Erin J. Marton - Ecobroker®

Hi Christine!
I would suggest Mount Lebanon. It is a very short commute to the city, and it would have a number of options available in their price range. If they would like to be North of the city they could look in the North Hills/Wexford area. Also within the 45 minute commute (both areas would be even shorter of a commute outside of rush hour!)
Another suggestion would be Aspinwall, still north of the city - bit within the Fox Chapel School district which people seem to find appealing.
Aspinwall and Mt. Lebanon also have cute shopping districts with unique shops.
Please let me know if I can be of any help!
Erin - Sun Sep 28 2008, 15:54

In your price range I would suggest the city. it is my opinion that, as gas price continue to go up, more people will be looking to move closer to the city and into more Urban areas, which in the long run would ideally give a boost to property values to homes that are closer to Downtown Pittsburgh. Of course, this is just my opinion and within the city limits you are, as you mentioned, going to pay much higher transfer taxes (2% on each side of a transaction) which will increase your closing costs. Transfer taxes in the North are a little lower but it would only affect your closing costs. As for re-sale, unfortunately there are so many factors that go into the future of a neighborhood it is too difficult to say for certain. As you are personally experiencing, city neighborhoods such as Squirrel Hill and others around the university tend to be healthy because of the consistent influx of buyers drawn in from the Universities and Hospitals and those who are leaving their positions or graduate school and are looking to sell. This combination has been one of the major factors in keeping the City Neighborhoods stable. Another factor to investigate are your property taxes; here in the city your property taxes will total 2.941% of your total assessed value. It is the School District taxes that you will most closely want to look at as moving from one district to another could make a difference.
I hope this helps at least a little! Please let me know if i can be of any further assistance!
Erin - Fri Sep 12 2008, 16:42

Well - The sky is the limit here because pretty much everything in Pittsburgh is about 20-30 minutes apart. If you are looking for something that is around that distance during rush hour, my suggestion would be to look North, as you are going against the rush hour traffic. Fox Chapel is great, you may also want to check out Aspinwall. Mount Lebanon is not necessarily far, but since it is South you would be coming into the city through rush hour - so may find your commute a bit longer than if you you were coming North. Really - it would come down to what you want to spend and where you could - so to speak - get the most for your money. Although home prices here in the city are not going up as much as in past years (but are at least going up as opposed to some of the other, more unfortunate areas of the country) you will still be able to benefit from the First Time Home Buyer Tax credit of $7500. Remember, this is a credit that you do pay back over time, so if you think you may be moving within the next 15 years or so, you will want to take into consideration that you will need to pay that amount back. Remember also that it is a credit that is equal to 10A% of your purchase, so a home that is $50,000 would only be eligible for a credit of $5000.00.
Again, it will all depend on what kind of price range you are looking at. I would be happy to help you narrow down what area would best suit you! Please let me know if you need any help!
Erin - Fri Sep 12 2008, 15:15

Hi Dar!
Home inspections usually cost around $250-$350, depending on if you choose to do only a property inspection or if you choose to also have a pest or radon inspection. The other advantage of havingyour home pre-inspected is that there are less surprises when a purchaser has their inspection done. I recommed using an ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) approved inspector.
Once you have the inspection done, you can then get estimates on repairs of any major issues that turn up, and as Douglas mentioned below, most estimates can be free.
Hope that helps!
Erin - Tue Sep 2 2008, 14:51

Hello Dar!
It really is a question of whether or not you are ready to move on and take a loss. I would certainly say that if there are issues, some of the major ones would need to be repaired before you put your house on the market. Which ones it would be would be difficult to say without me having more information. Anything that is purely cosmetic could be left as is, but if there are major structural problems I would recommend looking into repair. You could also list your house as-is with an agent, but I would not recommend it as the market is pretty competitive and you could easily get passed on by buyers who are not willing to make any major repairs.
Have you had a home inspection? It may be a good investment in your case as it would give you a good picture of what your home is in need of and how much it could cost to fix.
Let me know if I can be of any assistance!
Erin - Tue Sep 2 2008, 14:07

Hello Bob!
I think what you can gather is that it is very difficult for an agent to make an assessment of a property without physically seeing it! That being said - it sounds like you have some very nice features for marketing purposes. A finished basement in Squirrel Hill is a rarity! Mostly, it will depend on the proximity of the duplex to the Universities, as many buyers will be looking at the property from an investment perspective. Also, the condition of your home as assessed by an agent familiar with the area will help determine the price.
I hope that this information is helpful! I am sorry I could not give you any more specific answers but would be happy to help in any way I can!
Erin - Sat Aug 2 2008, 10:56

Hemmingway is a part of a small development in Oakland comprising of Townhomes that are probably about 15-20 years old - just an estimate). Many of them have been substantially updated by former owners. They include integral garages and decks overlooking Shadyside.
As for the difference, as both Debi and Crystal mentioned, 15213 is an Oakland zip code and covers a very wide area (both North and South. 15232 is Shadyside, but this particular area is fairly close to Shadyside. It is just down the street from UPMC Shadyside.
Hope that helps!
Erin - Sun Jul 27 2008, 13:40