The Rent's Just Too Damn High! (Pittsburgh, York: transplants, health insurance, condos)

[tabinekotaro]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Polish Hill doesn't have reliable cell phone service, so I need a landline if I want to be able to make a call from home without a 50/50 shot of dropping it midway through conversation. We're too far into the rural hinterlands of the East End, apparently, for cell phone providers to give a damn. There be dragons here!

You could look into a VOIP option, then you could have the benefits of a home phone and only pay for internet access. Something like Magic Jack, which has an unlimited local/US-Canada long distance plan for $30/year.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Polish Hill is a dump compared to Fox Chapel, Sewickley, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, etc. I'm just becoming irked that our rents are rising to the point where our median 1-BR rental rates will soon be comparable to such areas because developers aren't doing enough to bring new inventory to the marketplace.

Are you speaking specifically to Polish Hill not having enough new development, or generally that there isn't enough new development in the East End? I see a lot of new development going on in the East End, particularly within East Side formerly known as Penn Circle and BkSq 2.0. It's hard to say whether in a few years the trickle-down effect of these new rentals will suppress rents and/or force lazy landlords to upgrade their properties to collect adequate rent and remain profitable.

One more rent hike for you, and you might be paying more than my 1 br + den in Shadyside That said, my landlord is very adamate about no pets. I think that's the biggest limiting factor in your specific case. Affordable city living + pets is a difficult situation no matter where you are. I had similar issues in Louisville. I paid $1150 a month there to have a pet in a walkable neighborhood in what could be considered a dump that hadn't been updated in 30+ years. Don't worry, I didn't ditch the pet, I ditched the girl.

All this to say the only folks really experiencing a "housing crisis" in Pittsburgh are first time buyers and young professional renters like you and I. And that is really not any different than in many other cities. I've lately been faced with some pretty harsh reality that in order to afford to buy, I may not only have to leave my central East End cocoon, but I may actually have to *gasp* move to Stanton Heights or Morningside or even across the river. I'm willing to take on a traditional 80/20 mortgage to do so, though. Hopefully I can contribute positively to wherever I end up buying.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

I'm sensing an overarching theme here: people think the the East End is the only part of Pittsburgh worth living in but won't say it outright.

If that is truly how people feel than there's probably a bigger problem with the city as a whole.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

I'm sensing an overarching theme here: people think the the East End is the only part of Pittsburgh worth living in but won't say it outright.

If that is truly how people feel than there's probably a bigger problem with the city as a whole.

Speaking for myself, I feel that way, and I am not ashamed to say that out loud.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

I'm sensing an overarching theme here: people think the the East End is the only part of Pittsburgh worth living in but won't say it outright.

If that is truly how people feel than there's probably a bigger problem with the city as a whole.

[LIRefugee]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

I'm sensing an overarching theme here: people think the the East End is the only part of Pittsburgh worth living in but won't say it outright.

If that is truly how people feel than there's probably a bigger problem with the city as a whole.

If you're not living in Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, or Garfield, then you're not living at all.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by WhoIsStanwix?

Speaking for myself, I feel that way, and I am not ashamed to say that out loud.

There's a big difference between believing the East End is the "only area worth living in" and the "only area that suits my tastes." I hope you think the latter and not the former.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

I should amend my statement: The only part of the city I want to live in is the East End. I would almost rather move to a completely different city than leave the East End. Almost. I can't speak for what others think, but I don't find the prices there to be a crisis at all. There is a cost to live in the most desirable neighborhoods of any city. I just think of it as motivation to increase my salary.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

Originally Posted by ferraris

There's a big difference between believing the East End is the "only area worth living in" and the "only area that suits my tastes." I hope you think the latter and not the former.

ninja'd

My brother has been looking for places, and for his budget I've been encouraging areas of the North Side like Spring Hill and Troy Hill. I wouldn't recommend him somewhere within the city outside of the east end if I didn't think it was ever worth living outside of the east end.

[Caladium]

What is it about the bridges that make them such a barrier, anyway? The rivers aren't that wide.