In honor of Black Friday I thought I would offer up a suggestion to spend your day and your money at your local businesses instead of the crush of the big box stores and malls. The environmental and economic impact of buying products from distant shores and spending money with companies that don't have a stake in our local communities is significant. Local merchants live and work in the same place you do, send their kids to the same schools and have the same interest in your vibrant community. Looking for some good neighborhoods around Pittsburgh to shop? Try the business districts in Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Downtown, Sewickley and Mount Lebanon to name just a few of the larger ones, they are all filled with local retailers. And look for local foods from Who... 11/19/2012

Thinking of moving, relocating or visiting to Pittsburgh?  According to the recent article I read, Pittsburgh is third only to Houston and Austin Texas when it comes to employment growth.   Here’s how that growth breaks down:   The city added 10,500 private-sector jobs since early 2008. Broken down further, Pittsburgh had 999,300 private sector jobs in February 2008. In February 2012, Pittsburgh had 1,009,800 private sector jobs. That signals a 1.05 percent change during those four years. Comparatively, Houston added 49,500 jobs, which is a 2.24 percent increase in that market. And Austin added 29,600 jobs during that time period, which is a 4.87 percent increase in that market. Experts believe that there were several factors that contributed to Pittsburgh’s job growth.   For one thing,... 10/15/2012

Interested in recent home sales in Shadyside PA?  Below are home and condo sales over the past 6 months in Shadyside from January 1, 2012- June 30, 2012.  In the last six months there have been 99 homes sold in the Shadyside area.  The lowest price paid was $75,000 for a 2-bedroom, 1-bath condo located at 420 South Aiken, and $75,000 for a 1-bedroom, 1-bath condo at 5 Bayard. The lowest price paid for a single family, 3-bedroom, 1-bath home at 351 Lamont Place was $135,000. The highest price paid for a home was $1,200,000 for a 7-bedroom, 3.5 bath house at 5131 Pembroke. The highest price paid for a condo was $899,000 for 2-bedrooms and 2.5 baths located at 537 North Neville in the Metropolitan.  As a median point, 17 homes were sold for $500,000 and up, 48 homes were sold between $200,... 10/14/2012

Are you interested in recent home sales in Pittsburgh's Regent Sqaure Area?  Here is a data from sales in the first 6 months of sale in Regent Square January 1, 2012 through June 1, 2012.  The Regent Sqaure neighborhood includes 4 neighghborhoods: the City of Pittsburgh, Swissvale, Wilkinsbugh and Edgewood.  Regent Sqaure offers a variety of housing mostly single family home but town homes and condos are also available for sale in Regent Sqaure. In the last six months 37 homes have sold in the Regent Square area. The lowest price paid was $39,300 for a 3-bedroom, 1.5 bath house located at 218 Biddle Ave. The highest price went for a $435,000 6-bedroom, 2.5 bath located at 114 Biddle Ave.As a median point, 19 homes were sold for $200,00 to $435,000, while 18 homes sold for under $200,000... 10/14/2012

  Many Downtown Pittsburgh residents have enjoyed all of the benefits of living downtown while also enjoying a big savings in real estate taxes.  New construction condo and loft projects in Downtown Pittsburgh qualify for the LERTA tax abatement which saves owners over $6,000 a year in taxes for 10 years and it's transferable to a new owner if the property is sold the new owner gets the remaining years of tax savings.  151 First Side, Piatt Place, The Carlyle and Otto Lofts are the main larger buildings that offer this abatement as well small new developing buildings on Penn Ave. In July of 2007 Mayor Luke Ravenstahl approved legislation which encourage more development in downtown and 26 neighborhood growth zones with the enhancement of two existing tax abatement programs known as LERT... 10/12/2012

  We have many clients currently living or interested in moving to Downtown Pittsburgh.  WQED TV in Pittsburgh recently asked me to participate with a feature story about affordable downtown Pittsburgh living. Pittsburgh has often been named the nation's most livable city, but would you ever consider living downtown?   Downtown Pittsburgh is the midst of another major transformation and for the first time ever housing, new lofts and condos are a key part of the plans.  WQED's Tonia Caruso, explores this growing real estate trend, introduces people people who live Downtown and shows the places they call home. From the practical to the posh, you might be surprised at what's available and what it means to the future of Pittsburgh.    If you are considering selling or buying a downtown Pitt... 10/12/2012

My friends over at RealEstate.com recently published an interesting new infographic about the real estate market roller coaster. It is very interesting but also very national and well, Pittsburgh just hasn't been on the same ride as the rest of the country. See, Pittsburgh is hot! This summer the number of residential homes placed under agreement increased 21.31% year-over-year, with an average sale price increase of 11.93%. This continues a trend that has been going for awhile, which at this point has the market up 7.25% for the year, according the the West Penn Multi List.Of course, as hot as the market has been, it is the slow and steady growth that has really helped Pittsburgh's economic recovery remain on track and ahead of schedule by national standards. If you take a look at a 15... 10/09/2012

Coming soon to Shadyside... Our new RE/MAX Select Realty office. On October 18th we will be throwing open the doors to our city office, which will also be where I will be hanging my hat from now on. I am not sure if I am more excited about having a convenient location for city buyers, or the fact that there is a Crazy Mocha next door. Our new space is located at 5842 Ellsworth Avenue. Our owners have worked hard to make this the best looking real estate office you have ever seen. Feel free to stop by when you are in the neighborhood. The new office is just one of the many reasons that RE/MAX Select Realty is having a fabulous year. Our agents are outselling the competition with 4x the sales of their average agent and company volume is double over last year. As icing on the cake, we were... 10/04/2012

  Construction and Sales Underway at Lawrenceville's Newest Housing Development   (Pittsburgh, PA) – Crews from Mistick Construction have begun work on Lawrenceville’s newest housing development, Hatfield + Home with fourteen new houses along Hatfield Street between Home Street and Cotton Way. The site, located about a block away from the Allegheny River, is one of the first new housing developments in the Central Lawrenceville neighborhood. “Along with the Botero renovations at 48th Street and the Locomotive Lofts rental housing, Hatfield + Home will help to establish the neighborhood as a key anchor to our Allegheny Riverfront Development Plan. We are excited to see it happening.” explained Matthew Galluzzo, Executive Director of Lawrenceville Corporation. Lauren Byrne, Executive Dire... 08/28/2012

I am not a golfer but my company does hold a very nice charity golf outing that benefits Children's Miracle Network each year in September. I am told it is a great event and if you do golf you might be interested... you can sign up by clicking here.   08/24/2012

We are now offering FREE custom options for the St. Matthew and St. Gabriel model homes! Our St. Gabriel home comes with up to $10,000 in free options!  This home design features 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a 2 car garage, and over 2200 square feet!  This home design is ideal for first floor living, and would be perfect for a home owner with limited mobility.  Standard features on all homes in this community include a paved driveway, dishwasher, starter lawn, air conditioning, and an ice maker water line.             The St. Gabriel’s best feature is; it offers First Floor Living! On the main floor, the Master Bedroom Suite is of a large size of 11′x19′, and offers a walk in closest.  The bathroom has a double bowl sink, stand in shower, and an option to have a soaking tub. The Master Bedroo... 08/02/2012

Maronda Homes is launching its 2nd video in the Maronda Video Series. The Monroe Model tour is today’s featured video. By viewing the Monroe video, you will not only be seeing another Presidential Series Home (with music room, 9 foot ceilings, double staircase, solid hardwood flooring, exquisite moldings and open concept floor plan), but you will also be viewing the latest in digital technology.   ... Read the rest of the article on our Maronda Homes Blog ... 08/01/2012

Whispering Pines is now offering up to $5,000 in options on all new builds!  Located in Economy Township of Beaver County, Whispering Pines is part of the Ambridge Area School District.  This Maronda community features spacious, half acre lots in a quiet, family-friendly community with a reputable school district. Maronda’s new “Presidential Series Homes” will be featured in Whispering Pines, such as the Hayes, which features 5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2 car garage, and over 2,962 square feet!               The Monroe will also be a featured home in this community featuring 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, and over 3,570 square feet.  We will also be introducing our new “Liberty” and “Sterling” model homes for this community with pricing for homes starting from the $210′s! This stunning series of ... 07/30/2012

Maronda Homes is launching a new media program called the Maronda Video Series.  The Buchanan model tour is today’s featured video. The exciting part about the Buchanan video is that it is a virtual animation video.   By viewing theBuchanan video, you will not only be seeing a Presidential Series Home, (with ballroom, grand dining room, see through fire place, exquisite moldings, etc.) but you will be viewing the latest in digital technology. What an exciting experience!   ... Read the rest of the article on our Maronda Homes Blog .... 07/30/2012

I found this while I was surfing around and thought it was kind of cool. Enter all the places you go, work, drive and it will tell you what place in the city you should live to minimize your commute. Pretty neat. A great tool if you are relocating to Pittsburgh. Or you can call me and I can help you find the best place in the Pittsburgh area to live. Try it out... http://www.optimalhomelocation.com/RealEstateTool.html Relocating to Pittsburgh? Call Christa Ross from RE/MAX Select Realty, at 724-933-6300 x214 (office) or 724-309-1758 (direct) or visit my website at www.bestpittsburghhomes.com. 07/28/2012

Join us at Sandy Brae Meadows for our Grand Opening this Sunday, July 1, 2012.   Our incentives for this community include up to 3% of the sale price towards closing costs, and $10,000.00 off the price of the home! The St Lawrence Town Home is a 1820 sq ft. 3 Bedroom, 2 1/2 Bath, 2 Car Front Attached Garage, 2nd Floor Laundry Room and much more . Located in the Cannon-McMillan school district of North Strabane Township, this community offers quick access to I-79, I-70 & Rte.19.   ... Read the rest of the article on our Maronda Homes Blog ... 07/27/2012

Maronda Homes is launching a new media program called the Maronda Video Series. The Buchanan model tour is today’s featured video. The exciting part about the Buchanan video is that it is a virtual animation video. By viewing the Buchanan video, you will not only be seeing a Presidential Series Home, (with ballroom, grand dining room, see through fire place, exquisite moldings, etc.) but you will be viewing the latest in digital technology. What an exciting experience! After viewing the Buchanan video, we would appreciate it if you would “Like” the video and/or leave a “Comment” under the video… forward the video to a friend or “Share” it on your Facebook page, this would also help us a great deal. Please contact the Sales Representative in your city below to schedule a tour of the Buc... 07/27/2012

  For the month of June Maronda has reduced the base prices of our stunning town homes in Woodcreek Manor by $10,000! Located in Findlay township of Allegheny County, this community is a part of the West Allegheny school district.  This community sits in a quiet, secluded area, located minutes from the scenic Montour Hiking Trail.   Homes in this community are 5 minutes to Routes 30, 22-30, 60, business 60, and Montour high school.  Woodcreek is only 10 mins to Routes I79,  I279 , Pittsburgh airport, parks, and a wave pool!   ... Read the rest of the article on our Maronda Homes Blog ... 07/26/2012

Pittsburgh is proud to be ranked among the top places to live, work, and visit in the United States. Our city is consistently recognized with accolades from major travel and financial organizations as one of the most livable cities with one of the most viable economies. We have been honored as a first rate city for livability, culture, and economy for several years. Pittsburgh was named the #1 cheapest last-minute getawaysby Hotwire.com. Ten U.S. destinations were surveyed where travelers found the most significant last-minute hotels bargains, versus general rates on Hotwire. Stating “built on a foundation of industrialism, this up and coming tourism hot-spot now boasts a thriving arts scene.” Pittsburgh is also the ideal destination for shopping as clothing is exempt from sales tax. AB... 07/25/2012

Maronda Homes are what dreams are made of.  Come and experience the ingenious quality that offers complete- luxury and comfort existence without taxing ones pocket. Exquisite fresh features include new brick front, upgraded cabinets & vanities, hardwood kitchen, fireplace on the 1st floor, and 2 brand-new options of an upstairs laundry, and sun room. Express delivery facility makes it an easy choice to move just right in! Inviting interiors and clear-cut, state-of-the-art floor plans puts in place the picture-perfect perspective home idea all individuals can appreciate. All of our homes are detail oriented with excellent craftsmanship truly reflected in each and every polished hardwood floors to clean lines of elegant moldings finished with intricate finesse. A plush 2,376 square feet s... 07/22/2012