Single female looking to buy a house (neighborhood advice)

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Parts of Penn Hills could be a good selection. Due to a crappy school system, homes in that township go for a discount compared to comparable homes elsewhere.

The Blackridge area is attractive and there are certainly many other quiet areas out there.

Its a short drive from Penn Hills down to Whole Foods and Trader Joes in East Liberty.

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Originally Posted by goodlife36

Where should a single 40 year old woman with a budget of 150k look? I would like a two bedroom single family house close to stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes. I am working on getting a telecommuting position. I would like to be in a nice quiet suburban community.

Try the North Hills. The term 'North Hills' refers to a generic area; it encompasses McCandless, Ross, West View, Wexford, and perhaps a few other areas, and is something of the quintessential "suburb." I would suggest looking at McCandless and Ross. You will find tons of shopping, much of it concentrated on Mcknight Road/Perry Highway in Ross and McCandless, including a Whole Foods (on Perry Highway in Wexford) and a Trader Joes is under construction (also on Perry Highway, in McCandless). Residential areas are quiet once you get away from the shopping district.

It may not be relevant, but access to the city is easy, and the school districts (North Hills and North Allegheny) are quite good.

I would search in zip 15237 (McCandless and part of Ross) first, which puts you in the heart of everything. You should not have any problem finding a 2-3 bedroom in your price range. 15229 (part of Ross and West View) would be closer to the city, and would probably have more houses in your price range, and 15090 (Wexford) is out further from the city and likely more expensive.

FWIW, when my wife was mod 30s and single, she was looking for roughly the same things and ended up in Ross. She was quite pleased with the area and the house; the only real problem she had was meeting me.