Pittsburgh's Stairways to the Past

Sometimes it takes a long day of showing houses to really understand what makes Pittsburgh and its homes so unique. One thing you cannot avoid: the stairs. I have heard some real estate agents talk about a “step discount” that applies to the sale of a home that sits on a hill- thus requiring steps to access it. I don't know the validity of this, but I would not be surprised.

One of the many unique parts of Pittsburgh’s cityscape is its numerous stairways. Pittsburgh’s topography, defined by its location among the intersection of three rivers amid the Appalachian Mountains, necessitates these steps. Before the automobile, the inclines, and the tunnels, these steps were needed to navigate the city.

Newspaper columnist Ernie Pyle in 1937 described Pittsburgh, proclaiming, "the steps. Oh Lord, the steps! I was told they actually had a Department of Steps. That isn’t exactly true, although they do have an Inspector of Steps. But there are nearly 15 miles of city-owned steps, going up mountainsides… [They] must have been laid out by a mountain goat. It's up and down and around and around and in betwixt."

On some of the steepest hills, steps even double as legal streets. Some of these stairways are known as "paper streets," and appear on maps as valid thoroughfares. This certainly can make it a bit confusing for out-of-towners trying to get around the city.

A "Paper Street"

According to Bob Regan’s “The Steps of Pittsburgh” there are a total of 712 public stairways with a total of 44,645 steps. This means that Pittsburgh lays claim to the city with the most public stairways. By far. More than twice as many as San Francisco.

Some of these stairways are in need of repair, and, thankfully, there are volunteers who work to keep them in tact. They are oddly beautiful and such a unique glimpse into the history of Pittsburgh, it is nice to see them embraced by so many. They not only serve as a commute to some, but also as a reason to gather. There are a number of events each year that aim to celebrate the unique topography and history of Pittsburgh's steps. Such events are the Fineview Step-A-Thon and the Pittsburgh StepTrek. Walking tours of Pittsburgh Steps are available in the South Side, Lawrenceville, the North Side, Oakland and the Hill District.

The stairs can also be used as a method of exercise. Hiking Pittsburgh’s stairs is a unique way to keep in shape! One of the best and perhaps most difficult I have seen, but have yet to attempt, is a hike following the former Indian Trails Steps. The Indian Trail Steps, which likely followed an existing trail, was a wooden stairway that enabled access for pedestrians to reach Mount Washington. They were dismantled in 1935 but some of the original wooden posts still exist. I am so looking forward to this hike up Mt. Washington to find some of these posts as soon as winter is over.

The Indian Trail Steps

Location of existing posts

The steps under the incline

There are stories of The Duquesne Incline hiring people to act as ghosts along the paths to intimidate people from using these stairs and pay to use the inclines. This tactic must have been effective as the inclines became the more popular method for workers to make the commute up the mountainside. With the introduction of the automobile and the tunnels, the stairs became obsolete.

It would be interesting to see how many stairs Pittsburgh has, not only publicly, but privately as well. When looking at homes, you will realize they are hard to avoid!

Here is an inventory of major public stairways in Pittsburgh.
Here is a link to purchase "The Steps of Pittsburgh: Portrait of a City" by Bob Regan.








Thanks for reading and stay warm,

Patricia's Road Map to Owning a Home

Hello!

I was recently talking to a friend who is considering the leap into home-ownership but literally had no idea where to start or what to expect.  I quickly wrote her out a timeline and realized that people going through this process are not doing so often.   Buying a home is usually done a handful of times in each person's lifetime- if that!   It can certainly be overwhelming.  I decided to throw together a little "road map" based off of that timeline I created so people can get a better over-all picture.

This is, obviously, very simplified and each person's journey will likely not follow this exactly.  Honestly, my home-buying experience did not follow this at all, but this infographic is a good start.  To me, the most important pieces of advice I can give you are to be an informed consumer and take the time to hire a good real estate agent.  Do your research.  But also- HAVE FUN!  It's an exciting time!

The days leading up to closing will also include much more than shown here. The offer will include contingencies (home inspection and financing are the most common contingencies).  There may be counter offers, appraisals, surveys.  It's a wild journey so be sure to have a navigator that you can trust to guide you through.  

I have a team surrounding me that can help with any and all of these steps- from financing to home inspections.  I would love to help guide you!

Holiday House Tours

The Holiday season is upon us!  My favorite time of the year.  I have always forbidden myself to even think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but I know holiday festivities require planning and schedules fill up fast. There are already a million lists of things to do in Pittsburgh for the Holidays, so I will focus on what I love to do.  It’s funny how what I am drawn towards is so aligned with my profession.  

 

So here is my suggestion: go on a house tour.  Don’t you love decorating your house for Christmas?  It completely transforms this time of year.  Why not admire the decorations of others?  Maybe you will find inspiration, or, like me, leave in awe of the creativity of some people.  While some house tours let you step into the homes of neighbors, others allow you to step back into a bygone era.  There are plenty of house tour options available in and around Pittsburgh- there is likely to be one near you.  Here are a few:

The Clayton (November 20-January 11)

The Fricks celebrated many Christmases at this home between 1883 and 1905 before moving to New York City.  They would return to Pittsburgh and celebrate the Holidays at The Clayton up until 1913.  This year’s tour focuses on the later years of these celebrations.  The website advises that reservations should be made as they tend to be very busy.  

Ticket prices and more information can be found here: http://thefrickpittsburgh.org/start/tours.php

Shadyside Splendor (November 23)

This house tour benefits the world-renowned Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.  Included in the tour are six beautiful, gilded-age mansions.  

More information and discounted tickets can be found here: http://www.showclix.com/event/3859699

Woodville Plantation (November 23)

A cheaper option for a Holiday house tour, the candlelight tour of Woodville Plantation is only five dollars and children under six are admitted for free.  This is also a great option for Pittsburgh’s South Hills residents as it is conveniently located in Bridgeville.  

More information can be found here: http://www.woodvilleplantation.org/uncategorized/112314-holidays-at-the-house/648

Cranberry Women’s Club 2014 Christmas House Tour (December 7)

This is a great local house tour!  The cost is $20.00 and all proceeds benefit local charities.

More information can be found here: http://www.cranberrywomensclub.org/

Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House Tour (December 12 and 13)

These tours are more personal than the others on the list.  They focus on 100 year old Victorian homes.  Lavishly decorated for the holidays, they recall the late 19th Century birth of the traditional American Christmas: elaborately decorated mantels, towering Christmas trees and pine, holly and mistletoe on stairs and chandeliers.  

More information and tickets can be found here: http://alleghenywest.org/tour/old-allegheny-victorian-christmas-house-tour/

Crafton House Tour (December 14)

A tour of seven historic homes as well as the St. Philip School and church.  Enjoy listening to carolers while at the school!

More information and tickets can be found here: http://www.sps100years.com/?page_id=783#!/Crafton-House-Tour/p/43677455/category=0

Annual Holiday Tour of Homes (November 17)

The Butler County Symphony Association presents this self guided tour of seven are homes.  Proceeds benefit the Symphony Association.

More information can be found here: http://butlersymphony.org/2012/11/bcsa-23rd-annual-holiday-tour-of-homes/

There are many more holiday house tours in areas surrounding Pittsburgh including one in Ligonier and one in Mt. Pleasant.  Hopefully, there is one you can get to enjoy this year.  

Thanks for reading,

 

The Start of Our House Renovation- Purchasing the Home

First of all, Happy Halloween, everyone!  Have fun and be safe!

When my fiancé, Jordon, and I bought our first home we were so full of excitement and hope.  We imagined all our dreams coming true in this dilapidated but charming home upon a hill.  Since we started dating in college, I had told him I wanted to flip homes when I was older.  That would be my ideal job.  I loved the idea of finding old and neglected gems and returning them to their former glory.  Sounds nice.  I had also told him my love of wrap around porches and how I hoped to one day listen to the pitter-patter of little children running across said porch and swinging from our porch bench swing. I'm a dreamer.  Jordon is a doer.  And before we had time to think, we put an offer in on a home that would fulfill all my dreams.

The day we made an offer on the home, we literally did not have time to think. I was busy all day but could not get this house out of my head.  It had everything I wanted.  It was old and beautiful and inexpensive.  It was big and spacious.  It was unspoiled so we could really make it our own.  I saw the potential to make it into a wonderful first home.  Jordon saw a headache but did his best to act excited because he knew how excited I was about it.  I called to see what the deal was with this house around noon.  The listing agent told us that "highest and best" offers had to be in by 3:00 that day and she simply did not have the time to show us the home.  Bummer.

I went back to work, kicking myself for not inquiring about this house that so intrigued me sooner.   Enter Mom to save the day!  She called and somehow got someone to show her and Jordon the home.  Completely shocking to me, Jordon really liked it.  I mean REALLY liked it.  Perhaps it was the over nine foot ceilings that sold it for my six and a half foot beau.  I am glad he was there looking a it rather than me, as he was also not one to be intimidated by the hoards of experienced contractors there also looking to get their hands on the house.  Anyway, long story short, we put in an offer and it was accepted. Later that night, Jordon and my brother went to the local watering hole to celebrate.  He ran into a man drinking his sorrows away because he had lost the bid on a home that day- our home.  Needless to say, he bought the guy a drink.

It was a scarey and huge decision for us.  We bought a home that clearly needed work and because it was a foreclosure, the property was bought "as is".  Before we signed on the dotted line, we hired an inspector to come assess the home.  Everything checked out- foundation was fine, roof had some life still left, new water heater.  Great.  We were in the clear.  For now. Little did we know, things were going to get a lot worse before they got better. What I can say for sure is that it was a great introduction into my real estate career.  Having gone through the huge decision of buying a home has made me so excited to help people gain their little piece of this earth.  Here are some pictures of the home the first day we saw it.  Can't you just see the potential?  Updates coming soon!

The front of the home

The soon-to-be-beautiful wrap around porch

A view into the dining room from the living room with a mid-century addition- making square throughways into arches.  Jordon could barely fit through this so it was the first thing to go!

The dining room.  Bay window to the left.  There are four fireplaces in the home.  

The kitchen.  The picture does not do the grossness justice.  There were LAYERS of the peel and stick flooring, dropped ceilings that were molding and crashing down, and intense water damage..

I love how open and light the space is.  Not even the unbearable smell could take away from that.  

The third floor.  Yes, we would later discover so much water damage behind these walls.

Another third floor room.

The bathroom.  The floor barley held us.  We wouldn't walk on it until it was replaced. 

Bedroom with a fireplace

Another bedroom

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for updates,

Converted Pittsburgh Churches

There was an article on the New York Times' website the other day that talked about the many converted churches in Pittsburgh.  This was something I have always loved- finding new uses for old buildings and in doing so, preserving history.  Former factories, schools, even Wholey's cold storage facility can become upscale living spaces; banks and train stations become restaurants.  Pittsburgh has been able to effectively take buildings and give them new life.  It is wonderful to see.

Here are some once religious churches turned into secular buildings in Pittsburgh:

Altar Bar located in Pittsburgh's historic Strip District

Mr. Small's in Millvale

Church Brew Works in trendy Lawrenceville

The Priory in the North Shore

There are a few churches on the market for anyone interested in following the conversion trend.  For example, this one in Dormont.

Here is another link of converted churches around the world for some inspiration: Former Churches Converted Into Secular Buildings

How cool is it to experience the rebirth of a city through the infrastructure of the past?  It is something that makes Pittsburgh so unique.

Thanks for reading,

Bellevue Beauty

Hello!  Great Penguin's win last night!  Let's hope the Steelers can follow suit this weekend.  

I love Pittsburgh and one of my all time favorite things about Pittsburgh is the variety of homes.  There are so many different architectural styles and materials.  It really makes for a unique and eclectic vibe..  You will see tudors next to craftsmans and Victorians next to mid-century moderns.  The contrasts are absolutely amazing.  I also love the gems.  A totally inconspicuous house can have such wonderful architectural details that, when driving by, you would not even notice.  Us Pittsburghers are so lucky to be surrounded by such beauty on a daily basis.

Just beautiful.  I could, and probably will, do a blog post about each individual style.  Sorry it took so long to get to, but the original point of this post was to draw your attention to a gem of a home that is for sale in Bellevue.  You feel as though you have stepped back in time when you go inside.  It is absolutely stunning. Take a look at some of my favorite parts.

 They just don't make home like it anymore! For more information, check it out on zillow or contact me.

Thanks for reading,

 

    

Why I Decided to Become a Real Estate Agent

There are the obvious reasons a person may want to become a real estate agent. It is a career that offers a flexible schedule, an exciting field, and the potential to be quite lucrative.  While these contributed to my decision to pursue a career in real estate, there were far more influential aspects that made me believe this could really become a passion of mine.   

I have always been obsessed with the idea of “home”.  A house is meant to be a person’s oasis, their safe place.  It should feel like an escape from the outside world.  To aid someone in finding a place to make their own sounded like a career path that would supply me with limitless rewards.  I would be honored to play such a pivotal role in enabling a person to gain their little piece of the world.  A piece on which they will grow and create memories.  It is such a personal and important part of any person’s life, and I would love to be a part of that.  

I also understand that the process of purchasing a home is a stressful and confusing one, I knew I would love to work with people in order to minimize that stress and maximize the joy.  I love to help people when I am able.  I would love for my passion to benefit the average person.  People do not go through the home-buying process as often as an agent, who does it everyday for a living.  I am sure the rewards from forming these connections with my clients and throughout the community would be immeasurable.      

Oddly enough, while studying and training to become an agent, my fiancé and I purchased our very first home.  It was a foreclosure and in rough shape, and has provided us with some pretty intense headaches, but the feeling we got when we walked into it once it was ours was amazing.  
Buying a home solidified in my mind that this was exactly what I should be doing everyday.  

I hope as I continue in this field, people feel my enthusiasm and passion.  I hope I can alleviate the stress of buying a home and help make it the fun and exciting process it should be!  

A picture of our first home. A traditional American foursquare built in the 1920s.

Sincerely, a very new and excited real estate agent and Pittsburgh enthusiast,