Pittsburgh's average apartment asking rent now above $900 (Butler, Dormont: real estate, insurance)

[Evergrey]

Walkability is not a "luxury".

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

Walkability is not a "luxury".

There's a few million suburbanites and country people who would like to have a word with you.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

Walkability is not a "luxury".

Sure its a luxury.

Its something which really isn't necessary, millions live without it. But a lot of people put value on it, and many are willing to spend extra for it.

[FreightTrainRunning]

It's not like SSR invented walkability as a desirable criterion for a neighborhood. It's a pretty common opinion. That's why things like Walkscore exist.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Walkability is 100% a luxury.

Safety however is not. Places like Carrick, Mt. Oliver, Homewood, etc. are only going to see rents move up a hair or so.

Well, unless Carrick's Dairy District investment plan forces crime out of the neighborhood somehow.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Well, unless Carrick's Dairy District investment plan forces crime out of the neighborhood somehow.

I thought for sure this was a joke, but I stand corrected: Carrick Dairy District

[Buckeye Burgher]

If you are listing a house or an apartment, you are not even allowed to use the word "walkability" per Federal guidelines.

It is deemed to be discriminatory against the handicapped.

[JimboPGH]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Well, unless Carrick's Dairy District investment plan forces crime out of the neighborhood somehow.

Hey, it's something. Carrick could be in good position to receive an overflow of young homebuyers in a few years if it cleans up it's act and Brookline, Beechview, and Dormont really get saturated with East End refugees.

As for the rental prices in the East End just five years ago it wasn't that hard to make a living in most of those neighborhoods with a part-time service job, as log as one was frugal and had roommates. I can't imagine anyone doing that in Friendship, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, East Liberty, or Polish Hill now. The only folks I know in those 'hoods these days either bough a fixer-upper a couple years ago or have been renting the same place for long enough to have a sweetheart deal.

So where are all the college kids and early 20's ne'er-do-wellers living these days? Have Millvale and Troy Hill been getting an influx of 20-something renters? Uptown? Larimer? The Southern Hilltop?

I need to pay better attention to the crust-punk flyers at Spak, see where the basement shows are happening.

[JimboPGH]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Burgher

If you are listing a house or an apartment, you are not even allowed to use the word "walkability" per Federal guidelines.

It is deemed to be discriminatory against the handicapped.

Handicapped is not the preferred nomenclature.

People with disabilities, please.

[Goodjules]

I agree that rents here are high when compared to the cost of buying a house. But here's a little perspective from SF: Apartment Rental San Francisco | Apartment Living | Parkmerced Apartments It's the price list from the place I lived in SF. I lived in a 2bdr/1ba town home. You'll note the price range for those units starts at $2649. Those units have old kitchens and bathrooms; the ones at the higher end of the range have been updated. None have laundry hookups, you go to the laundromat. And you pay extra for parking. When I rented one of the older units in 2011, it was $2100 a month and $50 a month for parking, plus utilities, and in my case, a fee for having pets. When I left in 2013 they were asking $150 a month for a parking place.

Demand for rentals will encourage development in Pittsburgh. The "bad" neighborhoods in SF have dwindled. There are far fewer unsafe areas as a result. Frustrating as it is for people looking for safe neighborhoods in Pittsburgh with reasonable rents, I think that overall it's a good thing. There are so many areas that could benefit from market pressure to rehabilitate housing or build new housing. And hopefully, there will be pressure on employers to raise salaries to attract and retain talent.

Until Pittsburgh and the nearby suburbs have virtually no declining or abandoned areas, and you need a six-figure income to rent a nice apartment, I will never call what's happening here a "housing crisis." For now, IMO, it's simply a sign of a healthy vibrant economy. There's a huge vacant lot in the West End that I think would be perfect for condos. It's right off S. Main and just across the bridge from downtown. I'm guessing it will be years before it's financially viable for development. If there were a real housing crisis here, that lot would be under construction right now. And there are lots just like it all over the city.

I'm not saying people are wrong to be concerned. You don't want to end up like SF with nowhere to build and a huge demand. SF's only option is to tear down existing decent housing and building bigger, denser places. That's what's happening to the place I used to live. Over the next 20 years all the town homes will be demolished and dense high rise buildings will be built in their place. They will be adding 200-300 units a year for 20 years. The hillside next to my old place - where I actually saw a coyote - has been under construction for a year with a development of $1 million condos. it is a nice neighborhood, but by no means is it one of SF's luxury neighborhoods. In Pittsburgh there is plenty of space to build and plenty of awesome old houses that could be renovated and rented out. Well planned development could produce much needed rental units, improve many neighborhoods, and actually slow the upward trend of the cost of renting.