Moving to Pittsburgh, 4 teens, big dog (Wilkinsburg, Oakmont: how much, home, construction)

[Hopes]

And this is what you'll get in the charming small towns:

(Mt. Lebanon, Oakmont, Aspinwall, Avalon, Sewickley, Zelinople, Saxonburg)

Property Search - Property Results - Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services - PittsburghMoves.com

[Hopes]

This Mt. Lebo house has 4 bedrooms and what looks like a yard:

463 Haverhill Road , Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228 (MLS# 766153) - Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services - PittsburghMoves.com

I just noticed that my property search in the previous post only shows Mt. Lebo houses. I'm not sure what went wrong. You'll have to enter those towns yourself.

It's clear that a small yard comes with a small town and a larger yard comes with a more suburban area.

[LAMBSN]

Originally Posted by Luv4ThePaws

Really Copanut? I seem to have priced myself out of any decent-sized house in Mt. Lebanon, unless we're talking the ones that need serious upgrades, whenever I do searches on realty websites. Or, the ones that are in our ideal price range ($150-170K) are 3 bed, 1 bath and so close to each other that you don't have any yard plus we would have to tear down wallpaper from the 1950s! I want it semi-remodeled with not too much updating needed. We want a community feel, but not be THAT close to our neighbors! We were hoping to find a 4 bed, 2 bath with a decent yard. It is overwhelming for us to try and figure out all the different boroughs and sections of town because we have never lived in any city like that before. We do have a basic understanding from the city guide a realty office sent, but we are worried about a proper map to help us navigate once we get to the city. We heard the streets can be very confusing for a newcomer. We bought a cheap TomTom GPS a while back that I hope helps us out a little bit!

Thanks!

If you're looking for a 4 BR, 2 bath and decent yard in Mt. Lebanon, then you will probably need to spend 150+. You won't get one for under that unless you want to do some remodeling which you said you do not want. My friends bought a house there for $126K 3 BR, 1 Bath, and the kitchen is still in the 50s style as well as the bathroom. They bought it more for charm but they have put a lot of money into it and they still have the 50's ktichen.

There are other areas which will offer you the charm and the features you desire. If you want to be away from your neighbors a little bit, I think you may find that Mt. Lebanon has some areas where the houses are right next to each other.

[Luv4ThePaws]

Thanks, Hopes, so much for such good information! We appreciate it greatly!

LAMBSN- What are the other areas that will offer the charm with more affordability? Areas like Hopes already mentioned? Thanks for your personal input as well! I have seen a lot of 50's style still around in houses up there and I am guessing it is from people living there all their lives and now selling to retire? I may be wrong...

I know others are in the same boat that we are, so your advice is helping us all! Thanks so much!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Luv4ThePaws

I have seen a lot of 50's style still around in houses up there and I am guessing it is from people living there all their lives and now selling to retire? I may be wrong...

There's one thing you need to know. Pittsburghers are not trendy people. It takes 10 years before a decorating trend takes root here. Long after the trends are over, Pittsburghers are still decorating 10 to 20 years behind other parts of the country. (There are lots of burgundy and green interiors in Pittsburgh -- that trend was over 15 years ago everywhere else.)

Pittburghers also hold onto something they like. They won't get rid of something just because it's out of style. They might decorate their home once and leave it that way for the rest of their lives. Hence, 1950s style wallpaper in homes you see.

Houses sell here even when they're not completely updated. Maybe it's because many Pittsburghers are willing to make changes to property themselves. For the most part, Pittsburghers are do-it-yourselfers.

But there's always something available updated. That link I provided of the Mt. Lebo home has a rather updated house (except for the green paint LOL) for a Pittsburgh house.

You're not going to find a new house in an older "charming neighborhood" with a "vibrant business district." The two just don't exist together. You'll also be hard pressed to find a house with a decent sized yard too. I think you need to realize that you can't blend what you like about suburbia into what you want from a small town atmosphere.

[Luv4ThePaws]

You are right again, Hopes! We want the small town life so much and yet we are used to our 2/3 of an acre here. We know we won't have as big of a house as this one, but the yard is just so hard to give up! Maybe it's because I am a California girl who grew up with four palm trees and a patch of lawn! So, now that I have a yard I want to cling to it! Our dogwoods and cherry blossoms are flowering and it's lovely!

Yes, I can see that Pittsburghers can not/will not throw away anything! Some of these houses have the weirdest decorating schemes and collections! There is stuff packed into every corner of the house it seems like! My goodness! And my husband says I am a pack rat! Not like that...

With this house, we had to repaint everything, tear down wallpaper, redo the kitchen, etc. and my dad (he was alive then and a general contractor so he was invaluable) did so much of the work himself when he came to visit. We will not have his expertise this time to help us remodel and update and my husband nor I have any skills beyond painting and installing ceiling fans! So, we were trying not to sink a lot of additional money into updates other than energy efficient appliances and stuff. It's just hard to find that happy medium!

[Nancysdale]

Here's a thought...look into Forest Hills or Churchill. There are some VERY nice homes there and you would save a ton of money. If you don't like the schools you could afford to educate your kids privately. I know people who wanted to be in the Squirrel Hill area but you can't get as much house for the money. And if you live in Squirrel Hill, it is considered the city of Pittsburgh and taxes are higher than other areas. Not far by car or bus to Oakland (colleges and cultural) and Downtown.

[Luv4ThePaws]

Originally Posted by Nancysdale

Here's a thought...look into Forest Hills or Churchill. There are some VERY nice homes there and you would save a ton of money. If you don't like the schools you could afford to educate your kids privately. I know people who wanted to be in the Squirrel Hill area but you can't get as much house for the money. And if you live in Squirrel Hill, it is considered the city of Pittsburgh and taxes are higher than other areas. Not far by car or bus to Oakland (colleges and cultural) and Downtown.

Thanks, Nancy! We'll check it out! (going to realty website as we speak...)

[robrobrob]

The schools in Churchill and Forest Hills are awful. There are a lot of people that buy a starter house there and then move when the kids get to be school age. The other thing is that not many kids from Churchill actually go to Woodland Hills High School. They may go to the elementary school but the parents draw the line at the high school. In short, the best days of Churchill and Forest Hills are behind it. If you are going to start a family and don't want to move again I would suggest moving to a better area. Private School education is much more expensive than you think. If you don't want to go the Catholic school route then you are looking at spending big bucks. Look at the prices for St. Edmunds and Shadyside Academy. Also, living east of the city forces you to go through the Sq. Hill tunnel which isn't fun.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by Hopes

There's one thing you need to know. Pittsburghers are not trendy people. It takes 10 years before a decorating trend takes root here. .

You never met my wife, and her decorator, Susan-SpendMyMoney.