Why is Pittsburgh so cheap? (for sale, real estate market, foreclosures)

[rubybelle]

Originally Posted by Bong477

Any that thinks any part of Pittsburgh is expensive hasn't lived in an area of the country that actually is expensive (California, NY metro, DC metro, etc). Comparable housing in nice neighborhoods easily goes for 1.5x to 3-4x the cost. Pittsburgh is a great value housing wise.

I agree that the average price is a little misleading... you are looking at more like 200k'ish ballpark to buy a nice single family home in a good community that doesn't need work (whereas this same home might be 400-500k+ elsewhere). You can spend more or less with some tradeoffs.

When we recently moved to Baltimore (which isn't a ridiculously expensive area) we got a slightly smaller house with poorer construction quality and basically no yard for just under twice as much money.

The houses here are NOT anymore expensive then they are anywhere else save for DC, LA or Chicago. I've lived in lots of areas, and the houses here are not cheap. In fact, between the taxes and the prices, it is more expensive than many other places. You get what you pay for I think.

[rubybelle]

Originally Posted by QCP

For what's it's worth, which probably isn't much - I grew up in cincy and have since moved south. My perception of Pittsburgh was that it was old, rundown, polluted and just a terrible place to live. Not even sure how that perception came about.

But last year I made my first trip to the Burgh for a ballgame. I was completely blown away - about just how cool the place was. I loved it! I liked it better than any of Ohio's C-cities, Indy, Philly, ect. While I am perfectly content with my current home (Charlotte), Pittsburgh is one of the VERY few cities that I would consider relocating to if my employer told me to look elsewhere.

After doing some more investigating I would consider Pittsburgh to be one of the true "hidden gems" in America.

That area is the nicest part. That and Oakland by the university. I'm not crazy about Shadyside, but it's way nicer than other areas in the city and just outside it. Try driving a few miles away from there, then tell us what you think.... Shame, cuz Pittsburgh could be a really cool city. But the housing stock is either super cheap and it LOOKS it, or really expensive. Unless you want to move to the "burbs" which aren't really suburban except Upper Saint Clair, Bethel Park, the areas around The Robinson mall at pretty good, but it's not hugely populated. It's really hard to explain, you'd have to come take a closer look. But yeah, definitely the area by the stadiums is really cool. Station Square is fun, Homestead is great, just don't leave the shopping areas, and South Side works is really nice too.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by rubybelle

Why? All the suburbs have their own courts, police, hospitals, Fire Departments, Schools, etc. Why do they "need" the city to survive?

Because the city is where much of the region's business gets done. If it disappears, that means much of the region's business has disappeared. Pittsburgh still provides many of the jobs that pays suburbanites and gives them the resources to pay for things like courts, police, hospitals, fire departments, schools, etc. Plus it gives them the income to support suburban businesses in their own communities, who in turn generate tax revenues to pay for police, hospitals, fire departments, schools, etc.

If Pittsburgh dies, the suburbs will slowly dry up with it. It's already happening in some places: McKeesport, Braddock, Duquesne, Wilkinsburg, etc. Witness the slow death of Detroit dragging down its entire metro area, with the metro area's labor force and GDP shrinking steadily. The only thing keeping Pittsburgh from becoming a smaller version of Detroit is that it has not experienced the same degree of capital flight. But it has experienced labor force shrinkage. If capital start trickling out along with 'em, Pittsburgh is in trouble. And so are its suburbs.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by rubybelle

Why? All the suburbs have their own courts, police, hospitals, Fire Departments, Schools, etc. Why do they "need" the city to survive?

Name a good hospital in the suburbs? Passaway comes to mind. All the cultural events are downtown, unless you consider the Comtra Theater a great place to watch a play. Although you could argue that the Pirates really aren't a pro team, I'd hate to drive to Cleveland to see a game. Add the Zoo, the museums, and all the sporting events and it would be a big gap in my lifestyle if Pgh were to go the way of Detroit.

my .02

[khyron]

Originally Posted by rubybelle

The houses here are NOT anymore expensive then they are anywhere else save for DC, LA or Chicago. I've lived in lots of areas, and the houses here are not cheap. In fact, between the taxes and the prices, it is more expensive than many other places. You get what you pay for I think.

I understand the point this person was trying to make, but dude...Pittsburgh housing IS cheap. Yes the tax situation here makes it a little less so, but compared to nearly any metro area of comparable size or larger anywhere on either coast, it's VERY cheap. Perhaps it seems less so if one if from the midwest or something, I dunno. But "DC, LA, and Chicago" does not nearly begin to sum up the dozens of major metro areas of this country where you'd easily pay twice as much per square foot to live comparatively close to where stuff is going on.

[pittsteelerfan]

Originally Posted by khyron

I understand the point this person was trying to make, but dude...Pittsburgh housing IS cheap. Yes the tax situation here makes it a little less so, but compared to nearly any metro area of comparable size or larger anywhere on either coast, it's VERY cheap. Perhaps it seems less so if one if from the midwest or something, I dunno. But "DC, LA, and Chicago" does not nearly begin to sum up the dozens of major metro areas of this country where you'd easily pay twice as much per square foot to live comparatively close to where stuff is going on.

Ya, but what condition are those house's in? Then you factor in the expensive property tax over a 30 span? The BIG difference in Pittsburgh, is there's the 'option' to buy some crappy rowhouse in a nabe like Lawerenceville. You can be a "home-owner" in the Burgh with basically just working a full time job.

But when you start talking about the nicer homes, and nicer nabes, like in the East end, or even the Southside, the price starts to shoot up and becomes comparible with other more expensive cities. Again, especially if you include 30 years of expensive property taxes on top of that. And let's not forget about the 3% wage tax that most cities don't have. Philly and NYC are the only other two I know of that do. Maybe there are others?

[rubybelle]

Originally Posted by COPANUT

Name a good hospital in the suburbs? Passaway comes to mind. All the cultural events are downtown, unless you consider the Comtra Theater a great place to watch a play. Although you could argue that the Pirates really aren't a pro team, I'd hate to drive to Cleveland to see a game. Add the Zoo, the museums, and all the sporting events and it would be a big gap in my lifestyle if Pgh were to go the way of Detroit.

my .02

I like Upper St. Clair's. Hands down UPMC in the city wins without a fight. Can't even argue that fact.
There are many local theaters, and I would hardly count downtown Pittsburgh as a thriving theater district. (Especially if you take the university out of it)
I'm not into sports, although I do think the stadiums make our city look terrific on TV. However, I have been to a few concerts in the Pirates stadium and they were a lot of fun.
Yawn. Been to the museums, zoo, etc. Don't need to go more than once every few years....
I'm just saying....

[Katiana]

Isn't Passavant (passawy, I like that) now a part of UPMC? Sewickley Hospital is a long-time suburban hospital that gives good quality of care, IMO (my dad was there right before he died).

The museums, sporting venues, etc, wouldn't survive w/o the suburban patronage.

[Copanut]

St. Passavant was bought out years ago by UMPC, pretty decent overall but they no longer put out Merry Christmas signs.

[Tinare]

"There are many local theaters, and I would hardly count downtown Pittsburgh as a thriving theater district. (Especially if you take the university out of it)"

What in the 'burbs compares to the shows at the O'Reilly, Benedum, Heinz Hall or Bynam???