Need to find an apartment in the Pittsburgh area

[PA452]

Hey guys. I'm moving to the Pittsburgh area full time and looking for an apartment. What areas would you guys recommend?

Here's my criteria:

1. The job I'm taking is around the Waterfront in Homestead, so I'd like a reasonably easy commute in. If I could keep it under 20 miles one way that would be great, but I know that may not be doable.

2. I have family and friends to the north, so something to the north and maybe a bit east would be ideal. I know that probably clashes with #1 though. To some degree #1 takes priority.

3. I don't live an extravagant lifestyle by any means, but I'd like to live in a decent place and in a nice, safe neighborhood. I have a safe, but I'd like to be able to discreetly get a long gun case out to the truck without being too paranoid about nefarious characters seeing it.


Given the work location I think this might be a little difficult. What do you guys think?

Thanks

[birdhunter317]

check out the northern end of the south hills..................my daughter lives in the baldwin area.................pretty nice....................its not Bellefonte but then no place is

[Justin///M]

How much you looking to spend? Two bed/two bath townhouses in my nice plan are about 1500/month.

Easy access to 79 and the parkway, 10 minutes to Robinson, 15 minutes to downtown. Plan is very nice, quiet and safe. It is pretty rural for being this close to the city. Collier sportsman club is literally 60 seconds away. You can hear shooting there from here.


Justin

[PA452]

Thanks for the replies guy, keep them coming.

birdhunter317: I lived on the outskirts of State College, but yes, it's going to be tough to top that. I had a pretty nice apartment away from the downtown student madness, in a nice neighborhood, the rent was awesome and I was 10 minutes from the range. I miss it already.

JustinHEMI: Looks like a nice general location, though that's a little more than I want to spend. I'd like to keep rent under $900. That's kind of an arbitrary number actually, but I just hate to spend too much on rent when it's just me.

[DaveM55]

It may just be me, but I would make sure my commute to and from work avoided the Squirrel Hill and Ft Pitt tunnels.

[Justin///M]

Look at chestnut ridge apartments in Robinson. Nice, but cheaper. Right on parkway and all the shopping.

[Python73]

How much you looking to spend? Two bed/two bath townhouses in my nice plan are about 1500/month.

The crazy thing about housing prices are how varied they are. That's more than the mortgage on our house in Cranberry Twp. Which is a 3 bedroom 2 full + 2 half bath house with a yard and attached garage. The most likely reason are the FUCKING ABSURD Allegheny County property taxes. Which bleed everyone living in the county in order to finance bullshit and pay bloated retirement benefits for the hundreds of thousands of current and former county employees. Sickening.

OP - good luck on your search.

[hurley1718]

Check out Shannon Heights in Castle Shannon. You can be at the waterfront in 20 minutes. I am not sure on the rent but the neighborhood is nice and you are 2 steps from route 88 and about 8 minutes from South Hills Village. I own a house 2 minutes Shannon Heights.

[Justin///M]

The crazy thing about housing prices are how varied they are. That's more than the mortgage on our house in Cranberry Twp. Which is a 3 bedroom 2 full + 2 half bath house with a yard and attached garage. The most likely reason are the FUCKING ABSURD Allegheny County property taxes. Which bleed everyone living in the county in order to finance bullshit and pay bloated retirement benefits for the hundreds of thousands of current and former county employees. Sickening.

OP - good luck on your search.

I agree, when I moved in here, it was 1300 which was more than I wanted to pay for a rental, but when I moved here I needed something NOW and it was available..., and nice. Then it got bumped up last year, but I wasn't in a position to move due to timing at work. 1500 was what my mortgage was back where I came from and it is WAY more than I want to pay for a rental.

So, like the OP, I am now on the hunt too. Plus, I want out of the townhouse. I have a rather powerful home theater system and it is being held back by courtesy for my neighbors. :P

I am looking for houses in the 1000 range. I would look to buy again, but I can't guarantee that I am going to be in the area in the next 5 years so I want to rent..., but I don't want to pay more than 1000 to rent. I am going to have to pay a relatively large lease break fee, but I my yearly bonus is coming and I was just going to blow it on guns and shit anyway.

Justin