Wilkes Barre--how bad is it? (Wilkes-Barre, Bloomsburg: for sale, real estate, apartment)

[Jeanette73]

I am planning to relocate from NYC to WB.

I am looking to buy in the downtown area.

I see some grand old homes listed for a very low price but I'm a bit wary.

How bad is the downtown area (near Wilkes College)? Is it safe to walk around? Can kids play outside?

I am interested in buying a multi-family home, live in half and rent out the other. How hard is it to find decent, reliable tenants?

Yes I know there are other areas to consider but I'm interested in knowing more about this specific area.

Thank you for your help

[Further]

The real question is how bad will it get? It has done nothing but deteriorate in the past few years. Oh sure, there are several small nice pockets left, so, "You feelin' lucky?".

[Chefkey]

I have lived here for many years now, been all around and seen the bad parts too. Walked some of them and still never felt like I was in a place to fear. You've got the drug gangs here yes and the feds have come in recently to help stop them but I have lived in way worse. Still, the people on this forum are so negative take whatever you read with a grain of salt. Sure, there is some danger but just about every where you go these days you will find some problems. You just need to be street smart when looking for your place to settle and don't rush in. Do your research and look carefully.

[Further]

I'm guessing Chef is referring to my post as the one being negative. (Since mine was the only reply prior to his, it's not hard to figure out.) I actually thought the post was rather fair. You see, if I wanted to be negative, I would have gone on about the Sherman Hills mess and all the murders thanks to the influx of out of town drug dealers that the cops just can't stop. Or the lousy weather, food that leaves much to be desired, lack of anything of cultural value, the homophobic and under educated local population and the old school political machine that prohibits any chance of change. But since I mentioned none of that, I think it was a rather fair evaluation. Pass the salt.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by Chefkey

I have lived here for many years now, been all around and seen the bad parts too. Walked some of them and still never felt like I was in a place to fear. You've got the drug gangs here yes and the feds have come in recently to help stop them but I have lived in way worse. Still, the people on this forum are so negative take whatever you read with a grain of salt. Sure, there is some danger but just about every where you go these days you will find some problems. You just need to be street smart when looking for your place to settle and don't rush in. Do your research and look carefully.

+1

I have lived in Wilkes-Barre my whole life. I do not feel scared or threatened. If one reads the news on even a semi-regular basis you quickly see that almost all of the crime is concentrated in the group of people who are already involved in seedy activities.

There was a gentleman killed a few months ago that was not "living the life." He was killed in retaliation for calling the cops on criminals in his neighborhood. Yes, that does scare me. OTOH, I have never publicly advertised if and when I call the cops on suspected crimes.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by Further

I'm guessing Chef is referring to my post as the one being negative. (Since mine was the only reply prior to his, it's not hard to figure out.) I actually thought the post was rather fair. You see, if I wanted to be negative, I would have gone on about the Sherman Hills mess and all the murders thanks to the influx of out of town drug dealers that the cops just can't stop. Or the lousy weather, food that leaves much to be desired, lack of anything of cultural value, the homophobic and under educated local population and the old school political machine that prohibits any chance of change. But since I mentioned none of that, I think it was a rather fair evaluation. Pass the salt.

Sherman Hills is a minuscule area of this city.

The cops can't stop the murders because they don't know how to. Feds and state police will be assisting local cops now.

The weather is neither here nor there for me. You make the best of it. Well I do.

Lack of good food and culture??? Get thee out of your home please!

[Jeanette73]

Just for some perspective: I live in Brooklyn, in a high-crime, dilapidated area with some of the highest real estate prices in the country. Where you are lucky to find a 2 bedroom hole in the wall for $2500.

So Wilkes-Barre looks mighty good.

I'm just suspicious of some of the low real estate prices I see and I'm wondering "what's the catch"? Or whether there are certain areas that are better to stay away from.

[theatergypsy]

For the record: Why Wilkes-Barre? Unless you have employment that requires you to live in the city or you have family that you must be close to, why have you chosen to come from Brooklyn to a city which is currently experiencing a wave of shootings?

As Magritte has stated, most of the shootings are perpetrated by shadow people who are already criminals against others of their ilk. That doesn't mean one would want to live in the midst of it. (Understand that Magritte is a W-B native and is comfortable in her neighborhood.)

It's hard to convince Big City people that the surrounding towns aren't rural. And there are any number of double-block houses for sale in those communities that are reasonably priced. You can be in Wilkes-Barre in 15 minutes or less from any one of those communities and the wage tax is lower.

Yes, there are areas of the city that are less desirable...cue Warren Zee 3-2-1...who will be happy to tell you all about it. And there are areas that people have lived in for years and are thoroughly happy there.

Judicious investigation will be important in your search and I strongly suggest that you find a place to rent for a year while you research the best place for your permanent roots, whether ultimately in Wilkes-Barre or not. There are extremes of opinions about everything and when it comes to investing in a home, the best opinion is your own well-informed.

Good luck.

[Chefkey]

I always appreciate when people confirm my opinion with retort, there are several others here that will certainly back up your claims without fair unbiased opinion as well. Lots of culture here if you know where to look, for food you can’t just go to the local pizza shop and say you’ve tried food from the area. Try the Pierogi festival which just passed this year next year or the upcoming Tomato Festival in Pittston. Go to Bloomsburg Fair or Wyoming County fair and you will get culture exhibits and cultural foods if you look for them. Don’t just settle for the nearest Cheesesteak booth, look for the things that you wouldn’t normally try because they are there if you look.

I actually think the weather is great around here, at least we get enough rain to drink and keep the nature alive. Every time I hear someone complain about the winter cold or snow or rain I remind them they could be in California rationing their water or avoiding wildfires. The nature is a great reason to live in NEPA and so rarely mentioned, so many beautiful places to see.

Jeanette, the only catch is real estate as a commodity is down in this region and there is a glut of available houses. Most of the houses you will look at would compare 2 to 3 times higher in asking price elsewhere. There are some great blocks just south of Wilkes U near the river. You really do need to just search carefully and use your common sense. Research the area you want to buy and look around, if you get a bad feeling, trust your instincts and move on. There are some nice safe spots if you choose wisely.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

OTOH, I have never publicly advertised if and when I call the cops on suspected crimes.

Better than doing nothing but unless something changes directly in those problem areas it's not going to change. I mentioned previously I was on that jury for that machete attack that happened at Sherman Hills. You have a guy outside with his head almost severed off and another guy inside an apartment covered in blood (the apartment and the guy) and no one saw anything. The conditions in those areas are never going to change if that continues, it's only going to get worse.