Relocating to Pittsburgh for two years with 4 children, where should we live? (Erie: real estate, apartment)

[4&Done]

Hello!

My family is relocating to Pittsburgh this June (from No. VA) and I need to know were we should rent a house. My husband will be attending a 2 year fellowship at UPMC in Oakland, so a short commute is top on our list...but so is a good elementary school for three of our four children (two will be entering kindergarten and one in third grade.)

Initially I was focusing on Mt. Lebanon and Dormont but quickly learned the commute is not desirable. Currently, my husband's commute to and from DC is anywhere from 45min to 2hrs...this is a lifestyle we no longer want.

We are looking for:
4 bedroom house w/2 car garage & yard for the kids (budget is $1800)
great elementary school
short commute- no more than 10 miles

Some areas that have been mentioned to us are Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, Fox Chapel and O'Hara. What are your thoughts?

[Natureworshiper]

If you are looking for a big yard, then you might not like Squirrel Hill and Point Breeze. Both neighborhoods are in the city and are somewhat cramped. The commute to Oakland from anywhere in the South Hills wouldn't be too bad - may I suggest Pleasant Hills or West Mifflin?

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by 4&Done

Initially I was focusing on Mt. Lebanon and Dormont but quickly learned the commute is not desirable. Currently, my husband's commute to and from DC is anywhere from 45min to 2hrs...this is a lifestyle we no longer want.
?

2 hours?!?! I can drive to Erie from my house in the city in that much time.

[Hopes]

A four bedroom house for $1,800 in an area with a great elementary school is going to be a tall order.

It's cheaper to own than rent in Pittsburgh, and rent is much more expensive in areas with great schools.


I found one in Aspinwall for $1,400: ASPINWALL HOME (http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/apa/2247950247.html - broken link) It's not pretty but it's in a great school district (Fox Chapel) and it's within 10 miles of Oakland.


Here's one for $1,700 in Squirrel Hill. He could walk to work. Townhouse for Rent (http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/apa/2275298220.html - broken link)

This isn't a house but an apartment and it's over your price range at 2k but it's in Shadyside. GORGEOUS 4/5 bedroom apartment Available August 1st! (http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/apa/2252285895.html - broken link)

I can't speak for the elementary schools for the Squirrel Hill and Shadyside rentals because it's the city school district but the neighborhoods are top notch.



That's all I found. The nicer four bedroom houses in the areas with the better school districts range in price from over 2k and up to 6k.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Natureworshiper

If you are looking for a big yard, then you might not like Squirrel Hill and Point Breeze. Both neighborhoods are in the city and are somewhat cramped.

I didn't notice the yard and two car garage requirement.

Even houses in mediocre school districts (like Shaler, not bad/not good) are out of her price range since she wants a large house with those requirements.

[PeterRabbit]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I didn't notice the yard and two car garage requirement.

We are looking for:
4 bedroom house w/2 car garage

[greg42]

Budget's a little tight. Up the budget and you might be able to do it. Consider dropping the garage requirement for a better chance at everything else, could work in somewhere like Aspinwall, or maybe in the city like Squirrel Hill (not too many garages in the city). Stretching the mileage might help some but you're still likely going to be over that budget.

Rentals that big and that style are fairly few and far between because that kind of house is mostly owner occupied here. That pushes the rent up, sometimes to seemingly more than what you could buy some of those homes for. The 4th bedroom hurts your prospects somewhat I think, though I don't see you wanting to do without that with 4 kids.

You may want to consider setting a commute time rather than distance, as the different directions generally provide for somewhat differing times even if the distance is the same. Will your husband be commuting at typical morning and evening rush hours? This will have a significant effect on the time. Outside of, eh, about 7:00-8:30am, for example (and about 4:30-6pm), you should be able to get 20 miles or more in half an hour, depending upon which direction.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

2 hours?!?! I can drive to Erie from my house in the city in that much time.

My six-mile commute within Fairfax County, VA, an inner suburb of DC, often took nearly an hour. Why so many people there think this is "normal" is beyond my realm of comprehension. After just a year-and-a-half this mind-numbing gridlock took its toll upon my mind. When I hear the locals kvetching now about being held up for just 20 minutes on Route 28 outbound or the Parkways outbound at rush-hour I just chuckle.

[gg]

Originally Posted by 4&Done

We are looking for:
4 bedroom house w/2 car garage & yard for the kids (budget is $1800)
great elementary school
short commute- no more than 10 miles

Some areas that have been mentioned to us are Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, Fox Chapel and O'Hara. What are your thoughts?

Call Fox Chapel Real Estate. Harold Sankey does a lot of rentals in and around Fox Chapel. He doesn't list everything on Craigslist, so it is better to call.

I would focus on Aspinwall, O'Hara, Indiana twp., Fox Chapel and Blawnox. Blawnox is the cheapest, but there might be a nice town home on the hill for rent and might work.

[BrianTH]

You might try the Oakmont area as well as the less expensive communities in the Fox Chapel school district.

Just FYI, there are great playgrounds in and around Squirrel Hill. That is a different sort of lifestyle than focusing on your own yard for play space, but it has some pluses (such as that your kids can socialize a lot more, and the playgrounds have some cool equipment).