Looking to move - specifics & Qs (Pittsburgh, Wilkinsburg: for sale, real estate)

[newgirlpgh]

I'm looking to move to the Pittsburgh area.
I don't have a huge preference on where to live.
Looking at Upper Hill, Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, Swisshelm Park, Swissvale, Edgewood, Shadyside, Bloomfield, Garfield, & Lawrenceville.
I want 1 bedroom, parking, livable as is with potential, safe for swf to walk at night, for under 100k.

Can I get that in any of the above places?
I've heard a lot of people say parts of some areas are good & other parts are bad.
Anyone have advice on parts of those areas to avoid?

Thanks!

[Hopes]

Are you looking for a condo or a house?

You can forget Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, and Shadyside. They're out of your price range. It's out of your budget.

There are a few options in Bloomfield.

I wouldn't recommend Garfield or the Upper Hill since you have a safety requirement for walking at night.

Lawerenceville has quite a few options for you but they'll most certainly be fixer-uppers.

There's nothing available in Swisshelm Park and Oakland.

There's a ton available in Swissvale but I don't know that neighborhood well enough to comment.

You didn't mention Greenfield, but it's worth considering. It might be out of your range since there are only one available.

Seriously consider Morningside.

[Hopes]

I based availability comments on this website that shows property on a map.

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services - Real Estate - Pittsburgh - Property - Proplist

Other sites might have a few different listings, but I think it's a good representation of prevalence.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by newgirlpgh

I'm looking to move to the Pittsburgh area.
I don't have a huge preference on where to live.
Looking at Upper Hill, Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, Swisshelm Park, Swissvale, Edgewood, Shadyside, Bloomfield, Garfield, & Lawrenceville.
I want 1 bedroom, parking, livable as is with potential, safe for swf to walk at night, for under 100k.

Can I get that in any of the above places?
I've heard a lot of people say parts of some areas are good & other parts are bad.
Anyone have advice on parts of those areas to avoid?

Thanks!

My thoughts on the places you've listed

Upper Hill - Safety concerns (probably not really that bad, but that's the general consensus at least)
Oakland - Homes don't come on the market often. You might be able to find a condo or co-op, though.
Squirrel Hill - Too expensive
Regent Square - Too expensive (consider Wilkinsburg west of the busway)
Swisshelm Park - don't know about it
Edgewood & Swissvale - In your price range, worth looking into
Shadyside - Too expensive
Bloomfield - Options exist in your range, but they will need a lot of TLC and almost certainly won't have parking (Bloomfield is one of the few neighborhoods where car-free living is possible in Pittsburgh).
Garfield - Safety concerns, not much on the market in the better sections anyway
Lawrenceville - Too expensive except for Upper Lawrenceville, which is worth considering

Where will you be commuting to? What are you looking for in a neighborhood besides safety (yards, parks, coffee shops, bars, quiet, libraries, etc.?)? These days even $100K is a tight budget in the east end, you can get a lot of bang for your buck by expanding your search a little.

[Hopes]

We're pretty much in aggreement with our assessments.

[selltheburgh]

Swisshelm Park isn't walkable to much of anything. It is nice, but suburban in a sense.

Swissvale has the most houses in your price range. There are a lot of businesses too, but I'm not sure if they are or aren't what you want to walk to.

I second the Greenfield comment. Also parts of Morningside, Highland Park (though mostly will be out of your price range or will need lots of work), East Liberty (though not as safe as Sq Hill, it is safer than the Hill or Garfield and has a lot of development going on).

Otherwise you might want to look across a river where prices are lower. The East End's prices have increased a lot in the past decade.

[newgirlpgh]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

Where will you be commuting to? What are you looking for in a neighborhood besides safety (yards, parks, coffee shops, bars, quiet, libraries, etc.?)? These days even $100K is a tight budget in the east end, you can get a lot of bang for your buck by expanding your search a little.

I'm commuting to Shadyside - 15206.
I'd prefer not to have a yard.
Condo or coop would be fine with me - especially since I'm not looking for any real amount of outdoor space.
As far as neighborhood goes... I just want somewhere with a good amount of people in their late 20s. Young couples would be good, but I'd rather not get into a neighborhood with a lot of kids/families.

I also have awhile to look - so even if there is nothing available right now in a certain area, if it's a good match for me I can keep looking incase anything comes up?

Does that help/is it anymore likely I'll find something in those areas with those specifications?

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Are you looking for a condo or a house?

That's my question also. The advice in this thread seems to be geared toward finding houses, but there aren't really 1BR houses in any significant number. If she wants a small condo, say because she doesn't want to have to take care of a house, then Swissvale probably isn't going to be a good place to look.

Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and Oakland have buildings with 1 BR condos for sale, but are probably going to be outside of the price range or, if in the range, have very high maintenance. I'm not sure where you'd look for relatively inexpensive condos. I think you'd have to look very broadly because they are uncommon.

[Moby Hick]

I hadn't seen #7 before I posted #8.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by newgirlpgh

I'm commuting to Shadyside - 15206.
I'd prefer not to have a yard.
Condo or coop would be fine with me - especially since I'm not looking for any real amount of outdoor space.
As far as neighborhood goes... I just want somewhere with a good amount of people in their late 20s. Young couples would be good, but I'd rather not get into a neighborhood with a lot of kids/families.

I also have awhile to look - so even if there is nothing available right now in a certain area, if it's a good match for me I can keep looking incase anything comes up?

Does that help/is it anymore likely I'll find something in those areas with those specifications?

You might like this: 5715 Beacon Street #309, Pittsburgh PA - Trulia

It's in the heart of Squirrel Hill, and you could walk and/or take the bus to everything you need. The 64 goes from Beacon and Murray to 15206, but it would help to know exactly which intersection you need to go to. There are kids/families in Squirrel Hill, but probably not in the building itself. It's actually hard to avoid families in Pgh. There are tons of college students in the immediate vicinity, too.

If you can raise your budget to $120,000, here's a condo right in Shadyside/East Liberty: http://www.trulia.com/property/30473...burgh-PA-15206. You could probably walk to work, and the neighborhood is somewhat less "family."