What don't you like about Pittsburgh? (subdivision, live in, moving to)

[By~Tor]

Originally Posted by Katiana

According to 'everyone' on this board, Pittsburgh's housing prices are very stable. I will give this example from my own life: My parents bought a house (This Old House) in Beaver Falls in 1956 for $18K. This was a time when things were going great guns in the steel industry and BF was a booming place, BTW. 40 years later, in 1996, we sold the house for my mom for $76K. This is not a huge appreciation in 40 yrs. DH and I have owned our house for 19 yrs and it has appreciated almost that much in half the time. So I guess I'm saying, don't put in your upgrades thinking that you're going to make a lot of money on them. Do it because you want to do it. Some people value old houses so much (this is true here as well as in Pgh) that they don't care if they've been updated. There is not always that much of a price differential.

Well, if I buy at $130K, and spend no more than 20K in improvements and then sell in 15-20 years (if we even want to sell, by then), I'll be happy to get $150 - 170K out of it.

The good thing about Dormont, is that it's so small, that it almost has an "exclusive" quality to it, and even though I may have to wait awhile to get it sold, I think that it should sell at a decent appreciation, by then.... sure, it's a gamble, but while I'm waiting for the appreciation, I'll also be enjoying the upgrades myself, which benefits my quality of life~!!!!

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Sure, but I guess I am not sure what point you are trying to make. To be clear on my end, I'm not trying to argue that everyone does or should prefer to live in a historic home. Indeed, I know that many people strongly prefer new builds, and another large chunk of people are more or less indifferent. On the other hand, are you disputing that there are also a large number of people who like to live in historic homes? Speaking as such a person, I am fully aware of the downsides, but I prefer them anyway for other reasons.

But again, I freely admit this is a matter of taste, and don't dispute that tastes vary. My point above, however, was about competitive advantages, and the fact that Pittsburgh's surplus of historic homes is not a competitive advantage with everyone does not mean it is not a competitive advantage with no one at all.

I'm one of those who prefers historic homes. I grew up in an old Edwardian in SF and now live in a post WW2 suburban home. If I could afford an older home in SF I would move there. Pittsburgh appeals to me because I can get a historic home for under $500,000 - one that would cost in the millions in SF. I am fully aware of the pitfalls of owning such a home. I really am more comfortable with older floor plans and city living than I am with the typical suburban homes of today. Probably because they "feel" like home to me. New suburbs always feel like I'm visiting someone else's home, where older city homes feel like I belong there.

I completely understand that many people would never choose to live in the kinds of homes I love. That's why we have cities, suburbs, and rural areas... Different people have different needs and desires. Pittsburgh's historic housing stock and low housing prices are one of the major reasons I'm planning to move there.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

By the way, I kind of like knob and tube wiring.

Why? Please explain. I assume you're not kidding, right?

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by subdivisions

LOL! This is true. My own "historic" house has several rooms that aren't even close to square or rectangular. It's been interesting trying to make furniture fit in corners and so forth.

But that's also one of the things I love about my house, and I wouldn't trade it for a new build if you paid me.

I'm not the kind of person who is comfortable living in a house that looks just like every other house in my neighborhood, or in a neighborhood where everything is perfect and manicured and just alike. That kind of life makes me feel isolated and squashed. Probably the number 1 reason why I like Pittsburgh so much is that it's almost a "junk store" of a city, where everything is unique and there's a funny surprise (good or bad) over every hill and down every narrow cobblestone street. I have an eccentric soul, and Pittsburgh is an eccentric city. I felt it from the very first day I ever saw the city - crossing the Ft. Pitt bridge and seeing all the glittering lights, and then looking out across the water at all of the cool old houses up and down the hillsides, each one completely different from the next and an unpolished gem in it's own right. And the fancy gothic architecture in Oakland, and the 5th Avenue mansions, and the Harry Potter houses in Shadyside. I could go on and on...

You know, someone here keeps talking about Scottsdale as a model city. Well, I've been to Scottsdale, and it's clean and sunny and upscale and everything, but frankly I would die if I had to live there. Or at least my soul would wither and die. Where are the gothic churches? Where are the fancy old Painted Ladies, each one clothed in a different bright raiment and crowned with eccentric spires and turrets? Where are the Tudors and the European stone houses with the columns out front? Every house in Scottsdale is perfectly neutral colored so as not to offend anyone, and built by the same builder who built every house within 25 miles, from the same floor plan, with a perfect green lawn, and 2.5 kids and an SUV and a dog, and hidden behind a security gate so none of those "undesirable" people can get in and spoil the carefully manicured conformity. (Ok, I exaggerate cruelly, but you get my point.) Ugh, ugh, ugh. It's not for me. Even the row houses here, which are all alike on a block, at least have some character inside.

But you know what? That's what's so great about America. People who have Scottsdale souls can move to Scottsdale, and people who have Pittsburgh souls can move to Pittsburgh. It's not about who's "right" - we're all right, as long as we're in a place that matches who we are inside and where we are happy living.

I am just like you and I fell in love with Pittsburgh immediately and felt right at home.

My soul would die in a place like Scottsdale too. I have nothing against people who choose that type of city as a place to live, in fact some of my closest friends far prefer brand new suburbs to cities. I don't get it, but they think I'm nuts for liking (in their minds) messy, dirty, dangerous cities...

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by juliegt

I am just like you and I fell in love with Pittsburgh immediately and felt right at home.

My soul would die in a place like Scottsdale too. I have nothing against people who choose that type of city as a place to live, in fact some of my closest friends far prefer brand new suburbs to cities. I don't get it, but they think I'm nuts for liking (in their minds) messy, dirty, dangerous cities...

Whatever, I happen to like Scottsdale. Out of all the areas near Phoenix, we are the LEAST cookie cutter of them all.

By my house
http://www.imin.com/image/image_gallery?img_id=1420 (broken link)
Kierland Commons, about a mile away.

http://www.interopag.com/resources/scottsdale-morning.jpg (broken link)
only the soulless live here.....

You're right, this sucks........
YEs, we have URBAN areas. In fact, they are in HIGH demand.

[subdivisions]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

Whatever, I happen to like Scottsdale. Out of all the areas near Phoenix, we are the LEAST cookie cutter of them all.

Some of those pictures do look nice. I still wouldn't want to live there. It's a personal preference.

Sucks feeling like someone's trashing on the city that you love, though, huh? I can certainly understand why you are a little defensive. Not that anyone else on this forum would do that or anything...

[hildi200]

LondonBarcelona...

You should post wonderful things about your city in the Arizona forum. This is a Pittsburgh forum! If you didn't like Pittsburgh that is your opinion. Some of us happen to like the city for its multiple charms and its uniqueness....

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by juliegt

I am just like you and I fell in love with Pittsburgh immediately and felt right at home.

My soul would die in a place like Scottsdale too. I have nothing against people who choose that type of city as a place to live, in fact some of my closest friends far prefer brand new suburbs to cities. I don't get it, but they think I'm nuts for liking (in their minds) messy, dirty, dangerous cities...

A little ditty about urban living in Scottsdale (you know the soulless, cookie cutter place where it's 80 degrees right now...)Urban living

the waterfront
the borgata

Is the city of Scottsdale as pretty as Pittsburgh? Yes it is. Is it a "city" city like Pittsburgh? No it is not. But it sure doesn't suck here. And certainly the people who live here are not 'soulless.' In fact, I think the people who live here are fantastic.

Gotta hate driving by this each day....
Do we have cookie cutter homes? Of course, even Pittsburgh does. But in Scottsdale, there are a lot LESS than you think. Try visiting before you voice your nasty opinion.
shopping across the street from the scottsdale airport

Even our hotels are soulless shopping across....
Yeah, you're right, this place sure is ugly..........try different...

DIFFERENT. Scottsdale is not better than the nice areas of Pittsburgh - but it's DIFFERENT. Nothing wrong with that!

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by hildi200

LondonBarcelona...

You should post wonderful things about your city in the Arizona forum. This is a Pittsburgh forum! If you didn't like Pittsburgh that is your opinion. Some of us happen to like the city for its multiple charms and its uniqueness....

I live here part of the year, I can post here.
No wonder Pittsburgh has such a bad reputation............

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by subdivisions

Some of those pictures do look nice. I still wouldn't want to live there. It's a personal preference.

Sucks feeling like someone's trashing on the city that you love, though, huh? I can certainly understand why you are a little defensive. Not that anyone else on this forum would do that or anything...

Hey, just like Katiana said, it just takes time. I used to love Pittsburgh too. Then I actually lived there................
Besides, you people jump on ANYONE who says anything remotely negative about Pittsburgh. It's just bizzare.........
No wonder people move away! Are you guys like this to all new residents???
I didn't jump into the whole house conversation thing for the simple reason I think it's subjective.
But then you guys started slamming me KNOWING I'm reading this, and that's just abnormal.
It just shows what kind of people you really are. No wonder most people move out of Pittsburgh.
WHO COULD BLAME THEM?????
Of course I am going to defend Scottsdale, and any other place I happen to like!
But this forum here is is bizarre.................... must be all that gray weather you guys get...