please help!!! relocating to pitt from cali due to military and we have pit bulls... (Pittsburgh: real estate, apartment)

[katers06]

we only have a few weeks left and i have been looking forever with no leads. we need a nice area preferably south pittsburgh area and we need a yard and garage...anybody know any places to rent??? we have two pit bulls and there is no way we can pass them as another breed.we'd like a house not apartment or townhome...HHHEEEEELLLLLPPPPP!!!!!

[Love2Golf09]

Originally Posted by katers06

we only have a few weeks left and i have been looking forever with no leads. we need a nice area preferably south pittsburgh area and we need a yard and garage...anybody know any places to rent??? we have two pit bulls and there is no way we can pass them as another breed.we'd like a house not apartment or townhome...HHHEEEEELLLLLPPPPP!!!!!

Ok, take a deep breath and relax. First, the area you're looking for is kind of vague. Do you mean the South Side of Pittsburgh? The South Hills of Pittsburgh? Or SOUTH of Pittsburgh, as in something more rural from washington and fayette counties? Also, what is your budget? How many bedrooms are you looking for? Where will you be working and how long of a commute do you want?

I'm more familiar with the south hills, so I'd suggest you look into some townhouses around Baldwin but some houses too, which has good schools, very little crime, and good prices for their real estate. You can check out craigslist. If that's too expensive for you, then move on to Castle Shannon, West Mifflin, Pleasant Hills, etc. Looks of houses for rent in the south hills since it has hit a bit of a downturn in some areas. If you look in the newspaper and craigslist and would like something nicer than what you find in these areas, check out bethel park. If that isn't nice enough, then move up to Mt. Lebanon or Upper St. Clair. Those are some pretty pricey homes though.

If commuting is an issue and you want to be close to the city, but still in a home, check out dormont, greentree, and brookline. Those are close to the city and cheap, but your yard isn't going to be anything big, especially in brookline.

Could I ask you a question? Where have you been looking that hasn't given you any leads? If I were you I'd check craigslist and the online listings with the post-gazette and tribune-review. I just looked on craigslist quick for Brookline and West Mifflin and found a fair number of hits...2 and 3 BR homes going for $650-$850 per month, some offering rent to own options. Good luck.

[Hopes]

Is there a reason you want to live in the South Hills? Will you be working at the air force base?

If you'll be working downtown or Oakland, you can live almost anywhere.

[BrianTH]

Have you tried contacting any real estate offices in the area you are looking? They sometimes have agents who do house rentals.

[groar]

i wouldn't worry about the pit bulls, having large dogs can make finding a place to rent more difficult (and a LOT of landlords will charge you a deposit for pets or extra rent; i'd go with the former if you have a choice) but i've never come across any landlords who won't allow the breed.

[katers06]

wow i wasnt expecting responses so quick...um my hubby is looking into working at the air force base but were not so much worried about a commute. specific towns he listed (since hes from west mifflin) were bethel park mount lebo sewickley robinson um... upper st clair pine richland cranberry moon/crescent...munhall and west mifflin but only on the south side he said. from looking at maps im guessing thats south OF pittsburgh...thats all i can remember. our budget is up to 1000/month. we'd like at least two bed/2 bath. no kids so i dont worry about the school district. everytime i try to get a lead on craigslist it always ends up being a scam or something about foreclosures...i have contacted coldwell realty and they've sent me alot of properties but my husband is extremely picky and wont settle for something that looks bad(i know stupid). i searched all night last night and got alot of numbers from the yellow pages and im just going to start callin to see what i can find. its hard when you live accross the country and have to pick a house based on pictures from the internet...

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by katers06

we only have a few weeks left and i have been looking forever with no leads. we need a nice area preferably south pittsburgh area and we need a yard and garage...anybody know any places to rent??? we have two pit bulls and there is no way we can pass them as another breed.we'd like a house not apartment or townhome...HHHEEEEELLLLLPPPPP!!!!!

Anybody know of any place to rent? Come on, there are thousands upon thousands of rental properties in Allegheny County. It can't be that hard.

[katers06]

thank you for your post scott that was genuinly helpful.

[ddietrich]

Originally Posted by katers06

specific towns he listed (since hes from west mifflin) were bethel park mount lebo sewickley robinson um... upper st clair pine richland cranberry moon/crescent...munhall and west mifflin but only on the south side he said. from looking at maps im guessing thats south OF pittsburgh...

For 1000/month for 2 bed/2 bath, you've priced yourself out of many of those areas. Most of the areas you've listed are fairly affluent. You might get lucky but probably need to refine your target areas more.

[katers06]

price wise ive found alot its just the pit bull thing that renters are having trouble with. broker 1 realty just found me one in whitehall that matches my criteria so were just going to try out the dog thing and see what they say...wish me luck :-)