Apartment Hunting for September--Questions (Pittsburgh, McKeesport: real estate, apartments, rentals)

[hclaire]

Hello all,

I am new to the forum and really appreciate those who are taking the time to read this:

I will be moving to Pittsburgh in less than a month (September 1st) for an AmeriCorps position. I live about 8 hours from Pittsburgh in rural NY, and since I am trying to save as much money as possible I will not have the chance to visit before the move. My future roommate is living in California, so there's no way either of us can visit for apartment searching.

I've never been to Pittsburgh, but I've been reading forums and advice about good neighborhoods. I've heard it would be ideal to stay around Squirrel Hill, perhaps Shadyside, Friendship or Greenfield (We are both young women, age 23). I will actually be working in Duquesne, PA so I'd like to stay within a reasonable distance from there (I've been avoiding searching the north west region to avoid a horrid commute).
The issue is that I'm living on an AmeriCorps budget (a very small stipend), and my roommate and I need to stay under $800 for rent. Craigslist postings seem to be lacking on affordable options at this point (and did I mention we have 3 cats?). We have found a few promising listings in Swissvale and Edgewood, but I get the sense that those are not ideal areas to live for someone our age.

It is early August, and we are both getting antsy. I guess my question is--should we take the first thing that comes along in our budget, even if it's not ideal? Or do you think more options will open up as September draws closer?

Any advice would be so appreciated. Thank you!

[BrianTH]

Almost all of Edgewood and a lot of Swissvale could be suitable for you. If you want to let us know exactly where you are looking we can give more specific commentary.

[Burghgirl17]

The areas you are looking in are popular with students, and your choices will be slimmer as they tend to go under contract months in advance. The three cats may be a problem for you as well.

[Retiredcoach]

Duquesne, PA was a once very proud and vibrant steel town. It is now a very distressed and impoverished area, but there are still some very proud families still living there. It is surrounded by cities and towns that have not met with the resurgence of other parts of the Pittsburgh region, and are dealing with their own struggles (for example, Clairton, Homestead, McKeesport, West Mifflin). If I were in your stated circumstances, I would probably look first into West Mifflin and White Oak (a suburb of McKeesport).

[hclaire]

Thanks for all the input so far! To be more specific, there is a home on Elm St in Edgewood that we are thinking of putting in an application for--it seems to be just east of the railroad tracks, and mostly residential. Are there public transit options in Edgewood/is it easy enough to get to more 'happening' areas?

I don't want to get too far out of the city because my roommate has been looking for jobs and will likely end up somewhere in the heart of the city, so I've ruled out the areas directly surrounding Duquesne (for the sake of compromise).

It seems to be I may have heard some false information from people I spoke to. I was told when I was accepted (about a month ago) that it would be "quite easy" to find housing within my budget in the Squirrel Hill area. I've been searching ever since, but I have yet to see that.

Thanks again everyone!

[BrianTH]

Apartments in the core area are really undersupplied right now. Given when you are looking, I'm not all that surprised you have had trouble finding something in the student-heavy neighborhoods.

Anyway, Elm is in a fine part of Edgewood. As you observed, it is pretty much just residential, with a few storefronts on Edgewood Avenue. But you would actually be what I would consider walking distance to "downtown" Regent Square, which is a nice little neighborhood commercial district with a few restaurants, bars, and shops.

There is also some bus service in that area. The 61A will take you through Squirrel Hill, Oakland, and all the way to Downtown. You'd also be about a 1/2 mile walk, give or take, from the Hamnett Station on the East Busway, and from there you can get express buses which go to Oakland (P3) or Downtown (P1), and also East Liberty and Shadyside along the way.

[hclaire]

Great information! Thank you so much Brian!

[lehjr7]

hclaire, we are also on the same boat as you. My gf and I are moving to Pittsburgh in this next month and don't have a chance to visit. We also have 2 cats, and it seems when I put the pet filter on Zillow, like 80% of the listings disappear. Sucks. We'd like to stay close to the city. Our budget is 1000, but 800 would be a sweet spot. We work for PetSmart, and aren't sure which store we're getting transferred to yet (pushing for the new one in the Shadyside area), but we're pretty sure we wanna live centralized and close to downtown.

Have you tried getting into contact with a Realtor? I've emailed a few and can't seem to find any that do rentals. If anyone on here can suggest one it would be great. I've also emailed a few property management companies (Franklin West, JJ Land Co) to no avail, so if anyone can recommend some property management that would be great as well.

I also found this crime map and thought it was neat to get a feel for the grit of the neighborhoods. Can any locals vouche for the accuracy of this map?

[BrianTH]

I'd try calling a few of the real estate offices in Squirrel Hill--I think some of them do rentals (and I would emphasize calling, not emailing).

In addition to Franklin West, Walnut Capital and Forbes Management are worth checking out. Again, if you can't find something on their websites, I'd try calling.

[I_Like_Spam]

Squirrel Hill or Oakland are the most convenient city locations to get to Duquesne by public transport on the 61C route.


Swissvale and Edgewood are better suited if you want a short driving commute over the Rankin Bridge, otherwise I think it would be a 2 bus commute.

If you're driving and you're on a budget, consider Baldwin Boro or Brentwood which have a lot of inexpensive apartments, just avoid the Leland Pointe.


Uptown Kid's crime map is pretty on target, you definitely want to avoid the cities of Duquesne and McKeesport, Homestead or Braddock, even though they are very close.