Buying a home in Beechview

[lprmesia]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

Asmello, I hated Beechview when I lived there (early part of this decade). There were a lot of drugs, and the usual weirdos that go with it. The winters were impossible, even to get to the T on foot (icy streets and sidewalks). The driving was ridiculous because of the steep hills and lack of sight lines, and idiotic drivers (NEVER roll through a stop - you'd be risking a collision). I felt the black people on my street were just nasty and hateful - I'm stopping short of calling them racist. The whites were just trashy, frankly (demeanor, habits, and way of living with an F U attitude.

I had a friend from another city visit - he is gay, and, let's say, maybe "obvious". We could not have been treated more coldly with snobbery by both the help and the customers at the local italian place, which i think had since closed down (not the classier restaurant, but the more casual one that was next door to it). I felt it was because we were perceived as a man-man couple.

There ARE some clusters of streets that seemed peaceful and beautiful, where people cared for their property. There is a group of senior citizens that walks the neighborhood, and they are lively and nice. Overall, it is not bad for a city neighborhood

But my lasting impressions are not good ones - sorry. I did live on a lower income, crappy street, but of course I got around the neighborhood (I liked Slice on Broadway). Your experience may be much better - I am not trying to talk you OUT of Beechview, but just to give you more awareness.

When I bought my first home, I was able to save a lot of closing costs by using ESB Bank since it was the same lender the seller had and we were able to get around some of the fees. The closest location was in Beechview which was right off the T, so I didn't mind at first.

I HATED going to Beechview because of many of the same things mentioned above. A lot of drug activity, strange people hanging around just staring at people at the ATM, icy sidewalks, and I got tired of being called "whitey" or "snowflake" from the people dealing at the corner of the IGA while waiting on the T. I eventually refinanced and closed my account after a little over 3 years.

Keep in mind this was 2007-2010, but it left me with a sour taste on the neighborhood. I do have friends that live off Crane near Brashear High School who seem to have none of the issues listed above. I know it's a big neighborhood, but just sharing my experience. I hope the neighborhood has gotten better, but I've always steered clear because of those past experiences.

[szug-bot]

^^^^ the OTHER side of Crane, Tropical Avenue - that hamlet of homes, seems very nice. It's just so isolated and car dependent. But if someone doesn't care, that is not a bad place to call home.

I'm sorry you encountered bigotry and the riff raffery the neighborhood had to offer. It sucks to be a straight edge citizen, pay your taxes, do what you must, and try to be a part of your neighborhood, only to feel like you arent wanted because you are all those things!

Still, Beechview isn't entirely unliveable. I'll give it that.

[aquafarm]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

Bingo - I would include Crafton Heights in there, too.

Asmello, check out this site: trulia.com. If you find a house you are interested in, type in the address at trulia.com, and it will show you local crime on a map, and also amenities closeby, which will help you determine if you want to settle there.

Good luck with finding a home.

Trulia is helpful. But I would add that don't ignore areas due to high number of black dots. Read what those dots are. Some black dots are traffic tickets or medical emergency. Always compare the data with other sources. I would not have bought my house if I solely rely on Trulia. The town has lots of black dots on Trulia, but the crime statistics data looks very good on other sources (e.g. city-data)