back again.. this time - Lawrenceville? (Pittsburgh, Butler: for sale, real estate, apartment)

[newgirlpgh]

So.. I've been looking for a place to buy in Pittsburgh for ~3 mons now.
I've increased my budget, changed my "must have" list, and am now exploring alternate neighborhoods.
I just saw this place online:
4023 1/2 Eden Way, Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania 15201 (MLS# 944652) - Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services - PittsburghMoves.com
anyone have advice/info on the neighborhood?
good parts vs. bad parts of lawrenceville?
how to tell?
I'm not from the area, so any guidelines would be great.
Thanks.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by newgirlpgh

So.. I've been looking for a place to buy in Pittsburgh for ~3 mons now.
I've increased my budget, changed my "must have" list, and am now exploring alternate neighborhoods.
I just saw this place online:
4023 1/2 Eden Way, Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania 15201 (MLS# 944652) - Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services - PittsburghMoves.com
anyone have advice/info on the neighborhood?
good parts vs. bad parts of lawrenceville?
how to tell?
I'm not from the area, so any guidelines would be great.
Thanks.

No part of Lawrenceville is bad these days, and that's a great location.

However, I think that's an overpriced house. Yes, it's done up well with expensive-looking finishes, but it's just about the smallest possible house you could buy.

Some other options on the market now

Much cheaper, with out as much work put into it, but it has a backyard, full basement, and much more interior space. You could work on getting the finishes up to what you'd like over time.

In good shape, has a backyard. Location is the slightly less desirable "no man's land" between Lawrenceville and Bloomfield though.

This house is on my street. I know nothing about how the inside looks (I assume it needs some work given the price) but aside from the ruined first floor window it's in good shape on the outside.

This one is almost good. They fixed up the interior to serviceable, but not high-end levels. If it were me I'd be compelled to fix the front (replace the lintel over the front door, and reopen the window to the same size as the house next door). It's also small, but the lower price gives you more freedom to work on improving it for resale value.

[CaptainPittsburgh]

Echoing eschaton, Lawrenceville is a great little neighborhood. It's safe, adding businesses and restaurants pretty frequently and trending with younger folks at the moment. This property is right smack in the middle of it, so there are a handful of cool bars and store fronts one street up on Butler.

As usual, it'll come down to what you want. In terms of safety: Yes, it's a safe, solid neighborhood. I lived in Lawrenceville for a few years recently, and it's probably my favorite neighborhood in the city. I know three people who bought houses in Upper Lawrenceville in the past few years, and they are all quite happy with their purchases.

[steindle]

I love Lawrenceville, but I have to agree with eschaton. $150k for like a 750 sq ft house in an alleyway that was purchased less than a year ago for 1/3 that price seems like... not a good deal. You can still conceivably buy a detached house twice that size in Bloomfield for the same price or less. (Required North Side plug: Not to mention a house at least twice that size for at most HALF the price in Troy Hill.)

[CaptainPittsburgh]

I also sanction the Northside plug.

[aw_now_what]

That Eden Way house- good location, but overpriced considering that although totally redone it's basically two and a half rooms with zero yard.

Houses in Lawrenceville sell quickly and if looking here you need to keep a close eye on listings. All four of the places that eschaton posted about are under agreement. The only site I know of that shows whether the houses are under agreement or actually still for sale is the Howard Hanna site.

I agree that Troy Hill has so much more house for the money.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by aw_now_what

Houses in Lawrenceville sell quickly and if looking here you need to keep a close eye on listings. All four of the places that eschaton posted about are under agreement. The only site I know of that shows whether the houses are under agreement or actually still for sale is the Howard Hanna site.

Even if those houses are under agreement, it shows what other options are out there.

There's basically a spectrum in Lawrenceville right now. With a budget of $150,000, you could get a fairly sizable house which needs major work (but perhaps not a total gut job), a small but functional home where the old timers who lived there didn't do anything to update it in thirty years, or a two-bedroom in an alley that someone else has already fixed up for you. That house is at the most extreme end - the smallest of alley houses, redone in a fairly expensive (or at least, expensive-looking) manner.

[I_Like_Spam]

I saw the Eden Way property a couple of weeks ago during the open house, and its pretty small. however the properties in the area are pretty hot.

A home at 190 1/2 44th St sold for 123k, and a one level apartment at 4413 Butler sold for 230k last winter.

[Hopes]

I think it's overpriced for the size and having no yard and not even street parking.

190 1/2 44th Street is 1078 square foot, two bedroom, 1 bath, with street parking and a yard.

[newgirlpgh]

thanks everyone.
i really want small (it's only me & I don't plan on adding a partner or otherwise for a good number of years) and I don't want a yard - so while those can be negatives for a lot of ppl, it works for me.
i did notice they had basically tried to "flip" the property..
someone had mentioned there's no parking? how does that work then - I can't even park on the street?

phew. good thing I started this search so early compared to when I need to move. I never thought it would take as long as it has...