Land Near Cranberry Township (Pittsburgh, Lancaster: how much, houses, school district)

[Chicken Phat]

Hey all,

If you worked in Cranberry Township, but wanted a house with a decent amount of land (maybe 3-5 acres), where would you find such a place? I currently live just east of Cleveland and I'm not yet familiar with the areas around Cranberry. If you are familiar with the Cleveland area, simply for the sake of comparison, I would be looking for an area like Chardon. I wouldn't want to be more than a half hour outside of Cranberry and I would like to live in an area with good schools. Chardon provides large lots and low taxes, but it's not "hillbilly," for lack of a better word. Any ideas? Does this sound like any area near Cranberry?

Thanks!


CP

[bluecarebear]

How much are you willing to spend for the house? That will determine location.

PA won't have low property taxes. I used to pay about $4000 a year in Seneca Valley, a good school district covering the Cranberry area, and that was several years ago.

[guy2073]

I always loved bell acres, it is by cranberry close to 79 and 65 and houses have lots of land. It is a small area so i dont know how many houses are available.

[Geeo]

You'll probably be able to find something if you head a little north of Cranberry into Jackson or Lancaster townships. Be aware, though, that sprawl is creeping north of Cranberry, so in a few years you might be surrounded by housing projects and strip malls.

[Chicken Phat]

Thanks for the replies. I'd be looking at anywhere between 200-300k, just in case that matters.

CP

[Retiredcoach]

My wife and I spent some time in the Chardon/Painesville area about a month ago. We came away very, very impressed. That being said, I do not believe that you will find all of the amenities that you seek here in any one area that will replicate Chardon and still be within 30 minutes of Cranberry. If you are seeking acreage first, I might look into the Evans City area- you might find a home in the price range you seek.

Chardon is like a hidden treasure- so much green, the nearby parks, a generally non-invasive commercial district, and that walking/bike trail that is second to none in beauty. There was some lobbying for a tax increase to fund a library , I think, when we were there. Unlike Ohio, there is no referendum for tax increases in PA. In comparison from where you would be coming, public employee unions are very strong in dictating their needs to our legislators. As a result, property taxes (especially school taxes) are unreasonably high, as elected school board members are pressured heavily with higher costs. Tax policies are very regressive in PA, and owning a home anywhere near Allegheny County necessitates higher taxes to pay for all of the government spending. As a matter of fact, the current front-running candidate for Pa. governor is standing on a platform that before he accomplishes anything else, taxes will need to be raised. Only in Pennsylvania!

[Chicken Phat]

Thank you very much, Retiredcoach! Very insightful. I was on Zillow and noticed that the Evans City area looked ok.

I have only recently become aware that Pennsylvanians don't get much of a choice in terms of tax increases for things such as schools. Coming from Ohio, it's kind of worrisome!


CP

[bluecarebear]

I found out about my property taxes being raised from letters notifying me of the increases or by keeping an eye on school board decisions.

Yes, the price will matter since the Cranberry area is the boom region of Pittsburgh. For instance, I only found an undeveloped lot between $200,000-$300,000 and 2-3 acres in Cranberry Twp. Like you said, you will be willing to go 30 min out so that will help.