Yet another "moving to Pittsburgh" thread (Penn Hills, Dormont: rental car, apartment complexes)

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by Elle Driver

I reduced my options to the following:
- Mt. Washington
- Green Tree
- Crafton
- Dormont

Which one of these would you recommend?

I'd recommend Crafton or Dormont. Both have great downtown access. Dormont has a bigger business district while Crafton has the nicer neighborhoods, in my opinion. One nice feature in Crafton is that we have a large shopping complex adjacent to town, so you wouldn't really need to leave Crafton for the basics. I like Greentree but it does seem to lack the walkability factor. It would be better if its business district wasn't bisected by such a busy road.

And I will admit to being biased, I am a new Crafton resident as well. We love it here, wouldn't think of living anywhere else in the area.

[JLeigh2182]

Originally Posted by Elle Driver

I reduced my options to the following:
- Mt. Washington
- Green Tree
- Crafton
- Dormont

Which one of these would you recommend?

Hi, OP. I'm also a single, young professional woman and I live in Mt. Lebanon. I've been there for 5 years now and it's perfect for me. I really like Dormont as well and frequent the bars and the movie theater on Potomac. It's a great area!

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. I'm happy to help!

[Goodjules]

I just bought a house in Crafton. It's very easy to get to the West End for nicer restaurants and shops. Crafton itself has everything for basics: groceries, hardware store, etc. Beautiful historic homes. Not much charming retail, lovely historic neighborhoods to walk through.

[Hopes]

Julie -- When are you going to change your "location" from SF Bay Area?

[Elle Driver]

Thank you everybody for taking the time to answer my questions, you have been extremely helpful!

I do have another question. I'm planning to get a used car when I arrive, what are some good dealerships in the area? I know getting a used car is a bit risky, but I want to get on my feet before I commit to buying a brand new car.

[Elle Driver]

Also, just a quick comment, I've been reading some reviews online of apartment complexes and most of them are pretty awful. I'm aware that a single opinion does not necessarily represent the reality, but when it's something you see consistently you start to worry a little. I know that with my budget I can't afford a luxury apartment, but at least I'm hoping for a nice place to live without having to move in a month because of the bad living conditions. My biggest challenge also would be the fact that I have a 2-year-old dog (a black lab) that I would hate to part ways with... Maybe I'm asking for too much, but in a place like Pittsburgh there have to be good housing options out there!

[Hopes]

In the Mt. Lebo/Dormont area, I highly recommend Mike T.

Used Cars Pittsburgh PA Used Pickup Trucks Bethel Park Carnegie - Mike T's Auto Sales

He's a great guy and he carries decent cars within a reasonable price range.

If he doesn't have what you're looking for, he'll find it for you.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Elle Driver

Also, just a quick comment, I've been reading some reviews online of apartment complexes and most of them are pretty awful. I'm aware that a single opinion does not necessarily represent the reality, but when it's something you see consistently you start to worry a little. I know that with my budget I can't afford a luxury apartment, but at least I'm hoping for a nice place to live without having to move in a month because of the bad living conditions. My biggest challenge also would be the fact that I have a 2-year-old dog (a black lab) that I would hate to part ways with... Maybe I'm asking for too much, but in a place like Pittsburgh there have to be good housing options out there!

Most Pittsburghers don't do the apartment complex route. I personally preferred renting from independent landlords who owned properties here and there. You could find a house in your price range. Where have you been looking? The best way to find places is Craig's List or driving around a neighborhood you want to live and looking for "for rent" signs.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Julie -- When are you going to change your "location" from SF Bay Area?

Point taken. I guess I need to change it to SF & Pittsburgh. I'm going to be back and forth a few times while the work is being done on the house. I realized it didn't make sense to move my furniture and pets in while I was remodeling. My daughter will be holding down the SF fort for me. I'm coming in tomorrow night and will be meeting with contractors to get estimates. It's unusually warm for Jan here in SF and my Niners are on their way to the Superbowl and what am I doing? Leaving for Pittsburgh and -10 weather.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Most Pittsburghers don't do the apartment complex route. I personally preferred renting from independent landlords who owned properties here and there. You could find a house in your price range. Where have you been looking? The best way to find places is Craig's List or driving around a neighborhood you want to live and looking for "for rent" signs.

+1

Most Pittsburghers who rent do so in either whole houses, or subdivided apartments in houses. Complexes in the area have a bad rep overall as a result. In part this is because a fair number of them have a peppering of Section 8 rentals, and in part because there are comparably few large rental complexes with good access to the city (e.g., in desirable areas where people who rent because they're young and/or don't want to be tied down, rather than because they can't afford anything else).

The bottom line is look for something in a converted house. Craigslist allows you to filter for places which allow dogs. Zillow actually shows rentals too, so it might be of use.