Adam Anderson

Home Sales in Pleasant Hills, PA in September 2008

Address List Price Sold Price Days on Market

234 Toura Drive $229,000 $215,000 5

480 Nantucket $174,900 $170,000 32

72 Dutch Lane $142,900 $139,000 118

424 McClellan $114,900 $105,000 95

318 Grace Street $110,000 $110,000 50

Pleasant Hills is such a great family oriented community. On most Friday nights in the Autumn, you'll find many Pleasant Hills residents in the bleachers of Thomas Jefferson High School watching the Jaguars roll over another opponent. In the late Summer, Pleasant Hills Community Day brings what seems like every resident of Pleasant Hills to the parade to celebrate their community. And on any given evening, you'll find residents walking the length of Old Clairton Road, much like vacationers walk the boardwalk at the beach.

Are you looking to buy or sell Real Estate in Pleasant Hills - give me a call!!!

Adam Anderson

Prudential Preferred Realty

(724) 941-3000 x26

(412) 916-6205

www.prudentialpreferred.com

Can You Afford That House?

Before you start searching for your dream home, you first need to determine a price range you

can afford. According to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), depending on the consumer's

current debt ratio, most people can typically afford to pay 31 percent of their gross monthly

income for mortgage payments. For example, if you earn $50,000 annually, then your monthly

income is about $4,167. Thirty-one percent of that is $1,292.

There are several online tools to calculate a monthly mortgage you can afford using factors such

as your current monthly expenses, down payment and the interest rate. You can also work with a

lender to get pre-qualified for a loan. This estimate will help you gauge how much money you

may be able to borrow and the monthly mortgage payments.

However, the amount you are able to afford for a home loan should not be your only consideration for determining

your price range. With homeownership come other housing expenses.

Utilities

The most obvious of additional housing expenses are utilities-gas, electricity and water. But don't forget about

telephone, trash collection, and cable or satellite bills.

Taxes

As a property owner, you are responsible for property taxes. The rate will vary from city to city. To get a general

idea on how much the tax bill will be for a property, ask the seller for a copy of the previous year's tax

assessment. Your real estate professional can help you refine these figures.

Association Dues

Another cost you may incur is homeowner association (HOA) dues. Most condominiums and some (residential

developments/subdivisions/neighborhoods) have HOAs, which are legal entities, created to maintain common

areas and enforce deed restrictions. As a property owner, you are required to pay the established monthly or

annual homeowner association dues. Be sure you factor this cost into your budget.

Maintenance

You also need to consider the upkeep of your home. You should budget for seasonal maintenance such as lawn

care, pest inspections and carpet cleaning, as well as unexpected repairs. The amount you budget will depend on

the age of the home, as older homes tend to require more repairs such as installing a new roof, painting and

replacing older appliances.

Insurance

Depending on the type of coverage and your area, the costs for homeowners insurance each year can be

anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. And, if you live in an area that has high risks for flooding,

earthquakes, hurricanes, etc., you may need supplemental insurance.

Remodeling/Upgrades

Unless the home you purchase is picture perfect, you'll more than likely be adding your personal touch. Therefore,

you need add to your housing budget the costs for remodeling and upgrades. According to "Remodeling

Magazine's" 2007 Cost vs. Value Report, the national average for a midrange minor kitchen remodel is $21,185; a

bathroom remodel averages $15,789.

Even minor cosmetic fix-ups such as light fixtures, window treatments, carpeting and decorative cabinet knobs

can begin to add up.

By determining all the costs associated with homeownership, you can go into your home search with a reasonable

price range that will allow you stay within your budget.

As always, if you have any questions about Real Estate, please feel free to call me anytime!!

Yinz goin' to the big celebration? I sure am! I'll be going with my family down to celebrate this fine city's 250th Anniversary. I feel that I wouldn't be a Pittsburgher if I I didn't. We will probably try and get a spot in Mt. Washington somewhere to watch the fireworks, as my in-laws live in Mt. Oliver and should be a short drive. Pittsburgh is such a fine city and I feel that we are on the brink of huge growth!

It's been said that Pittsburgh is the best place to invest in real estate! This proves it - we are such a stable city that if you buy in the Pittsburgh region you WILL see an increase in your property value.

This article has a little bit of history of Pittsburgh too!

Pittsburgh celebrates 250 with concert, fireworks at the Point Thursday, October 02, 2008 By Len Barcousky, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette Working on a barge on the Ohio River, Mel Black, center, of New Castle places 4-inch shells into the tubes as part of the "squibbing," a term that Zambelli Fireworks International uses to refer to placing the shells in the tubes and the wiring. The 4-inch shells will produce a variety of patterns, including rings, hearts and stars during Saturday night's fireworks display.

Pittsburgh will mark its 250th birthday with a million-dollar celebration on Saturday.

The busiest weekend of the region's year-long "sesquibicentennial" will begin with a more-than-100-vessel Three Rivers aquatic parade and end with the city's largest-ever display of aerial pyrotechnics. "Imagine Pittsburgh" fireworks will be launched from 17 sites on the Three Rivers, the North Side and Downtown.

While the city's official founding date is Nov. 25 -- the day in 1758 when British Gen. John Forbes and his troops occupied the smoking ruins of Fort Duquesne -- organizers of the "Birthday Blowout" are seeking to take advantage of the more moderate October weather.

"November would not have been the best time to get hundreds of thousands of people outdoors," Bill Flanagan said. "We expect that some die-hards will come to see the flotilla in the morning and stay until the fireworks are over."

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See a map that shows some of the better locations to watch the Pittsburgh 250 fireworks display on Saturday.

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Flanagan is director of Pittsburgh 250, the organization set up to coordinate anniversary events.

Most Saturday activities will center around Point State Park at the tip of the city's Golden Triangle. The Point, where the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers come together to form the Ohio, was the location of both Fort Duquesne, built by the French, and the British Fort Pitt.

The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is asking "Birthday Blowout" participants to bring a few nonperishable grocery items to the events. People donating food or cash at food bank trucks on Commonwealth Place will receive mini-glow sticks.

Related events include a Pittsburgh Opera open house at its offices in the Strip District on Saturday and a French and Indian War-era encampment at Boyce Park in Monroeville and Plum on both Saturday and Sunday.

Activities will get under way Friday with the arrival in Pittsburgh of the Delta Queen, a 285-foot-long steamboat built in 1927. The Delta Queen will take part in Saturday's 250th Flotilla Cruise.

The aquatic event, organized by Port of Pittsburgh Commission, will feature watercraft ranging from sternwheelers like the Delta Queen to Chinese dragon boats to canoes and kayaks. When the city marked its sesquicentennial in 1908 -- its 150th birthday -- a similar event drew more than 300,000 to the banks of what were much dirtier rivers.

Best places to view the flotilla will include North Shore Riverfront Park, between Heinz Field and PNC Park, and Point State Park.

Other morning highlights will include the 11:30 a.m. unveiling, on the Point State Park stage, of the Forbes medallion, named for the general who led the military expedition that drove the French from the Ohio Valley. The 30-inch bronze medal was commissioned by the Colcom Foundation, the principal sponsor of Saturday's activities, and will be installed near the Fort Pitt Museum at a later date.

"Pittsburgh is in for a spectacular treat," said Tim Inglis, Colcom Foundation president. "This day and night promise to be a sensational celebration for people of all ages to enjoy."

Colcom Foundation was created by Cordelia Scaife May. "She loved Pittsburgh, she loved telling people about it and she loved bringing visitors to the city," Inglis said. "Events this weekend offer those opportunities all rolled up in one."

Forbes medallions also will be installed in Ligonier, Bedford and Carlisle. They are communities along the route that Gen. Forbes and his army crossed in their journey through the Pennsylvania wilderness. A fifth medallion will be unveiled next year in Dunfermline, Scotland. It is the birthplace of Gen. Forbes and another famous Pittsburgh resident, Andrew Carnegie.

A "Pittsburgh Born & Bred" concert will offer more than five hours of music by local artists. It will start at 4:30 p.m. on the Point State Park Stage.

That same venue also will be the site for a skit by performers from Pittsburgh CLO on "The Naming of Pittsburgh." That brief performance will start at 2 p.m.

Teams of bicycle riders in the PNC Legacy Relay are scheduled to travel from Washington, D.C., to Point State Park in 24 hours. They will leave Washington Friday afternoon and arrive in Pittsburgh about 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Local bike riders and walkers are invited to join them for their arrival in the renovated park at about 2 p.m.

Restoration of and improvements to Point State Park and completion of the Great Allegheny Passage, the biking and hiking trail that will eventually link Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md., were two of Pittsburgh 250's signature projects.

While work remains to finish both, enough has been done for both to play their parts in the birthday celebration, Flanagan said. "We want to get local people out on the trail and into the park," he said.

While organizers expect to spend about $400,000 on the "Birthday Blowout," the total cost of the event is closer to $1 million. Flanagan said the difference between the two numbers represents the value of donated equipment, materials and services.

Consol Energy, for example, is providing a dozen barges for the fireworks show.

With 17 launch sites, the 10 p.m. Zambelli Fireworks finale will have the largest number of firing locations ever used in the United States, according to producer Ida D'Errico.

Fireworks will be set off from barges moored on all three rivers, the West End Bridge, PNC Park, five Downtown buildings and three "surprise" locations.

The show will be accompanied by music performed by Pittsburgh artists.

"Fireworks are always magic, and this display will far exceed anything put on before," D'Errico said.

A recent article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette finally put a glimmer of light at the end of the real estate tunnel for area homeowners. Since the beginning of 2008, July marks the first DECREASE in mortgage defaults in the Pittsburgh area. Whew! (collective sigh) And not a drop in the bucket kind of decrease either - but a 29% drop over July 2007, which is not only substantial but encouraging. Just one more indicator that the Pittsburgh market marches to the beat of its own drum! "The record foreclosure pace we set at the beginning of the year is slowing, which may mean 2008 won't be a record year for foreclosures after all," quotes Dan Murrer, Vice President of RealSTATS, a real estate information company. "The drop in July combined with the drop we're seeing thus far in August shows the tide may be turning." Great news not only for area real estate companies and their sales agents, but also for the regions' generally negative real estate persona. To read the entire article by Tim Grant, go to http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08242/907824-28.stm

I've been hammering this home to recent college graduates. In addition, Pittsburgh is a great place to invest in real estate!!

A report ranking Pittsburgh among the top cities for young professionals is right on the money, say 20-somethings working here.

"I'm surprised we're not even a little higher," 26-year-old Michael Righi said of the city's No. 13 ranking.

"I love telling people Pittsburgh is the best place for young executives because it offers the best combination of low cost of living and resources," said Righi, a Downtown resident who started his own technology and consulting company in 2002.

In Forbes.com's ranking of the top 40 cities for young professionals, Pittsburgh came in ahead of cities such as Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas. At the top of the list was San Francisco.

To generate its list, Forbes tracked 1998 graduates of six elite schools -- such as Harvard and Stanford -- to where they settled 10 years later to gauge where top jobs for young people exist. That was combined with Forbes' 400 best big companies and 200 best small companies, salary data for college graduates and cost of living.

Pittsburgh scored points for its high concentration of top firms, but came in at 32nd for salaries and was 22nd in attracting graduates, the report states.

Clinton Kehr, 29, a spokesman for Pittsburgh Young Professionals -- a nonprofit organization that provides networking opportunities -- said the city's ranking is right on target.

"I believe it is in regards to cost of living, atmosphere and size of city," he said. ""I think people who leave college are thinking, 'Where is the most opportunity for me?' "

Brian Heddleston, employment development manager at the University of Pittsburgh, said some grads are staying in the area. Health care, engineering, information technology and business students commonly find employment in Pittsburgh, he said.

"We talked to one of our local employers the other day, and they've noticed quite a bit of their local hires being students from outside the area," he said. "They come to school here and they really like it."

Roozbeh Aliabadi, 25, of Mt. Lebanon moved here from Iran when he was 15, and has grown to love the city as much as any native, he said.

"I want a place that's affordable, that has activities that I'm looking for, and I want a place that I can invest my time and my future," said Aliabadi, who works at Alpern Rosenthal, a financial services firm Downtown. "The city has all of it to offer."

Finding a job often depends on what profession a student is exploring, said Elizabeth Berkely, director of career services in Pitt's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

There are plenty of jobs with nonprofit organizations or in local and city government, she said. Berkely recently met with private-sector employers in an effort to develop more job opportunities, she said.

"On the whole, (the job market) is good, but there are some pockets we just want to open up," she said.

Lori Forkin, 27, of North Hills, a housing developer with ACTION housing, said she would have started out in a lower staff position had she taken a job in a larger city.

"The chips wouldn't have fallen as they did here, in another area," Forkin said. "I really lucked out."

~ If only we could convince all these local graduates to stay and buy here!!