When I was first asked to write this column (it wasn’t my idea!), all I really had to go on was a vague recollection that it used to be fairly easy to find a cheap house here, and rents were pretty low, too. But I suspected that being out of the market for — oh, a while — had left me with some mistaken impressions.
So, in terms of absolute numbers, yeah, everything is more expensive now than it used to be, of course (true of most places). But relatively speaking — compared to other relatively healthy major cities — it’s still pretty decent. Which is good, because I had been telling people that for years, and was secretly worried that I was making the whole thing up.
The latest datapoint to throw on the pile is from Forbes, a fairly respected and venerable business publication, though more likely to create listicles like “20 Hottest Chief Financial Officers” and “Rich people: Great People, or Greatest People?” than care about anything purportedly affordable.
Out of the 100 largest U.S. cities with available data: “Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the best city in which to buy an affordable home. The city’s median home sale price is approximately $236,067 and homeowners there currently spend just 14.08% of the median household income on homeowner costs.”
Look, I’m not going to tell you that moving to Pittsburgh will solve all of your problems. In fact, it will more likely than not create new problems for you, like Steelers fandom, which is akin to managing a chronic disease. However, having the other 85.92% of your money to spend on literally anything else — food, concerts, ballgames — seems like a pretty solid deal. If, not, well, there’s always Fort Wayne (#2).
For sale: 6551 Deary St., Larimer, $79,900.
Ah, yes, there’s that early 2000s price point; I knew there were a few still out there in the wild, unbothered by tech bros, inflation, and whatever else has happened in recent decades. This one is fun because it uses glass block as decoration, instead of its usual role — letting in the least amount of sun rays into your house, because this is Pittsburgh and who needs sunlight? Glass block is used as a pattern on the multiple intimidating staircases required to reach the summit of this home. But then from up there, you can always squint through the glass block and barely make out the blurry forms below.
For rent: 5726 Beacon St., Squirrel Hill, $1,225/month.
This is fantastic and I wish Pittsburgh had hundreds more like it. It looks like a lesser administration building at a leafy, East Coast liberal arts college — understated, dignified, with a sense that important thoughts are happening here, sometimes. OK, on the inside it’s tiny and looks dated, not in a good way. But it’s still a million times better than the expensive new condos that look like stacked shipping containers.
For sale: 4936 Barberry St., Lincoln Place, $189,900.
Lincoln Place — what goes on here? I think I’ve been to all 90 Pittsburgh neighborhoods, but I can’t recall anything about this place, except that it’s a weird little appendage that sticks out of the city. But it seems quiet and you get a lot of house (1,122 square feet) for not a lot of money. This particular place doesn’t make you choose between a spacious front porch and a garage, which I appreciate. Oh, and that’s a wide, flat enough driveway for a hoop! It’s too late to salvage my jumpshot, but it may not be too late for yours.
For rent: 414 McKee Pl., Oakland, $1,500/month.
Yes, this is probably aimed at college students, and not the graduate variety — but it also shows you how South Oakland can look great with a decent coat of paint. 20 years ago, the slumlords who ran this neighborhood wouldn’t have even attempted that basic level of upkeep, but it feels different today. Of course, you’re not paying $400/month any more…
For sale: 1308 Breed St., South Side, $209,000.
Built in 1900, this brick home has hardwood floors of such a deep, rich color that it seems like a crime to ever contemplate covering them up. Three bedrooms, two baths, 1,440 square feet, and brick that does not look like it lived through two world wars and could probably handle a third.
For rent: Chateaugay Apartments, 500 Hoodridge Dr., Castle Shannon, $1,075-1,099.
Way, way up on the northern border of New York, up against Quebec, is the village of Chateaugay. And, presumably, somewhere in France. How that particular name migrated down to an apartment tower in Castle Shannon, we’ll likely never know. This is a pretty nice iteration of mid-century modernism — bright, clean, subtly ornamented — in a neighborhood
This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2024.
