HELP!-- 3 Families Moving from NYC to Pittsburgh???? (Oliver, Brownsville: landlord, inspector)

[hongkyongnae]

thanks everyone for lots of insights and good info on buying a house in pittsburgh. it is trickier than i had thought because of the differences in neighborhoods.

i originally put a bid in for a place in squirrel hill, but the seller countered with a price HIGHER than the stated amount! my realtor said he had never seen that before. it turned out the owner was way, way in debt and could not lower the price. too bad.

so, i am now looking at a place in swisshelm park. it is a nice, basic, 2 story brick home with a 2 car garage, AC, 2.5 baths, nice yard. nothing spectacular but very comfortable.

does anyone know much about swisshelm park? it seems to be a very small neighborhood, quiet to the point of boring, but located close to squirrel hill, frick park, and regent square.

the realtor says the area is a good one, but not well known so prices are relatively cheap.

any info from anyone?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by hongkyongnae

does anyone know much about swisshelm park? it seems to be a very small neighborhood, quiet to the point of boring, but located close to squirrel hill, frick park, and regent square.

the realtor says the area is a good one, but not well known so prices are relatively cheap.

any info from anyone?

That sounds mostly right to me. I live in Regent Square and like to visit nearby neighborhoods, and even I almost never get over to Swisshelm Park despite it being so close. But despite feeling a bit isolated in that sense, it is a perfectly pleasant, very safe, and well-located neighborhood--it just doesn't have the sort of "downtown" areas that Squirrel Hill and Regent Square offer, and it is also a little less upscale in general.

That said, a pet peeve of mine is realtors claiming that demand for an area is relatively low because people don't know about it. Buyers tend to know about any areas that might fit their requirements, and indeed it is the job of realtors to make those areas known to their clients. So unless realtors as a whole are doing a very bad job, that is not a particularly good explanation for why prices in Swisshelm Park are relatively low.

Rather, I think demand, and therefore prices, are lower in Swisshelm Park than in Squirrel Hill or Regent Square just because of the attributes I noted: a lack of a "downtown", not quite as upscale, and generally feeling somewhat isolated. But that doesn't mean Swisshelm Park is a bad location for you as an individual, and indeed you might get a relative bargain there if given your personal preferences, you like the neighborhood.

[subdivisions]

Originally Posted by hongkyongnae

does anyone know much about swisshelm park? it seems to be a very small neighborhood, quiet to the point of boring, but located close to squirrel hill, frick park, and regent square.

the realtor says the area is a good one, but not well known so prices are relatively cheap.

any info from anyone?

Swisshelm Park is a little hidden gem in the rough. According to crime statistics it is the #1 safest neighborhood in Pittsburgh. It's like a small town in the heart of the city, the kind of place where you might actually know your neighbors and your kids can safely play outside.

I badly wanted to buy a house in Swisshelm Park when we were looking a year ago, but just couldn't find the right house in the right price range at the time. If you have found a house there that you like, and a quiet safe neighborhood is your thing, I'd say GO FOR IT!

[hongkyongnae]

Originally Posted by subdivisions

Swisshelm Park is a little hidden gem in the rough. According to crime statistics it is the #1 safest neighborhood in Pittsburgh. It's like a small town in the heart of the city, the kind of place where you might actually know your neighbors and your kids can safely play outside.

I badly wanted to buy a house in Swisshelm Park when we were looking a year ago, but just couldn't find the right house in the right price range at the time. If you have found a house there that you like, and a quiet safe neighborhood is your thing, I'd say GO FOR IT!

Ha, ha. thank you everyone. this site has so much good info on pittsburgh and good posters who honestly explain so much.

the seller just accepted our offer today, so off to swisshelm park we go! i agree it has no "downtown." but regent square and squirrel hill are soooo close in my mind. (anything less than 20 minutes = "next door")

i do have one question. as i look on google maps (and i LOVE the street view) i see a large, open area to the west of swisshelm. does anyone know if anyone plans to build anything there?

once again, i am so very pleased to be moving to pittsburgh. thanks to all of you here.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by hongkyongnae

the seller just accepted our offer today, so off to swisshelm park we go!

Congratulations!

i agree it has no "downtown." but regent square and squirrel hill are soooo close in my mind. (anything less than 20 minutes = "next door")

Absolutely ... it is definitely part of what I roughly think of as the greater Frick Park area, including also Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, and Regent Square.

i do have one question. as i look on google maps (and i LOVE the street view) i see a large, open area to the west of swisshelm. does anyone know if anyone plans to build anything there?

If I know what you are talking about, that is actually part of the Nine Mile Run system of hills and valleys, which also extends through Frick Park. Over on the other side of Nine Mile Run, they are building the Summerset at Frick Park development, but that is actually on a slag heap that created a kind of plateau next to the hills on that side. On the Swisshelm Park side, it isn't really ideal for development due to the complex topography, which is part of why Frick Park is a park and not developed. However, there is talk of at least extending a trail down Nine Mile Run from Frick Park to Duck Hollow, which is the spot where Nine Mile Run empties into the Mon.

[hongkyongnae]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Congratulations!



Absolutely ... it is definitely part of what I roughly think of as the greater Frick Park area, including also Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, and Regent Square.



If I know what you are talking about, that is actually part of the Nine Mile Run system of hills and valleys, which also extends through Frick Park. Over on the other side of Nine Mile Run, they are building the Summerset at Frick Park development, but that is actually on a slag heap that created a kind of plateau next to the hills on that side. On the Swisshelm Park side, it isn't really ideal for development due to the complex topography, which is part of why Frick Park is a park and not developed. However, there is talk of at least extending a trail down Nine Mile Run from Frick Park to Duck Hollow, which is the spot where Nine Mile Run empties into the Mon.

actually, i was referring to that section of swisshelm park that is just west of the residential area (love st. etc.) but east of the Run. i think it may be used for biking now.

my real question is about the summerset housing project. is it, or any other housing, currently planned for that area? will the summerset project run directly next to swisshelm park, and, if so, will they be connected?

thanks.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by hongkyongnae

my real question is about the summerset housing project. is it, or any other housing, currently planned for that area? will the summerset project run directly next to swisshelm park, and, if so, will they be connected?

thanks.

Here is the Master Plan for Summerset, and it appears to included a development in that area:

http://www.summersetatfrickpark.com/UserFiles/PDF/masterPlan.pdf (broken link)

[Katarina Witt]

You know, I just now re-read (skimmed) all 116 repsonses to By~Tor's initial post, and I do not find a post that is telling him not to move there. People offered opinions on various neighborhoods, for good and for bad, but nary a word of discouragement.

[By~Tor]

Originally Posted by Katiana

You know, I just now re-read (skimmed) all 116 repsonses to By~Tor's initial post, and I do not find a post that is telling him not to move there. People offered opinions on various neighborhoods, for good and for bad, but nary a word of discouragement.

Well, in any event, we're HERE now, finally!!---- We ended up in the apartment on brownsville Road in Mt. Oliver, and while I hear the area directly north of us is somewhat dicey, it's certainly liveable, in my opinion.... I'm used to certain amount of "grittiness", and the ease of commute to most areas from here makes a decent trade-off for the marginality of the neighborhood, itself....

Hell, at this rate, I'm just happy to BE here!---now, if only our belongings would show up........... [sighs]!!!!!

Your Newest Pittsburgher,

By-Tor

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by By~Tor

Well, in any event, we're HERE now, finally!!

Welcome! I know it was quite a saga getting here, and I am glad you made it.