Evidence of Pittsburgh's Rapidly Appreciating Housing Market (McKeesport, North Versailles: student loan, how much)

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

Pittsburgh is plenty reasonable as far as real estate prices.

Sure, if someone wants to live in the trendiest communities in the area, they got to pay a premium. But that's the way it has always been. Not so many years ago, L'ville was not considered desirable, neither was South Side. 30 years ago you it would have cost the same to live on Industry St. in Allentown as it would have on S. 15th Street, and you would have had to pay a premium to move out to Carrick or even Mt. Oliver.

Circumstances change, and if someone is willing to reach out and consider less "in" communities, there is still plenty of cheap housing in town and nearby.

Absolutely. But I do see the overall trend as upward pricewise. Pittsburgh is still very affordable, but not as affordable as 10+ years ago.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by juliegt

I think this is a problem that is not unique to Pittsburgh. There are obviously enough people making the wages they need to buy at the rapidly appreciating prices of the East End neighborhoods. The wealthy are getting wealthier and the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is shrinking. I do wonder what will happen over the next 20 years if wages remain stagnant, jobs continue to be off-shored, and we neglect our aging infrastructure. I'm hoping the US makes some major policy shifts that address these issues head-on.

The federal government has definitely already made major policy shifts to address the structural unemployment and stagnant wage situation. The entire new health care reform is designed to subsidize this growing segment of the population, and other programs like the expanded food stamp program, cell phone program, expanded housing programs are all addressing the present and future situations which you are referring to.

Whether or not these are the *right* policy shifts or not is a matter of debate, but the situations are definitely being addressed.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

The federal government has definitely already made major policy shifts to address the structural unemployment and stagnant wage situation. The entire new health care reform is designed to subsidize this growing segment of the population, and other programs like the expanded food stamp program, cell phone program, expanded housing programs are all addressing the present and future situations which you are referring to.

Whether or not these are the *right* policy shifts or not is a matter of debate, but the situations are definitely being addressed.

True. I am eagerly awaiting the change in the law about pre-existing conditions so I can finally find health insurance.

I would love to see a massive program to fix our aging infrastructure. I think it's critical to remain competitive.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by juliegt

True. I am eagerly awaiting the change in the law about pre-existing conditions so I can finally find health insurance.

I would love to see a massive program to fix our aging infrastructure. I think it's critical to remain competitive.

Pennsylvania has elected to have the Federal Dept. of HHS run our state's health care exchange, and its scheduled to open for business on 1 October.

Around here ,anyhow, the government is always out digging up the street and repairing sewers and roads and bridges. Its an ongoing work, not a massive program. I think they've been working on the turnpike exchange at Donegal continuously since I was a kid.

[The King of Um]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

The federal government has definitely already made major policy shifts to address the structural unemployment and stagnant wage situation. The entire new health care reform is designed to subsidize this growing segment of the population, and other programs like the expanded food stamp program, cell phone program, expanded housing programs are all addressing the present and future situations which you are referring to.

Whether or not these are the *right* policy shifts or not is a matter of debate, but the situations are definitely being addressed.

Those programs, with the exception of the new healthcare law, aren't going to help homeowners of modest means, people such as myself, in Pittsburgh; they're not helping the working or middle class. They're social programs in the tradition of LBJ's "Great Society" designed to help the poor. I do strongly support these and other anti-poverty programs, but I do think we need to do more to help those who are above the poverty line.

[PreservationPioneer]

Pittsburgh does not have a housing affordability problem. To that complaint I can only say, "Go West, Young Man." In other words, the whole West End is cheap as dirt. So are many of the older southern and northern suburbs, and especially the eastern suburbs. I can already hear the next complaint: "But those areas aren't trendy!" Guess what, if you want a cheap house, you're going to have to buy in an unfashionable area. That's true in ANY city. All I hear when people complain that housing prices in Pittsburgh are unaffordable is "housing prices in this trendy East End neighborhood are too expensive for me to afford!" I never have trouble locating liveable houses (that need some work) for under $20k in Pittsburgh's undesirable neighborhoods and suburbs. If you have a beer budget, you can't have champagne taste. I've said that before.

Oh, and I have a bachelor's in Social Work, a throwaway degree. But I make a perfectly liveable wage, and have my house and car paid off, which is more than many in more expensive cities could hope for at the age of 28. That is the opportunity Pittsburgh presents, if you aren't too picky to accept the fact that you might have to make some compromises! The compromise you make by accepting only the trendiest neighborhood, is that you will never have anything paid off. Now, you might be able to afford the trendiest neighborhood in Steubenville, but I digress.

If you are waiting for the middle class to make a comeback, and good wages to be available to anyone who is willing to work hard, you're going to be waiting a long time. So you better figure out how to stretch a meager wage as far as it will go. That just involves thinking outside of the box. $10 an hour goes a lot further in Wilmerding than it does in Shadyside. That you've been trained to hold your nose in contempt of Wilmerding is most of the problem.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

.

Oh, and I have a bachelor's in Social Work, a throwaway degree. But I make a perfectly liveable wage, and have my house and car paid off, which is more than many in more expensive cities could hope for at the age of 28. That is the opportunity Pittsburgh presents, if you aren't too picky to accept the fact that you might have to make some compromises! The compromise you make by accepting only the trendiest neighborhood, is that you will never have anything paid off. Now, you might be able to afford the trendiest neighborhood in Steubenville, but I digress.

That you've been trained to hold your nose in contempt of Wilmerding is most of the problem.

Took me until I turned 40, showoff.

Is there still a Winky's in Wilmerding?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

Pittsburgh does not have a housing affordability problem. To that complaint I can only say, "Go West, Young Man." In other words, the whole West End is cheap as dirt. So are many of the older southern and northern suburbs, and especially the eastern suburbs.

There's apparently a completely livable house in Swissvale now for 43K. It's not even in the semi-ghetto part of Swissvale.

[sealie]

And if you can help someone over the phone with their Microsoft Office problems, and can learn other things as you go, entry level positions run 35k-45k. If you have any attention to detail and can handle repetitive tasks and step by step instructions, entry level QA is an option as well. This isn't everybody's bag but my point is just that good wages are available even without a "practical" degree.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

Pittsburgh does not have a housing affordability problem. To that complaint I can only say, "Go West, Young Man." In other words, the whole West End is cheap as dirt. So are many of the older southern and northern suburbs, and especially the eastern suburbs. I can already hear the next complaint: "But those areas aren't trendy!" Guess what, if you want a cheap house, you're going to have to buy in an unfashionable area. That's true in ANY city. All I hear when people complain that housing prices in Pittsburgh are unaffordable is "housing prices in this trendy East End neighborhood are too expensive for me to afford!" I never have trouble locating liveable houses (that need some work) for under $20k in Pittsburgh's undesirable neighborhoods and suburbs. If you have a beer budget, you can't have champagne taste. I've said that before.

Oh, and I have a bachelor's in Social Work, a throwaway degree. But I make a perfectly liveable wage, and have my house and car paid off, which is more than many in more expensive cities could hope for at the age of 28. That is the opportunity Pittsburgh presents, if you aren't too picky to accept the fact that you might have to make some compromises! The compromise you make by accepting only the trendiest neighborhood, is that you will never have anything paid off. Now, you might be able to afford the trendiest neighborhood in Steubenville, but I digress.

If you are waiting for the middle class to make a comeback, and good wages to be available to anyone who is willing to work hard, you're going to be waiting a long time. So you better figure out how to stretch a meager wage as far as it will go. That just involves thinking outside of the box. $10 an hour goes a lot further in Wilmerding than it does in Shadyside. That you've been trained to hold your nose in contempt of Wilmerding is most of the problem.

Well said. I had a bigger budget than you, but I wanted a big old house with period details. The house I bought in Crafton would have cost at least double what I paid for it in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, or Regent Square. Crafton is on the West side of Pittsburgh and is very safe with good schools. It's not quite as well manicured as Mt. Lebanon and it doesn't have their retail options, but it also isn't as expensive. I am a huge booster of the West side. We're close to downtown and to the airport. People have been super friendly and welcoming. I live on a street full of grand old houses owned by people who love them. Moving to Crafton is one the best decisions I've ever made.

The trendier parts of Pittsburgh are relatively inexpensive if you're coming from the more expensive coastal cities. If you're on a tighter budget, the West side has plenty of options. I honestly expect the area to see better than average appreciation for the very reasons I bought here. I know I couldn't possibly be the only one priced out of the East Side. There was a time when certain East side neighborhoods weren't fashionable. It took people who were willing to take a risk to make them trendy. I like to think of us Westsiders as trendsetters. My college age kids would be rolling their eyes at the thought of their mom thinking of herself that way. Time will tell.