxes, plus income taxes.....if assessed near the sales price.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

Any good gated or planned communites? They usually seem to be best for families and safety.

lol are you freaking kidding me? You have a lot to learn about PA. We don't have much of the "gated" suburban communities out here. As a matter of fact, the ones we do have are usually overrun with criminals from bigger cities.

[PApisces]

Originally Posted by danwxman

lol are you freaking kidding me? You have a lot to learn about PA. We don't have much of the "gated" suburban communities out here. As a matter of fact, the ones we do have are usually overrun with criminals from bigger cities.

More importantly, we don't NEED them in Pittsburgh since crime is FAR lower than L.A. :-)