Amazon is looking for a second HQ. Why not, Pittsburgh? (Montgomery: for sale, power lines)

[_Buster]

In general, regular housing is not all that much more expensive in Philly than it is in Pittsburgh, especially if you compare to NYC or DC prices. But they probably have quite a few more multimillionaires who are willing to drive up prices to the 5 million level or more for high-end properties.

[Lost_In_Translation]

What is the cost per square foot in any of those cities, that will give you a clue as to housing affordability.

[PGH423]

Originally Posted by Lost_In_Translation

What is the cost per square foot in any of those cities, that will give you a clue as to housing affordability.

According to Zillow, the median list prices per square foot in Philly and Pittsburgh are $141 and $125, respectively. That said, the average list price is a little higher in Pittsburgh now $199K vs. $189K. It looks like people are really trying to push the market right now in Pittsburgh.

[ForYourLungsOnly]

Any word on if/when the company plans to visit the proposed Pittsburgh sites? They were in Chicago this past week visiting several potential sites.

[acenturi]

Originally Posted by PGH423

According to Zillow, the median list prices per square foot in Philly and Pittsburgh are $141 and $125, respectively. That said, the average list price is a little higher in Pittsburgh now $199K vs. $189K. It looks like people are really trying to push the market right now in Pittsburgh.

Comparing "median list prices per square foot" for 2 cities with significantly different populations, without discounting those neighborhoods which are unlikely to be of interest to Amazon employees, is a bit difficult.
OTOH, these 2 tables present a fairly accurate picture of the 2:
Select the "Sale Price/Sqft", then Click on the Column Heading:"Price per sqft" to sort High to Low.

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by acenturi

Comparing "median list prices per square foot" for 2 cities with significantly different populations, without discounting those neighborhoods which are unlikely to be of interest to Amazon employees, is a bit difficult.
OTOH, these 2 tables present a fairly accurate picture of the 2:
Select the "Sale Price/Sqft", then Click on the Column Heading:"Price per sqft" to sort High to Low.

You also have to compare lifestyle expectations are in the various cities. 2000 ft.² is a large townhouse or a rowhouse, or a gigantic condo in an urban style city, but it might be considered a sacrifice in a city like Houston.

[Katarina Witt]

Average home size in Houston-1713 sf.
https://www.propertyshark.com/Real-E...-texas-cities/

[krogerDisco]

Has Amazon visited yet? Haven't heard that they have. Just worried that by not visiting, that's Amazon's decision on Pittsburgh.

[djfiler]

Most of those comparisons neglect to include the effects of vacant lots and abandoned buildings. Pittsburgh has a massive supply of these because it has lost half its population. The significance of this is that property and housing won't be constrained in the foreseeable future. If the supply runs low, instead of skyrocketing prices, we will see the abandonned property and housing put back on the market.

Certainly there will be hot/trendy neighborhoods with inflated prices. But nobody has to buy in those neighborhoods. You can buy an entire block of houses in some parts of the city for the price of a single condo in Lawrenceville. That situation won't change even with the addition of 50k jobs. It will take many more jobs/new-residents than that to eat through Pittsburgh's property surplus.

[North Beach Person]

Some news that impacts this discussion:

Maryland lawmakers approve $5B to lure Amazon HQ2 to state - Story | WTTG

This one will knock several of the final 20 out:

https://www.sfgate.com/technology/bu...photo-10918133