Affordable-ish Housing in Pittsburgh: The humble two-bedroom edition

If you're in the market for a standard American Foursquare home in Pittsburgh, you'll have no trouble finding them. They're all over the place. But the thing is, a whole lot of people are looking for that type of house, and if you happen to not really need that typical third or fourth bedroom and could instead make do with just two, you could end up with a lot of good options that are significantly less expensive.

Ah yes, consider the humble two-bedroom home. In many cases those bedrooms are quite sizeable, and there's still a decent amount of living space, but the simple fact that they don't work well for many families with 2.4 kids rules out a lot of buyers, which means you're in a far less competitive market.

So let's adjust that Zillow filter, shall we? Here's what doors (literally) open up to you:

For rent: 418 Chautauqua St., Perry South. $1,300/month
Despite the lead photo for this listing being a painting, this does appear to be a real place? Still, it's giving storybook vibes. For a reasonable price, you can live in a little bungalow hideaway surrounded by flowers with a flowy open floorplan and cute kitchen inside. Don't be surprised if birds surround you when you walk outside or you find yourself growing excessively long Rapunzel hair.
SOUTH
For sale: 235 Cairo St., Mt. Washington. $234,900
This house is a find, straight up. It's updated, has tons of space and storage, and a great outdoor patio and porch. Is it super duper cheap? No. But if it had even one more bedroom, it would be at least $100,000 more. Forego that and you gain a lot.

For rent: 402 Reifert St., Bon Air. $950/month
You gotta love a place with a faux fireplace, and this house has that and much more: appealing living space, both a back patio and front porch with decent elbow room, and plenty of basement storage. For less than $1,000 per month, that's a lot. Plus, it's also a stone's throw from St. Joseph's Cemetery for when you get that urge to stretch your legs.

EAST

For sale: 4552 Carroll St., Bloomfield. $225,000
You can clearly cram a lot into this little spot, as evidenced by the current owners who have made some creative use of the space (we see you, kitchen/office). But speaking of that kitchen, it looks newly renovated, which is a plus, and the already-carpeted basement is man-cave/she-shed/enbie-den ready.

click to enlarge

Photo: Courtesy of Zillow

4408 Eden Way

For sale: 4408 Eden Way, Lawrenceville. $245,000

The higher the archway, the closer to God — at least, that’s what medieval Gothic architects thought. Your archways can be a little closer to heaven if you scoop up this Eden Way rowhouse with fun interior touches. At $245,000, this is a relative bargain for Lawrenceville. Butler St. is literally your backyard here — there’s only space for a tiny patio — but if you’re all about bowling and fancy meals out, this rowhome would make a fine castle.

For rent: 511 52nd St., Lawrenceville. $1,395/month
One of the East End's best kept affordability secrets is Upper Lawrenceville. It's not the heart of the neighborhood, but it's close to it, and you can find sleek, updated places like this one with much better price tags than they'd have if they were a few blocks southwest.