Moving from San Diego to Pittsburgh - where to live? (McCandless Township: real estate, apartment)

[gcrepe]

Hello all,

My hubby is in the process of signing an offer to work with Dick's Sporting Goods Corporate office. We may be moving to the area in the next 1.5 months.

Any suggestions for a married 40-something and early 50-something couple, NO kids, but love culture, good food, movies, being near nice parks (cycling, running, walking your dog paths) We have 4 rescued dogs that are our major focus when we're not working.

What suburbs would you suggest (near Dick's Headquarters - Airport area) to find a good Single Family Rental that might meet our lifestyle. Although officially middle-aged, we're pretty hip and young at heart! We have to have a YARD, so true city life wouldn't work -- the dogs need some running around space!

Any suggestions of areas / neighborhoods would be SO appreciated!

[smallfox]

My first thought is Sewickley.

-Your husband would be right across the river from work.
-Sewickley Heights Borough Park is a large, wooded park that allows dogs off leash
-Lovely little "Main Street USA" downtown with unique restaurants and shops

http://www.sewickleyborough.org/
Welcome to Sewickley, PA | Explore Sewickley | Eat Shop Live

I can't advise you as to the availability of rental homes, however. Those tend to be scarce all over our area.

[r3dwolf]

Originally Posted by smallfox

I can't advise you as to the availability of rental homes, however. Those tend to be scarce all over our area.

We have two dogs, and that made finding an acceptable rental impossible. But Sewickly is great! I'll second that recommendation.

[Hopes]

It will be more difficult to find a rental with four dogs. What's your budget? It seems mid-range rentals are most difficult. Lower and higher costing rentals seem more likely to accept dogs. Be prepared to negotiate via offering additional security deposits and higher monthly rental payments in order to entice landlords to rent to you. I wouldn't tell them right away how many dogs you have. I'd give them a chance to meet you first and then negotiate with them. Since you're going to be a renting a house, instead of an apartment, real estate agents will be beneficial in helping you with your search.

[gcrepe]

Thank you for the replies so far. I appreciate it.

Hopes, as far as rental budget -- we could probably go up to $2,000 a month. And definitely offer more security deposit or "dog" deposits. I forgot to mention: our dogs are all small sized, under 20 lbs. And two are seniors, that simply sleep most of the day. I will work from home and am a dog walker / trainer too. All these things will hopefully help a potential landlord feel more confident in renting to us, I hope!!!

[pit2atl]

I never knew dicks was head quartered here. hmmm

[Bong477]

Unfortunately, a SFH rental with a yard that will allow 4 dogs (regardless of size or how well behaved you tell a landlord they are) is going to be slim pickings. A rental without the dogs wouldn't be the easiest thing to find, the dogs just add another level of difficulty to something that isn't easy to begin with. Maybe you'll have some good luck, that's basically what it will come down to.

Sewickley will be the nicest and has some charm and character to it. It is generally priced accordingly. Robinson, Moon are nice as well but more in a typical suburban way. Those are probably the most immediate surroundings areas you are likely to look, you can start to expand out further if you can't find anything there. You can find places in the city with a yard if you so desire (in neighborhoods like Squirrel Hill), I wouldn't try to push you to the city with a commute to the airport though.

Its pretty easy to get into the city from that area for your culture type of stuff provided it isn't rush hour. Getting into the city during rush hour isn't very pleasant from that area. Far as I know most of the dining around there is chain sort of stuff, but people say that about the North Hills as well when there are in fact plenty of independent places there people who don't live there don't know about, so I imagine there are some local options too.

[SteelCityRising]

Here's an additional nod for Sewickley. It fits most of your requirements very nicely. With that being said I'll echo the sentiments of others with being a "Debbie Downer" in regards to your impending search for a house rental that will accept four dogs. We have ONE dog (a demanding Dachsund!) and have had difficulty finding housing just for him, which is part of the reason we're hoping to buy over the next 1-3 months. When you factor in pet rent, pet deposits, and literally jumping through hoops to convince prospective landlords that you are a responsible pet owner it's almost just worth it to scrap the idea of renting altogether and buy instead. Pittsburgh is the most pet-unfriendly rental city I've lived in, and I think that's because we have many more independent landlords and far fewer large-scale apartment communities than many other comparably-sized cities. Nearly every large-scale "community" back in Northern Virginia accepted a pet whereas nearly every small-time landlord here in Pittsburgh freaks out about them.

I wish you the best of luck in securing a pet-friendly rental home in Sewickley within your budget, but just be advised your pickings will be slim. I'd advise against renting in a sprawling newer suburb like Moon Township or Robinson Township just for the sake of your pets. I'm a "hip" type, much like you, and I withered for the grueling year-and-a-half I lived in the "hippest" sprawling suburb of Northern Virginia where I was chained to my car and was perpetually sitting in traffic to access culture, ethnic cuisine, etc. If you're a "foodie", love culture, love an aura of walkability, etc. then you'll hate living in Moon Township and driving in traffic all the time back into the city.

Another possibility that came to my mind is Crafton. JulieGT sounds a lot like you---middle-aged, not living with children, an appreciation for good food and culture, etc.---and as far as I know she's been loving her new (old) home in Crafton.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Another possibility that came to my mind is Crafton. JulieGT sounds a lot like you---middle-aged, not living with children, an appreciation for good food and culture, etc.---and as far as I know she's been loving her new (old) home in Crafton.

We can call Crafton "Little Cali" if they move there too!

[Retiredcoach]

As much as Sewickley might be the perfect fit for your pets and you, it is probably a longshot that you will be able to find a rental home there. Housing is very affordable in/around Pittsburgh to buy, but I would not recommend purchasing a home until you find comfort within the area you are buying either. Given your circumstances, I might explore areas that may not have all the close amenities of Sewickley, but will give you proximity to the airport. These areas could include (and other posters can possibly suggest more): Kennedy Township, Crafton, Moon, Bridgeville, South Fayette, Oakdale, Robinson, Bellevue. All are within reasonable distances to the airport region and are considered safe areas. I think that I might check Craigslist, and start your search there first.

As a side note, areas surrounding North Park are very popular with those having interests similar to yours. There is a large dog park, as well. The ride to the airport is not grueling either from this region (that might include Ross Twp., West View, Ohio Twp., and McCandless Twp). I have my preferences for McCandless Township, but like Sewickley, rental housing will be very scarce. These are communities a little more on the outskirts of the airport region. Proximity to either the Green Belt or Rte. 79 would be key.