Best areas around Mt. Lebanon on a small budget?

[Pghmommy]

Originally Posted by Daisy7773

"My question is, is it unfair of me to label these people as a "trashy broken family?" If so, I apologize. What label should I use in order to ask others on the forum if this is the typical type of resident in a certain neighborhood?"

How about "prostitutes, drug addicts and criminals." That way you could ensure that you don't get any trashy intact, married couples who do those things either.

Point taken, thanks.

[robrobrob]

Generally speaking is seems as if a lot of city neighborhoods are getting better. However, it really only takes one rental to ruin a block. I was speaking with a friend the other day and his main complaint about living in Morningside was a rental on the corner.

I think the Original poster has to really consider where her mother is coming from when making a decision. Brookline could be considered great if you are moving from an area like Homestead, for example, or it could be a dump if are moving from an area like Sewickley.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by Pghmommy

What label should I use in order to ask others on the forum if this is the typical type of resident in a certain neighborhood?

"The multigenerational, drug-addled mess next door"?

More descriptive of them, less judgmental-sounding of you.

[trackstar13]

Pghmommy

Would your mother consider a condo? My parents recently purchased a 3 bedroom condo in Mt. Lebo and I was surprised at how cheap some of the available condos are currently. Your mother may be able to afford a 2 bedroom condo in Lebo with her budget.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by track2514

Pghmommy

Would your mother consider a condo? My parents recently purchased a 3 bedroom condo in Mt. Lebo and I was surprised at how cheap some of the available condos are currently. Your mother may be able to afford a 2 bedroom condo in Lebo with her budget.

Something to consider especially since many single family homes in the area have stairs which could become an issue for PGhmommy's mommy as she ages.

[Pghmommy]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

Generally speaking is seems as if a lot of city neighborhoods are getting better. However, it really only takes one rental to ruin a block. I was speaking with a friend the other day and his main complaint about living in Morningside was a rental on the corner.

I think the Original poster has to really consider where her mother is coming from when making a decision. Brookline could be considered great if you are moving from an area like Homestead, for example, or it could be a dump if are moving from an area like Sewickley.

A good regional comparison would be that she's moving here from a town like Ligonier, which is why I'm making an attempt to find her a neighborhood that wont result in immediate culture shock.

[Pghmommy]

Originally Posted by track2514

Pghmommy

Would your mother consider a condo? My parents recently purchased a 3 bedroom condo in Mt. Lebo and I was surprised at how cheap some of the available condos are currently. Your mother may be able to afford a 2 bedroom condo in Lebo with her budget.

She specifically wanted a house, but I'll have to show her some condos. I, too, have found some condos in Mt. Lebanon that looked nice, but the price is deceiving as many have HOA fees. She prefers a ranch-style house with no stairs, but this is very difficult to find, especially near Mt. Lebanon. A condo may end up being exactly what she needs.

[Tinare]

Baldwin Borough, Baldwin Township and Castle Shannon tend to have more ranches. Scott Township has some as well. I did a test search on Howard Hanna's website. I don't know if you'd used theirs for searching, but it allows you in the advanced search mode to both choose multiple areas to search and to choose the architecture style so you can search for ranches. It looks like if she can bump her budget up a bit to the $120s that there might be some more possibilities. I liked this one --

http://www.howardhanna.com/property/property.asp?PRM_MLSNumber=958508&PRM_MlsName=West penn

All of those areas are working to middle class suburbs that are safe. Some ranches around here, though, do have some stairs given the hills, so it may take some looking or compromising on a couple of stairs, anyway.

[jay5835]

If you can go up to $149,000, you can check out the house in Beechview that Mrs. Eschaton won't let Mr. Eschaton buy. My friends looked at it last week and said the rooms were too small for them, so maybe it's just right for one person.

1608 Orangewood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15216 - Zillow