Duquesne Heights/Mount Washington: opinions? (Pittsburgh: house, tile, kitchen cabinets)

[Uptown kid]

Just remember to avoid Kingsboro Street and Mt. Washington south of Eureka Street...

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by ex-burgher

We looked at Mount Washington for my elderly mother. What turned her off are the extreme slopes and poor sidewalk conditions for walking. She's a very active person, but it was just a bit too hilly.

Yes, that was my reasoning in my initial post. THese people might not be ready, or might not understand, the intense (for most) topography that would be in store for them. Also, they may be deluded a bit by the novelty of Mt. Washington and mean specifically Grandview Avenue.

I very much like the area around Olympia Park, and might suggest to the OP that they consider THERE if for some reason they prefer Mt. Washington. If it were me, I would consider there (and Chatham Village), and Duquesne Heights before other areas of the city.

But Reliathon, did you specifically mean GRANDVIEW AVENUE? Get to know the area a little first to see how your daily routine would be.

Where are you moving FROM, though? From out of town? (the assumption based on your kid being in college).....

I think you might consider a downtown or Strip District condo, too. Most are new, and quite nice. If you are not from here, you might be shocked at the very NOT obvious advantages they have (proximity to shopping but removed from noise, EASY access to trails - you can walk to downtown and pirates games...)

good luck - keep us posted.

[Reliathon]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

But Reliathon, did you specifically mean GRANDVIEW AVENUE?

Where are you moving FROM, though? From out of town? (the assumption based on your kid being in college).....

We're moving to Pittsburgh from Las Vegas. Formerly, we lived in Greensburg PA so we're familiar with the weather and the general Pittsburgh region.

The condo towers on Grandview probably won't work for us -- not pet friendly, and maintenance fees are very high. So we're looking for a townhouse or small single family home. It must have a garage; can't bear the thought of parking on the street and shovelling the cars out of the snow that piles up after the plows come through.

We're still mobile. My wife and I are both about 60, so we have a few good years left.

Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming -- it's tremendously helpful.

[jea6321]

when are you looking to move? there are some new construction projects going on in duquesne heights currently

[youngabe]

Originally Posted by Reliathon

We're moving to Pittsburgh from Las Vegas. Formerly, we lived in Greensburg PA so we're familiar with the weather and the general Pittsburgh region.

The condo towers on Grandview probably won't work for us -- not pet friendly, and maintenance fees are very high. So we're looking for a townhouse or small single family home. It must have a garage; can't bear the thought of parking on the street and shovelling the cars out of the snow that piles up after the plows come through.

We're still mobile. My wife and I are both about 60, so we have a few good years left.

Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming -- it's tremendously helpful.

My response would significantly depend on your budget. I find Mt. Washington to be a bit overrated once off Grandview. I rented there on two streets--Natchez and Albert. Avoid Albert 100%. Natchez isn't THAT bad, but there's a lot of unattractive properties on the street. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of nice streets in Mt. Washington, but the two I was on weren't thrilling, especially Albert.

If you can afford a nice condo or something right on Grandview, I'd say go for it, 100%. In my experience, I had found that the Duquesne Heights portion of the mountain was better in general. So even regular streets off Grandview on that side may just be a much better solution.

Good luck!

[eschaton]

Upon further thought, I agree with some others who say to consider Greenfield. The housing stock is broadly similar, as is the price range. But it's moderately closer to amenities, along with your daughter. If you get the right house you can get pretty stellar views there as well - not Grandview good, but good as far as Pittsburgh goes.

Edit. Regent Square is worth considering to, IMHO. If you're fine with spending around $250,000+ on a house, you could find something cute with character.

[Enough_Already]

Originally Posted by Reliathon

My wife and I are considering moving to Duquesne Heights/Mount Washington. We'd appreciate any insights on the neighborhood: safety, convenience to shopping and dining, traffic, etc. Schools are not an issue, as we don't have school-age children. Commuting is not an issue, because we're retired. Things that attract us to the neighborhood: a) it's close to our daughter, who lives in Shadyside, b) views of Downtown and the South Hills.

Thanks,
Reliathon

What about Chatham Village ?

[gg]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Edit. Regent Square is worth considering to, IMHO. If you're fine with spending around $250,000+ on a house, you could find something cute with character.

Wow, look at how cheap the stuff is in that home for over $250K. Horrible kitchen, cheap carpet everywhere. Really junk, but someone will buy it. No garage, but maybe off street parking with the alley. The suburbs are super cheap these days compared to a place like that.

[doo dah]

OP, what is your budget?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by gg

Wow, look at how cheap the stuff is in that home for over $250K. Horrible kitchen, cheap carpet everywhere. Really junk, but someone will buy it. No garage, but maybe off street parking with the alley. The suburbs are super cheap these days compared to a place like that.

The carpet is easy to replace/remove, and the house retains some nice craftsmen features like small stained glass windows. The basement bedroom/bath looks like butt, but then again, there's no reason they'd need to deal with that immediately. The kitchen is problematic however.

Regardless, I figured it might appeal to retirees because it's a house with some historic charm which offers one-floor living, which is a rarity in the Pittsburgh area.