Howdy Ags,

Just got word that the wife and I will likely be moving to Pittsburgh in the next 4-6 months for work.

I'll actually be working in Steubenville, OH - but have heard most do the reverse commute from around the Pittsburgh area.

Trying to find as much information about the area as possible...especially in regards to finding a good place to live. We'd prefer to live in a rental home or perhaps a townhome if they're available, but I've noticed the rental market is pretty pricey.

I've been focusing my searches in/around the burbs SW of Pittsburgh (Robinson, Mt. Lebanon, Scott, Etc.)

Any helpful advice is greatly appreciated!!

bump!

My buddy and his fiance are moving to the Pittsburgh area in June. Here's the thread he posted last month.

http://texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?forum_id=55&topic_id=2150090&message_id=32607818&hi=1#r32607818

[This message has been edited by another angry ag (edited 10/16/2012 8:18p).]

Howdy AgUe94!

My wife and I have been in Pittsburgh for the last 4 years now and love it here.

Depending on where in the city you go, single family home rentals are hard to find and the good ones get snatched up quickly. We've had our best luck with craigslist vs a property management company. You have to sift through the crap on craigslist, unfortunately.

If you'd like, send me an e-mail and I'll be more than happy to help you out with any questions you've got.



[This message has been edited by mamor012 (edited 10/24/2012 1:43p).]

Thanks for the replies.

We'd like to stay south of Pittsburgh to cut down on my commute to and from Steubenville.

My assignment will only likely be 2 years at the most. I'd really rather not stay in an apartment, as we're planning to start having kids after we move up there.

I'm guessing it'd be better for me to stretch my monthly rent budget and get a nicer townhome, than it would be to drop a downpayment and go ahead and buy.

The potential upside to buying, even though I'd have to turn around and sell it in 2 years, would be that the home values may increase as a result of the O&G activity up there. That could offset the money I'd lose on the down payment, closing costs, and interest paid on the loan. That's a pretty risky bet though...

Also, I might speak to HR and determine if they'd buy/sell my house for me once it comes time to move back to Houston.

I know they've done stuff like that in the past, but I imagine it is a case by case basis and for a 2 year assignment they'd likely not be willing to do so. Worth checking out at least.

Thanks again for the insight.

it'd be easier to live in clinton, robinson, imperial or moon and take steubenville pike straight across to steubenville than going south of pittsburgh

Howdy! I love seeing threads like this because it means more Aggies are headed up soon!

Robinson is a great area for you to look at if you're working Steubenville. Its a quick 20-30 minute communte from Robinson. There's also a huge Giant Eagle in Robinson along with great restaurants and parks.

Also check out Findley Township. Its a nice rural area and right off of 30.

Feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email if you have any questions. I'll do my best to get the Ags up here together for different things.

I actually just moved to Pittsburgh from Houston myself.

As a single guy, I can't help you much with single family homes/rentals. I found a 1 bed, 1 bath in in Robinson for like $1100/month... so prices seem similar to Houston. Robinson is alright for a suburb... plenty of shopping and restaurants. If my office was closer to downtown, I'd probably live in Shadyside. Great up and coming area with alot of night life. But alas I work in Moon.

Anyway, I doubt that helped at all. Just wanted to throw in my $0.02!

I really appreciate all of the responses! Thanks very much.

So far it looks like my wife and I will make the move sometime after the new year. If I had to guess, it'd probably be around early February.

The Robinson, Moon, and Imperial areas are all extremely appealing.

I'll probably reach out to y'all for more advice via email and phone calls once we start heading up there for the pre-assignment trips to get a feel for the area.

Excited to hear that there are quite a bit of Aggies in the area. We're looking forward to heading up there and getting to know y'all.

Thanks again for all the help!

Can y'all give any insight into what taxes I can expect to pay?

I'm fairly certain there is a state income tax, as well as a city income tax for Pittsburgh. I've also heard of a recent tax law that became effective earlier in the year.

Any general summary to help me get up to speed for when it comes time for me to negotiate my salary for my new position?

Thanks again for all the replies.

Yeah you'll want to stay out of Allegheny Co for tax purposes. Its a 1.5% income tax in Allegheny County and an addition 1.5% if you live in the city of Pittsburgh (total 3% if you live in city limits) Also avaoid Mt. Lebanon taxes going up there now too.

imperial or clinton will be the cheapest probably. robinson and moon will be right behind them. make sure that they take the taxes out of your pay. my company did not and i got hit with them at the end of the year. it wasn't overly high or anything but still, you don't want to have to fork out $400-500 in taxes that should've been taken out during the year

Thanks for the replies.

So if I understand correctly, the Pennsylvania state income tax will apply, which I believe is 3.07%. On top of that, there is a county income tax which is usually around 1.5%. Then, depending on whether your address resides within Pittsburgh city limits, then there could be an additional income tax of somewhere around 1.5% as well.

Am I missing anything anything else?

there is a state and city tax on your income. not sure about county. do not remember county when i did my taxes this past year.

also, do not live on the other side of the tunnels from your work unless you work odd hours (11-8 or something similar). you'll thank me later

Haha thanks for the advice. I have heard the tunnels can be a nightmare, so we had already decided not the live in the city.

We're really going to focus on the Robinson, Moon, Imperial areas. - Trying to keep my commute to around a maximum of 30min if possible.

Yes on taxes from State, county, and city. Allegheny is taxed at 1.5% and Pittsburgh an additional 1.5% in addition to State at 3.07%. Dems love taxes

You will have to get used to bad traffi....wait nevermind