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Pittsburgh, PA Real Estate News

By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
This essay by travel columnist Ginny Prior - "Livable Pittsburgh steps from haze" - has been circulating since September. If you read this when snow is swirling around, this may not be the best time to head outdoors for kayaking, but it's interesting to read an outsider's perspective any month of the year: "Name the most livable city in America. If you said ‘Pittsburgh,' give yourself a hand. The distinction by Places Rated Almanac reflects an almost unimaginable turnaround for a city once known as the Steel Capital of the U.S. Today, Pittsburgh is not only one of the 10 cleanest cities in the world (Forbes Magazine), it's a great city to explore on foot, bike, Segway or kayak." Read the entire article.  And when you're ready for some recreational activity outside, you may want to check...
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
House hunters can scour through neighborhoods, inspect front porches, and even peek inside bedrooms from the comfort of their desktops. But while this surge of new information can help you find that perfect home, it may also make the whole process overwhelming. As reported by U.S. News & World Report, here are six ways to ensure that your online real estate search is as efficient as possible.  Know when to say when. There are plenty of ways to waste time on the Internet. When it comes to home buying, searching through properties you can't afford tops the list. So before you grab for that mouse, contact a lender and get preapproved for a mortgage. Find the right tools... Real estate search engines are getting better and better, like Trulia.com, DotHomes, Zillow.com and Realtor.com. But d...
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Christine Emmick - Pittsburgh, PA - November 20, 2008 With the bank foreclosures and mortgage trouble of the last few months, people are looking for affordable housing these days. Real estate listings show that home prices are falling, banks are looking to get rid of foreclosed homes and homeowners who are in over their head with adjustable rate mortgages are selling to avoid bankruptcy. People are having trouble selling their homes, and are willing to sell them for less money than their appraised value. While these statistics may not be comforting to those going through foreclosure, the lull in the housing market provides an ideal environment for buying real estate. Las Vegas real estate has lost value to be sure, but the home market in the Pittsburgh area is relatively stable. Ron DaP...
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
Kick off the holiday season on Friday, November 21, by spending the day downtown at Pittsburgh's annual Light Up Night celebration. Events will include the tree lighting, Santa Spectacular, the opening of the PPG Place ice rink, and a fireworks finale at Point State Park at 9 pm.  Check out the list of scheduled events. And don't forget that the next 6 Saturdays in Pittsburgh are special, too. Starting November 22, there will be downtown events, promotions, strolling carolers, street performers, and free horse-drawn carriage rides and trips on the Holly Trolley.  For more information, visit the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership website.
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
Here's the list of 9 homes that sold in October on the South Side of Pittsburgh: AddressList PriceSold Price 2104 Sidney Street 325,000 310,000 49 S 11th Street 289,000 245,000 1921 Harcum Way 199,000 190,000 138 Pius Street 195,000 182,500 94 S 22nd Street 149,900 147,290 173 S 16th Street 137,500 121,250 2510 Leticoe Street 119,000 108,000 2400 Cobden Street 34,900 35,000 1757 Arlington Avenue 36,900 32,000  Related Posts:  Pittsburgh's South Side: Which Homes Sold in August and September?  Which of Pittsburgh's South Side Homes Sold in July? Home Sales on Pittsburgh's South Side for June
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
When moving to a new house, there's an environmental price. At any given time, millions are on the move; sometimes just across the street or across the country. Millions of movers means millions of miles, and then there are all the peripheral items involved such as packing materials - often used once, then thrown away. Here are some ideas from Green Living Tips on how to make your next move a little greener. Move less junk - A new home means a fresh start, so why drag all that old junk with you! The less you need to move, the less you may have to pay a removal company and the less fuel is used. Donate what you don't want to charity, make a few bucks by advertising your items on CraigsList, or hold a garage sale. Dispose of hazardous waste responsibly - Instead of carting around toxic ch...
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By Elizabeth Caplan, REALTOR, Pittsburgh, PA
(Piatt Sotheby's International Realty)
Thinking of selling your Regent Square home or investment property, contact Liz Caplan, Coldwell Banker, The Caplan Group to assist with all your Pittsburgh PA relocation, buying and selling needs. The appeal of a neighborhood like Regent Square is undeniable.  Featuring a quiet, village feel, it is a Mecca among the rest of Pittsburgh's metropolitan landscape - it is especially popular with those looking for a bit more seclusion.  When searching for a home in a highly admired neighborhood, there is nothing better than working with a seasoned Regent Square Realtor to find the home that can fit your needs and goals.While the internet is a credible place to begin your search for Regent Square Pittsburgh real estate, many of these searches end before truly tapping into the wealth of proper...
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By Dustin Nulf
(Keller Williams Realty)
So after 2 years of plummeting home prices and an overall crappy market, Pittsburgh is still positive in year-over-year home prices.  Anyone else have numbers like this to share?
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By Elizabeth Caplan, REALTOR, Pittsburgh, PA
(Piatt Sotheby's International Realty)
The Gateway Towers Condominium -Existing Downtown Pittsburgh condominium offering elegant downtown living with breathtaking vistas of Point State Park, the rivers and city views.  Set at the entrance to Pittsburgh's scenic Point State Park, Gateway Towers offers unique condominiums with convenient access to everything Downtown Pittsburgh has to offer. More and more people are joining the 3,000 residents who alreadycall Downtown Pittsburgh their home. They are looking for the diverse amenities and convenience that a thriving city offers, but they don't want to give up comfort and natural beauty and a sense of neighborhood.  At Gateway Towers, you can have the best of both worlds - the convenience of walking anywhere in the Golden Triangle in less thanten minutes as well as the tranquil b...
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
Do you need more proof that Pittsburgh is a great place to live? Check out the latest BusinessWeek list. BusinessWeek teamed up with OnBoard Informatics, a Manhattan-based provider of real estate analysis, to come up with the list of each state's best affordable towns for raising children. The most important factors in their analysis were school performance, affordability, and safety. But they also gave weight to cost of living, air quality, job growth, racial diversity, and local parks, ball fields, zoos, recreation centers, museums, and theaters. Read the entire BusinessWeek story.      Related Posts: Pittsburgh Makes List of Best Cities for Riding Out a Recession Pittsburgh Ranked Third Least Expensive for Homeowners Pittsburgh: A Best City for Young Professionals Pittsburgh Recogniz...
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By Elizabeth Caplan, REALTOR, Pittsburgh, PA
(Piatt Sotheby's International Realty)
Located in the East End of Pittsburgh Shadyside is one of the areas most popular neighborhood's.  Shadyside is close to Sq. Hill, Highland Park, Point Breeze and Oakland with easy asses to Universities and Downtown.  For more information about Shadyside, other Pittsburgh neighborhoods and real estate opportunites, please visit my website, www.Pittsburghhomesite.  Let me know how I can assist with your real etstate needs.
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
If you're thinking of moving to Pittsburgh (or already live here!), watch "Pittsburgh N'at with Dave & Dave...and Friends." Here are more details from the WQED Multimedia website: "A celebration of the Steel City just in time to blow out the candles on the 250th birthday cake, this hour-long special is hosted, produced and moderated by WQED's ‘Dave & Dave' (Rhodes & Hallewell).  ‘The Daves' and a wide array of local media celebrities (Sally Wiggin, Larry Richert, Julie Bologna, Anji Corley and Minette Seate to name just a few!) who call Pittsburgh home talk about the things that make this city unique. From the Terrible Towel to Mister Rogers, from Rick Sebak's documentaries to PNC Park, and all the parking chairs in between! It's everything ‘yinz' know about the ‘Burgh!" Saturday, Novem...
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
Pop City recently wrote about South Side's Big Dog Coffee Shop, so I'm passing it along in case you missed it: "Brewing up high-quality cappuccinos in a creative and cozy setting, Big Dog Coffee Shop is the South Side's newest gathering space.  Located at 2717 Sarah St., the 1,500-square-foot shop specializes in coffees and teas from Chicago-based Intelligentsia and locally-baked desserts, including cupcakes from Vanilla Pastry Studio, as well as Ho hos and whoppie pies, apricot bars, and cobblers and ice cream. A labor of love for Cortney Eshelman Ivanov and her Bulgarian-born husband Nikolay-classical musicians who returned to Pittsburgh after a 10-year stint in Dallas-Big Dog features original floor-to-ceiling wood cabinetry, a fireplace and piano, upholstered rocking chairs, and pat...
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By Bill Jacoby
(Prudential Preferred Realty)
I can only speak for myself, but, I have heard enough about the sorry state of real estate in the country. Obviously, as real estate professional, I am biased, but what these national reports fail to point out is that real estate is a local animal that tends to travel more in line with the city and neighborhood trends than national or international ones. More specifically, Pittsburgh has faired extremely well in this economic tumult. Forbes high ranking of Pittsburgh in its least expensive city's to purchase and maintain a home in article and the Post-Gazette's recent article on the area's real estate health, all document what we, as real estate agents, have been trying to convey. All of this is great news for homeowners, but what about for buyers? The national real estate market and gl...
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
Before leaving home, you may want to check out a tool that could help you avoid getting injured in a car crash: SafeRoadMaps.org.  Enter your address and you will see an interactive map with the locations of fatal car crashes in the area, helping you identify accident-prone spots. Plus, users have the ability to narrow down their search to see the age of the driver, whether speeding or drinking was a factor, and if the driver was wearing a seatbelt. And because it also lists where pedestrians have been hit, the site is also useful if you plan on heading out for a run or walk.
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
Home remodels have changed dramatically since the end of the real estate boom. Homeowners used to add big-ticket items like double-sink vanities, whirlpool spas and new appliances that would catch the eye of a prospective buyer and translate into a higher home sale. Now, homeowners are more focused on adding sales appeal by improving their home's energy efficiency to reduce monthly bills. The following list appeared on Forbes.com. Given the current state of the market, you might have to settle for these improvements merely to sell your home faster, as opposed to netting more cash at the bargaining table. 1. Cork Floors - Cork is quickly becoming an alternative to pricier tile and wood-plank flooring. Low-density cork is an effective insulator, plus it doesn't rot when exposed to water ...
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
The Dor-Stop Restaurant in Dormont was featured on the Food Network a couple of days ago with host Guy Fieri. Way to go!  Locally, Pittsburgh Magazine had this to say about it:  "This quaint, family-run diner couldn't be better situated than its place along a beautiful tree-lined street. Dor-Stop began serving homemade potato pancakes, one of its biggest breakfast hits, in 1986. The friendly atmosphere is evident as soon as you enter through the original screen door when the owners and staff greet you with a smile. Diner favorites include a litany of original-recipe pancakes, including oatmeal cakes, which have the taste of warm oatmeal cookie dough smothered in butter and syrup. Apple-walnut, oatmeal-apple and chocolate chip are a few of the other varieties. Be sure to try the home-bak...
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
Some things are meant to be scary, like horror movies, suspense novels and, of course, Halloween.  But finding a trustworthy Realtor shouldn't be scary.  With over a million and a half brokers out there, it's not hard to find a broker - the challenge lies in finding a good one.  Here are some tips from wikiHow on how to do that:   Meet agents out in their working environment, not in their offices. Good agents spend very little time at their desks. Another good method is to contact the agent with whom a friend or relative worked. If this agent produced positive results for a friend of yours, there's a good chance he will do the same for you. Look for signs that the agent is busy. A hard-working, go-getter of an agent is what you want. But if you feel slighted, like if your agent spends m...
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
According to a ranking by BusinessWeek, Pittsburgh was #6 on its list of the best cities to live during a recession.  Cities with a strong presence in health care, education, law, energy, and the government will feel the impact of a downturn less than others.  "[E]ven in a recession some communities will fare better than others. And it's not necessarily just the rich ones. What will be most important will be to find communities where the local economy will be relatively unscathed. That means that in the near term people who work in critical fields such as health care and education are likely to enjoy greater job security than those who work in sectors such as financial services or construction. That does not mean these communities will be recession-proof, but it does mean they may be hu...
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By Casey O. Smith, Pittsburgh Real Estate
(Realty Advisor Group at Keller Williams)
Me, using Oprah as a source of information?  Well, I stumbled across these tips on how to "Reverse Home Buyer's Remorse" and thought I'd pass them along: Pick your real estate agent carefully.   If you are moving to a new area, find an agent who has experience working with buyers who are relocating.  The Internet is a great source of information. (There are a lot of these sites, including Realtor.com, Trulia, and even Craigslist.) If you're buying or selling a home with a partner, divide the workload so that you don't duplicate efforts. Moving always seems to come at an inconvenient time, but try to keep some semblance of order in your chaotic life. Tackle things that are possible by taking one step at a time. Read the entire article and other real estate tips in the Money section of Op...
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