back again.. this time - Lawrenceville? (Wilkinsburg, Butler: houses, neighborhoods, buying)

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Really? They haven't even started construction/gotten all the zoning permits yet!

Maybe I misunderstood, but he told me not to park there because people were getting towed, which never used to happen.

[pit2atl]

House was bought on 8/2/2012 for $49,000

Do you feel that house has $60,000 worth of upgrades (30K profit for owner)

Also how do you fell living in a 13*29 house?

[selltheburgh]

Originally Posted by 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.

The bathroom was on the 1st floor behind the kitchen, which is why it took a little while to sell. The house next door to it sold in 4 days - bathroom basement only. Listed at 65k.

[selltheburgh]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

It truly blows my mind how rapidly housing values have been appreciating here in the East End. Even Polish Hill, which most of you consider to be "ugly", is now out of my budget.

How does this not make sense? It is simple supply and demand. Areas like Polish Hill and Lawrenceville had ZERO appreciation for a good 25-35 years. Then people put money into the houses and were able to get it back out. People like you (younger non-Pittsburgh natives) moved to the city and increased the demand while the supply stayed the same.

Yes, I know. Blah Blah housing crisis, nobody is building new homes and apartments blah blah. The truth is, they are. Drive through Lawrenceville and you'll see new construction all around. They just aren't building houses that cost as much as cars because that's not realistic or how the world works.

[selltheburgh]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It was five years ago. Selltheburgh said he has a friend who rents out houses there for $900-$1,000 a month, so I can't believe that it's that rough any more. Admittedly I don't find myself in Upper Lawrenceville much, and when I am, it's usually just on Butler Street.

That's correct. They are 1.5 bedroom townhouses with a yard. In unit laundry. Everything new and nice quality.

I haven't spent much time in the 10th ward late at night off of Butler in the last 5+ years, but it was definitely pretty rough 5-10 years ago. I don't think it is quite as bad now.

[CaptainPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It was five years ago. Selltheburgh said he has a friend who rents out houses there for $900-$1,000 a month, so I can't believe that it's that rough any more. Admittedly I don't find myself in Upper Lawrenceville much, and when I am, it's usually just on Butler Street.

Originally Posted by selltheburgh

I haven't spent much time in the 10th ward late at night off of Butler in the last 5+ years, but it was definitely pretty rough 5-10 years ago. I don't think it is quite as bad now.

I lived in Upper Lawrenceville for two years starting in late 2009, I think it was. A friend lived there from 2007 and pulled me over. As far as our experiences go, it was totally safe and quite pleasant that entire time. I've said a bunch of times on this board that I've since had friends buy houses in Upper Lawrenceville, so I definitely feel comfortable declaring the area safe and no longer rough.

Originally Posted by eschaton

Edit: Now that I think about it, you can't park in the "ways" in Upper Lawrenceville. You can on most of the ones around me in Central though (Cotton, Plum, Blackberry, Locarna, 43 1/2, Banner, Almond, etc).

It depends on the "Way," haha. You can park in some of them, but you can't park in a lot of them.

[sealie]

Originally Posted by selltheburgh

How does this not make sense? It is simple supply and demand. Areas like Polish Hill and Lawrenceville had ZERO appreciation for a good 25-35 years. Then people put money into the houses and were able to get it back out. People like you (younger non-Pittsburgh natives) moved to the city and increased the demand while the supply stayed the same.

Doctors and dentists and lawyers and IT people and accountants and managers. And landlords. And some professors and small business owners. And older people who've been saving. The east end just isn't that big, and there are a lot of people who can afford a 150k+ mortgage when interest rates are 3.5%.

If you want the prices to basically stay stable, then you need to stop fretting about the 30,000 people living in soulless Cranberry rather than the life-affirming city. I'm honestly not sure where a person could put them, but if they all WANTED to live in the East End, you wouldn't even be able to rent there.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by CaptainPittsburgh

I lived in Upper Lawrenceville for two years starting in late 2009, I think it was. A friend lived there from 2007 and pulled me over. As far as our experiences go, it was totally safe and quite pleasant that entire time. I've said a bunch of times on this board that I've since had friends buy houses in Upper Lawrenceville, so I definitely feel comfortable declaring the area safe and no longer rough.

My big issue with Upper Lawrenceville has always been the houses, physically speaking, are mainly characterless siding boxes similar to what you'd find in the southern parts of Bloomfield. Much of Carnegie Street is quite nice, and there are other brick houses scattered throughout, but the frame construction just didn't hold up very well, and all the charm has been taken out. I just don't see those sort of houses ever having massive appeal to homeowners, though for young renters they can be great (I didn't give a crap about the outside of my house when I rented in Bloomfield).

On the other hand, if people get ambitious, I guess it's far easier to restore the original window sizes/shapes on a frame house than all the houses in Central Lawrenceville where they decided to patch in (or worse, cut a new hole, and then patch in) a big horizontal window. Thankfully, they only did that on the back side of our house with the kitchen/bathroom windows.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by eschaton

My big issue with Upper Lawrenceville has always been the houses, physically speaking, are mainly characterless siding boxes similar to what you'd find in the southern parts of Bloomfield. Much of Carnegie Street is quite nice, and there are other brick houses scattered throughout, but the frame construction just didn't hold up very well, and all the charm has been taken out. I just don't see those sort of houses ever having massive appeal to homeowners, though for young renters they can be great (I didn't give a crap about the outside of my house when I rented in Bloomfield).

On the other hand, if people get ambitious, I guess it's far easier to restore the original window sizes/shapes on a frame house than all the houses in Central Lawrenceville where they decided to patch in (or worse, cut a new hole, and then patch in) a brick house. Thankfully, they only did that on the back side of our house with the kitchen/bathroom windows.

I think Upper Lawrenceville could easily emulate Bloomfield as a rental haven. It also could attract Bloomfield renters who are looking to buy. I considered it pretty heavily myself, but ultimately decided against it because it's already too expensive for my tastses considering what you're getting. If I were more dead-set on the East End it probably would have been worth it and something nicer or cheaper would have come on the market eventually.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

I think Upper Lawrenceville could easily emulate Bloomfield as a rental haven. It also could attract Bloomfield renters who are looking to buy. I considered it pretty heavily myself, but ultimately decided against it because it's already too expensive for my tastses considering what you're getting. If I were more dead-set on the East End it probably would have been worth it and something nicer or cheaper would have come on the market eventually.

I also think Upper Lawrenceville is already too expensive given its relatively inconvenient location. Even if there are homes in my budget there I'm better served buying a comparable home in the North Side, Wilkinsburg, or even Millvale and being nearer to amenities.