NEWHOME Spring 2012
Pittsburgh’s
HOT APARTMENT MARKET The American Dream Of Home Ownership
High Volume Builders Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh Lot 24
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Contents Spring 2012 05
Publisher’s Message
06
22 The American Dream of Home Ownership Policymakers in Washington have Americans asking where will our children live?
Pittsburgh’s Hot Apartment Market During 2011, as the overall housing market slumbered, the construction of new apartments picked up at a rapid pace.
High Volume Builders Take Center Stage Our share of high volume builders has doubled since 2004. The result is a landscape that offers buyers more opportunity, and confusion!
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34
Builder Profile
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Project Profile
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Interiors
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Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh
Lot 24 The Strip District’s new, four-story residential structure of 96 apartments.
Outdoor Landscape Moving from indoor to outdoor takes planning and preparation prior to execution and enjoyment.
New Construction Listings
1 Bedroom + Den
New housing developments in our Greater Pittsburgh marketplace.
www.greaterpittsburghnewhome.com
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Cranberry Township buTler CounTy • Custom single family homes Pkgs. from $300,000’s • Townhomes • Condos • Quads • Approx 6,000 sq. ft. Clubhouse with pool, fitness room, game room, fireplaces and more • 6 acres of parks • Retail space • Low Butler Co. taxes • Seneca Valley School District • Adjacent to Cranberry Township’s Graham Park Directions: I79 to Cranberry Twp. to 19N, L Rochester Rd, R Powell Rd, R Park Place. GPS Coordinate: 2189 Powell Rd. Cranberry Twp., PA 16066
Park Place is a new village designed in the tradition of the best small towns and villages found throughout this region.
www.cranberryparkplace.com • 724-776-1863
Publisher’s Message
PUBLISHER
Kevin J. Gordon kgordon@carsonpublishing.com EDITOR
Jeff Burd GRAPHIC DESIGN
Jaimee D. Greenawalt PRODUCTION
Carson Publishing, Inc. design@carsonpublishing.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Erin O’Donnell Linda Simon CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jan Pakler Photography Ed Rieker Heartland Homes PJ Dick Incorporated and Walnut Capital Michael Kamon LOT 24; McCaffery Interests Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR
W. Carson Gordon Carson Publishing, Inc. 412-548-3823 X201 SPECIAL THANKS
Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh, Coldwell Banker Real Estate, Dollar Bank, Heartland Homes, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, Northwood Realty, Prudential Preferred Realty, Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, Ryan Homes, S&A Homes and Pamela Austin from McCaffery Interests. MORE INFORMATION
Greater Pittsburgh’s New Home is published quarterly by Carson Publishing, Inc., 500 McKnight Park Drive, Suite 506A, Pittsburgh, PA 15237; www.greaterpittsburghnewhome 412-548-3823. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission by the Publisher. All rights reserved. This information is carefully gathered and compiled in such a manner as to ensure maximum accuracy. We cannot, and do not, guarantee either the correctness of all information furnished nor the complete absence of errors and omissions. Hence, responsibility for same neither can be, nor is, assumed.
www.greaterpittsburghnewhome.com
Where Will Our Children Live?
T
he home-building industry in America is one of the few surviving domestic industries that utilizes goods and workforces from within our own country, and a majority of the materials used to build housing come from our own resources. It’s truly, one of a few “Made In America” industries left!
So, at a time following economic downturn when the home building industry should be preparing themselves to meet a soon-to-come demand for new housing products, why are lenders balking at making loans necessary for this potential growth? Read how policymakers are quite possibly changing our American landscape and precluding many Americans from ever owning a home. Another phenomenon of this sluggish economy has been our resurgence in apartment construction and renting. Unemployment remains high, loan underwriting has been much more conservative and fewer people have sufficient income to qualify for mortgages. First time home buyers are remaining renters longer while they save, boosting occupancy levels in apartments to record highs. These record highs mean higher rents and improved profitability for apartment owners and developers! Also in this issue, NEWHOME reports why Pittsburgh has seen a significant shift in market share for high volume builders. This shift in our housing landscape offers buyers more opportunities (and confusion). Overall, according to Tall Timber Group, housing numbers are indicating that our housing market is stronger for the first quarter for 2012, with an increase in total permits of 19.5%. During the January through March period, 408 permits were issued for single-family detached units, down 17.6 percent from the same period last year. Permits for attached units and apartments more than doubled however, with 396 units started compared to 178 during the first quarter of 2011. The overall housing construction volume was 804 units. Remember, before you buy, build or remodel, Greater Pittsburgh’s NEWHOME is a must read! Enjoy!
ABOUT THE COVER:
Signature
The Metropolitan are luxury condominiums on Neville Street in Shadyside. For more information, contact Gregg Perelman at Walnut Capital (photograph by Ed Rieker).
Kevin J. Gordon www.greaterpittsburghnewhome.com
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6 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
| Spring 2012
The
BOOM in Apartments T
he traditional arc of the American homeowner’s life cycle starts with renting an apartment. Apartments have traditionally been less expensive than a mortgage and renters generally haven’t had the credit history or time to save needed to get a mortgage. The housing bubble certainly skewed this typical progression but a growing boom in apartment construction is creating a parallel to that traditional housing cycle that is showing the way out of the prolonged housing slump.
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W
hen the bubble burst in 2007, there were a number of conditions that proved to be unsustainable and were out of character with how the housing market historically operated. The most salient of these were the high debt-to-income ratios of many borrowers and the unusually high appreciation rates of many markets. For a few years there were arguments made that the bubble was actually the beginning of a new paradigm but the crash showed that the historical housing market dynamics cannot be ignored. What has followed since could accurately be described as a reversion to the mean. During 2011, as the overall housing market slumbered, the construction of new apartments picked up at a rapid pace. According to the Commerce Department, construction of multi-family buildings jumped over 30 percent in 2011, while the total housing market increased only 2.4 percent and single-family housing starts continued a decline. A few significant factors are driving this resurgence in apartment construction and renting. The most obvious of these is the recent recession. Unemployment levels remain more than five million people higher than in 2007, which means fewer people can afford homes. The higher unemployment also means fewer people have sufficient income to qualify for mortgages, even in normal credit conditions. Loan underwriting has been much more conservative, even as the economy has healed and borrowers who may have qualified in 2006 – or even in more normal conditions – have been declined for credit during the past few years. Among those tougher conditions has been a return to traditional standards for loan-to-value ratios. In practical terms, that means prospective home buyers must have more of a down payment. This has especially impacted apartments, since the higher down payment requirement has meant more first time buyers have remained renters while they saved, thus occupying units that would normally have been turned over. This lower turnover from
8 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
renting to buying has boosted occupancy levels in apartments to record high levels. Higher occupancy levels mean higher rents, improved cash flow and profitability for the apartment owners and developers, greatly improving the chances of approval for financing of apartment deals. As luck would have it, the sharp increase in demand for apartments is coinciding with an equally sharp interest in financing. “We are getting unsolicited phone calls about apartments from financial institutions all the time,” says Doug Phillips, president of Phillips Builders and partner in Phillips & Associates Development. His company is planning a community of 200 units along the I-279 corridor in the North Hills. “The stigma of being a renter has evaporated, especially in a nice, high quality property.”
... THAT MEANS PROSPECTIVE HOME BUYERS MUST HAVE MORE OF A DOWN PAYMENT. Lending has slowly shifted from reverse to neutral to cautiously forward since the fall of 2008. During that time, however, those with money to use have had few options that matched their need for yield with their appetite for risk. During the first year or so of the recession, the fear of declining asset value made retention of capital a high priority. As things have recovered, particularly since the end of 2010, cash heavy financial institutions have been facing greater pressure to find ways to get returns better than the flat line of the money markets. Lenders are aware of the changes in the home buying market and the suddenly tight supply of apart-
| Spring 2012
ments. Beginning in 2011, money has been chasing these favorable supply and demand dynamics, creating competition among lenders to find and close on apartment deals. The shift in rental dynamics and the steady rise in rents are making multifamily development work again in spite of the affordability of owning. Weaver Custom Builders has developed several planned communities in southwestern Butler County, including the successful Bellevue Park in Cranberry Township and the Vineyards in Connoquenessing. Bill Weaver has seen the math change recently. “For ten years you couldn’t make the numbers work but with demand going up the last few years, the rents are up to where a project makes sense,” he says. “It’s been a lot harder to buy a house but people need to live somewhere so they rent. That will change in time when the housing market comes back but in the meantime apartment developers are able to make money.” “It used to be that if you were developing multi-family in this region you were looking at five years or more down the road to get a return. You could buy existing for much cheaper than building new,” says First Niagara vice-president Kris Volpatti. “Now rents are starting to catch up and the question is why pay a premium to rent compared to owning. [Since the recession] people who can afford $1,600 or $1,800 a month don’t want the baggage that comes with owning a home.” What Volpatti is describing is counterintuitive for American homeowners, who over the years counted on the steady appreciation of their homes as a safe investment. For those who suffered losses when the bubble burst, that assurance has been dashed. And for first-time buyers – many of whom were college students or newly working when the mortgage crisis hit – their collective experience includes almost five years of headlines about foreclosures and falling home prices. Even though those negative stories didn’t apply
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to metropolitan Pittsburgh, the effect has been to change the way those consumers think about the home as an investment, at least for now. “I think the consumer has been hearing that there is no appreciation in homes for a while,” says Bob Morgan, whose Morgan Management has built a portfolio of six apartment communities in Pittsburgh. “At the same time it has been hard for [renters] to buy a home. Qualifying for a mortgage has been very difficult for a few years and new buyers are having to save ten or fifteen percent for a down payment.” While it is unlikely that the housing bubble removed the goal of owning a home from the American Dream, the impact of the decline in value in many regions is quite measurable. Because of both fewer mortgages written and fewer buyers looking, the share of home ownership fell sharply from 69.2 percent in 2006 to 66.3 percent in 2010. That’s about 5 million fewer homeowners! The balance in metro Pittsburgh remained largely unchanged at 70 percent. If the psychologies of renting and financing are favoring development of new apartments, the supply and demand fundamentals are even more persuasive. Multi-Family Executive listed the multifamily occupancy rate for metropolitan Pittsburgh at 97.8 percent when 2011 ended. That was tops in the country by their estimates. Integra Realty Resources showed the market slightly softer, but at 3.86 percent vacancy that level of performance was higher than any other U. S. city except New York City. The news is equally good nationally, with vacancies falling to 5.4 percent in 2011 and estimates of vacancy rates at 5 percent by year’s end, according to Marcus & Millchap Real Estate Services. MPF Research’s multi-family market analysis for 2012 showed a 4.7 percent increase in rents nationwide, more than double the average rate of wage increases. Their data found that the average rent increase in Pittsburgh was 6.8 percent, a rate that puts the metropolitan area in
10 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
the top seven cities for rent growth. Tight occupancy and rising rents often trigger higher demand for home buying but those conditions also make building more apartments make sense, at least for the near term. And that is the state of the market right now. Bob Morgan is a fan of the market right now. His business is based in Rochester, NY, a town with market dynamics similar to Pittsburgh’s. Morgan manages thousands of units in a dozen states stretching from Texas to New York. Morgan Management is actively developing about 2,000 units of new construction in Rochester and has been building a portfolio in Western PA for a few years. Morgan believes the Pittsburgh market is ready for new construction.
“THE WAY I LOOK AT THE MARKET IS THAT WE’RE AT 98 PERCENT OCCUPIED NOW AND THE PROJECTS THAT ARE COMING ARE GOING TO COME ONLINE OVER 12 TO 30 MONTHS.” “I like the Pittsburgh market, with what has been done to reform the economy from the steel industry to the businesses that are driving the economy now,” he says. “I like the healthcare economy, the financial services and the Marcellus Shale. Right now we’re at 97 percent occupied in our
| Spring 2012
portfolio. Our hope is that the market doesn’t attract a lot of development. I remember when Nationwide came into the market ten years ago and it got overbuilt.” What will be the state of the market to come will depend on how much of the current pipeline of apartment projects is built; how many new dwelling units are needed and when the dynamics of home ownership change. “The way I look at the market is that we’re at 98 percent occupied now and the projects that are coming are going to come online over 12 to 30 months,” notes Doug Phillips. “If the market is looking at 2,100 units or so, I think that can be absorbed over the next two to three years.” “We’re getting calls almost every week from out-of-town developers interested in this market, kicking the tires,” says Paul Griffith, managing director of Integra Realty Resources. Griffith jokes that it seems the developers are all reading the same research reports and he understands that the flow of positive economic news from Pittsburgh is spurring the interest. “Occupancies are high now because of the shift to renting from buying and Pittsburgh is getting the benefit because of the lack of supply.” Perhaps no variable in the supply and demand equation is as critical to new residential construction as is household formation. New households can be formed by a nuclear family growing up and the children moving out to start their own families, but more often than not household formation is a function of population – and employment – growth. By the Census Bureau’s estimate, the region had 26,700 more jobs at the end of 2011 than existed in 2010, bringing the total non-farm payrolls to 1.18 million. New jobs mean new households, which in turn create demand for more housing. Using some simple analysis, it appears that the new jobs in the region last year will support more than 25,000 new people and create the demand for more than 11,000 new dwelling units, of which 3,000 or more should be apartments. Given that less than 2,900 new dwelling units of all kinds were built last year, a shortage of housing looms.
“WE HAVE A FAIRLY STABLE INVENTORY OF HOTELS AND APARTMENTS SO THIS INFLUX FOR MARCELLUS GIVES US A REAL SHORTAGE OF INVENTORY.” The problem with this kind of statistical analysis is that it relies on the accuracy of government statistics and to paraphrase Mark Twain, statistics often lie. But the statistics help us understand why so many developers are planning new apartments and where the demand may come for the next wave of new home construction. And a new wave is forming, at least in terms of projects being planned. “My personal observation is that natural gas is driving the need for transient housing in both hospitality and apartments,” says Jim McMullen, whose firm Premier Architecture is designing the first two of Morgan Management’s projects. Those projects are the 228-unit Freedom Village at Park Place in Cranberry Township and the 370-unit Morgan Southpointe project. “We have a fairly stable inventory of hotels
and apartments so this influx for Marcellus gives us a real shortage of inventory.” In addition to the Cranberry and Southpointe projects Morgan has proposed to develop large-scale apartment properties at Southpointe Town Center (280 units) and the next phase at Summerset at Frick Park (130 units). The latter projects have attracted other developers, some of who are proposing projects in other parts of Pittsburgh. Aside from Freedom Village, more than 500 additional units are being built or planned in Cranberry Township. A-R Development has started construction on about half of the 128 units it is developing at Chatham Commons. CBRE/Trammel Crow has announced plans for 240 units in the Cranberry Woods development. And
the long-term plans for Don Rodgers’ Summit (formerly Village) at Cranberry Woods include 160 units of apartments. Like at Southpointe, Cranberry’s heightened demand for housing is driven by energy, both because the area is becoming a secondary hub for natural gas companies and because of the relocation and expansion of nuclear power giant Westinghouse. While far north and south of Pittsburgh are seeing an explosion of interest, the other hot spot for apartment development is the city itself. It may have seemed that excitement about downtown living waned a few years ago but the slowdown was more about the type of product being offered. Developer Piatt Properties changed the course of its redevelopment of the former G. C. Murphy’s and surrounding buildings
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on Fifth Avenue from condominiums to apartments when construction started in spring 2008. Some observers had questions about the viability of renting even just the 50 units that Piatt was creating at Market Square Place, the project leased up well in advance of opening. The success pushed Piatt to develop an even bolder project, buying and renovating the former State Office Building into a property they call Rivervue. Construction is well along on the 218 units and leasing is brisk. In fact, Piatt had a lengthy waiting list before the work started. Philadelphia-based PMC Property Group is another developer who is seeing downtown as a ripe apartment market. The firm bought the 117-unit Penn Garrison Apartments last year and is in the process of renovating the former Verizon headquarters at 201 Stanwix Street into 158 apartments. PMC has also bid successfully on the right to redevelop 200 Ross Street, home to many of the city’s government offices, and has made it clear that it is interested in others. While these are the largest of the projects, they aren’t the only apartments being created downtown. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is tracking a number of other projects and sees 560 units coming on line in the Central Business District within a year.
12 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
THE SUCCESS PUSHED PIATT TO DEVELOP AN EVEN BOLDER PROJECT, BUYING AND RENOVATING THE FORMER STATE OFFICE BUILDING INTO A PROPERTY THEY CALL RIVERVUE. In relatively close proximity to town, several new construction projects are getting underway as well. McCaffrey Interests and Chuck Hammel are developing Lot 24, a 96-unit apartment building that Massaro Corp. is just starting at 24th and AVRR.
| Spring 2012
Massaro is also involved with Castlebrook Development on a 49-unit building at 1600 Fifth Avenue Uptown. Lou Molnar started a 44-unit building along Forbes Avenue at the eastern edge of where the Oakland Portal project is being planned, with plans for a second building to follow. And Oxford Properties, from Atlanta, will be starting the 272-unit City Vista project in May. That property is in Green Tree near the Parkway Center Mall with great views of the skyline. Perhaps the most important impact of the surge in apartment construction is that it portends a recovery in the overall housing market. Housing starts began falling precipitously in 2007 and 2011 marked the fourth consecutive year in which no more than half as many residential units were built as the number of households were formed. The huge overhanging inventory of housing is responsible for some of that overbuilding but the pendulum has swung far past in the opposite direction and a backlog of demand is building. Almost universal apartment occupancy is a sign that Americans who were living at home or sharing a place are now looking for a place of their own. If history is a reliable indicator, those renters will be looking for a new home to buy in a couple of years.
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HIGH VOLUME
BUILDERS
Take Center Stage
14 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
| Spring 2012
O
n e of the most important questions facing any home buyer when looking at new home options is the selection of a builder. There is
a whole spectrum of considerations that can be considered before making a selection but one of the first is to determine whether to go with a custom builder or a production builder.
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In many markets around the country this choice is made easier by the fact that the production-oriented builders dominate the new construction to the point that the choice comes down to one of price versus quality. For buyers in metropolitan Pittsburgh, however, the distinctions are not so clear, especially since the last recession. Owing to a coincidence of market influences and changing business plans, builders in Pittsburgh have seen a significant shift in market share of the higher volume builders, while at the same time, seen less differentiation between the two approaches than before. The share of high volume builders has doubled since 2004 but among the largest of these builders there has been a conscious shift towards custom building. The result is a landscape that offers buyers more opportunity – and confusion. Perhaps a bit of definition is called for at the outset. Production builders have traditionally relied upon the economies of scale that can be gained by using a limited – although not small – palette of floor plans, elevations and material choices to keep costs in line. The builders use repetitive construction methods in the field and employ a limited roster of subcontractors to ensure similar standards from home to home. Because production and high volume tend to go hand-in-hand the builders can also negotiate better prices from suppliers as well. As a result, production-oriented builders were accurately perceived as offering a predictable, reasonable standard of quality at a lower price point than custom builders. Many accentuate that profile by marketing themselves as providing the most house for the dollar. As a point of historical perspective, production-oriented homebuilding goes back to the turn of the last century. Sears included home kits among its many catalog offerings. Lumber yards often developed several packages that they promoted for 16 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
their builder customers. In 1920’s era Pittsburgh, developer E. B. Hulley created a Craftsman-style home with several optional floor plans that became a popular home in the East End. But the real sea change in this method of building came after World War II, when America’s prosperity aligned with the rising middle class value of home ownership. The prototype for production building was the tract home of Levittown, outside New York City.
of the homes built in the Pittsburgh market were custom homes.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s, as Southern cities like Houston, Atlanta, Dallas or Orlando exploded in population growth, the market required a similar construction model to meet demand. It is not surprising that older
Another factor was the somewhat limited architectural variety in the new home market. With the dominant Colonial home as the standard, custom builders were able to offer a satisfactory amount of customization to buyers while working largely within floor plan and elevation tolerances that they understood and with which they were well acquainted. This allowed custom builders to be somewhat competitive on larger homes and for many years there was a gulf that existed between the market that Ryan and Maronda served and the custom builders’ market.
cities that were seeing stagnant population growth – like Pittsburgh – were not as attractive to production-oriented builders. One of the more successful practitioners of this business model was from Pittsburgh, however. Builder Ed Ryan took advantage of the same market conditions in the Baby Boom, founding Ryan Homes in 1948 and growing to serve a number of regional markets over the years. Even after Ryan sold his business to NVR Inc., the company maintained its market leadership in Western PA with few competitors. And even after Imperial-based Maronda Homes grew into a serious second-place competitor at the end of the 1990’s, more than 75 percent
It’s important to understand the difference between custom and production homes. A true custom home starts with a blank slate, or more accurately a blank drawing. That makes true custom homes rarer than hen’s teeth. That’s because few builders really want to make a living serving people who want something unique from the ground up. That makes for uncertainty that can erode profits. And the reality is that even fewer buyers have the experience – or pocketbooks – to commission a truly custom home. What most buyers really want is an experience that is customizable.
| Spring 2012
Part of the reason that custom builders were able to maintain such a large share of the market was the relatively low volume of new home starts. Aside from squelching interest of other national production builders, Pittsburgh’s low volume also gave both Ryan and Maronda an incentive to put resources into other growth markets.
“Custom is more of an emotional idea in the customer’s minds than a practical thing,” says Kevin Oakley, marketing director for Heartland Homes. “Most customization is in the form of changes in window styles or finishes or room sizes, not the re-design of the whole floor plan or structure.” Heartland Homes is the embodiment of the custom/production dilemma and their shift in business strategy is one of the bigger influences on the shift in market share that has occurred here recently. The company was founded in 1984 by Alan “Gus” Gillespie, a former Ryan Homes executive and sonin-law of Ed Ryan. Gus Gillespie enjoyed designing homes and founded Heartland to provide a custom experience for buyers that were not shopping at the top of the market but were looking for a custom home smaller than 3,000 square feet. The business model worked, but Gus’s son Marty thought there was room for another gear of growth in the market. Beginning in 2001, Marty Gillespie began leading Heartland into direct competition with Ryan Homes by building larger neighborhoods of homes priced in the $250,000 to $300,000 range. Within a few years, Heartland had grown from building about 50 homes each year to more than 200. Instead of eroding Ryan’s market share, however, Heartland’s growth validated Gillespie’s theory about the hole in the market. As Heartland Homes’ volume grew so did Ryan’s. The extra gear meant that Heartland’s model also shifted to one that was more production-oriented so that they could control costs and gain the advantages that scale gives a builder. Their success also caught the attention of others. State College-based S & A Homes expanded into Western PA at roughly the same time Marty Gillespie joined his father’s business. With developments all over the state and in other regions, S & A looked at the Pittsburgh market as one in which they would serve a complementary role and targeted the same buyer looking at 2,500 square foot homes. But while the company planned to build no more than 100 homes in the region, S & A Homes builds thousands of units each year in all their markets. Pittsburgh suddenly had four homebuilders with the purchasing muscle to get better buys on subcontractors and materials than most builders. Those four builders had also accurately judged that the
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underserved portion of the new construction market could be very lucrative. By 2005, these four builders would start over 1,500 units – an increase of more than 60 percent from the volume of the top four builders in 2000 – and their volume would remain above that level as the overall market started to decline, falling only after the mortgage and financial crisis in 2008. One outlier in the evolution of the higher volume builders is that one of the five largest builders is a relatively small regional custom home builder, RWS Custom Homes. The owner of RWS is Bob Shuster. He started building homes on his own after working for his father’s construction company and the family’s lumber and building components businesses. Shuster has been building custom homes in Westmoreland County for almost 30 years, developing several very large communities in North Huntingdon and Hempfield Townships. Unlike his four competitors, Shuster gener-
THE SWEET SPOT OF THE CUSTOM MARKET IS THE HIGHER END HOME AND DEMAND FOR LARGER HOMES SLOWED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN THE MAINSTREAM MARKET.
Because their revenues are so much higher than the average builder, a volume builder also has the resources available to devote to marketing and sales support. A custom builder can retain earnings to invest in marketing in the same way but the reality has been otherwise. This marketing advantage makes a big difference in attracting buyers when a slowdown comes or when there is a dramatic economic event like the mortgage crisis. During 2007, the housing market across America began to come apart at the seams. Here in Pittsburgh, however the dropoff in total new homes – which fell over 15 percent – was hardly reflected in the activity of the top five builders. The totals of Ryan, Maronda, Heartland, S & A and RWS slipped less than two dozen units, remaining above 1,500 total units. Over the next few years the number of new homes built in Pittsburgh would fall more than 45 percent, leveling out at about 2,800 total units from 2009 through 2011. Starts for the Big Five also slowed but their aggregate decline was only 13.2 percent. The net result? The market share of the top five builders in metropolitan Pittsburgh grew from one quarter of the market in 2004 to one third of the market in 2005. Since then, the gap has widened further and in 2011 the top five builders built over 46 percent of the total units in the Pittsburgh market, and almost 56 percent of the traditional single-family detached houses.
ally builds about 70 homes per year but his approach has some similar advantages. RWS approaches home building in the same way A. C. Frick approached making steel, by practicing vertical integration. Shuster’s relationships with the building products supply business allows him to act as a distributor of sorts and gain price discounts. RWS also invested in excavating equipment and concrete batch plants and does much of the work itself that other builders must subcontract to specialty firms. That quality and cost control gives RWS a big edge compared to other custom builders in its markets, especially when the economy sours. As important as all of the construction and supply chain advantages are to the 18 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
production builders, their most important strategic advantage may lie in their skill as marketers. The volume building approach relies on new sales to drive production. While builders such as Ryan, Heartland or Maronda will build models in new communities and often may get a spec or two ahead in a brisk-selling product, the financial model is for construction to follow contracts. High volume builders have become adept at advertising and marketing to create interest, match product to pricing conditions and close orders. These builders have many sales reps and the larger builders have developed mortgage origination and financing units to help facilitate sales. As market conditions slow, high volume builders kick their marketing into a higher gear.
| Spring 2012
There are a number of reasons why the custom builders’ market shrunk. The sweet spot of the custom market is the higher end home and demand for larger homes slowed significantly more than the mainstream market. Custom builders usually have a spec home or two underway to have a product to market and the downturn meant that sales slowed down on specs, which limited the builders’ financial ability to keep building them. Additionally, the origin of the recession – a residential mortgage crisis – caused lending for homebuilding to be frozen. Builders caught with custom home inventory had a hard time selling the homes and those without a spec on the market found it almost impossible to get one financed. Many builders were caught between a rock and a hard place.
THE CHANGES IN THE MARKET CAN BE A LITTLE CONFUSING, EVEN FOR THE BUILDERS THEMSELVES. “A lot of the builders took the approach that we build custom homes and the people will buy what we build, but the people went to other builders,” says Bob Brennan, president of Brennan Builders, a second generation custom builder in Evans City. “People don’t have the same patience they once did. When we shop for cars we don’t buy power windows or air conditioning or a better stereo anymore; we buy luxury package “A” or whatever.” “Custom builders can’t typically get to the same price point as we can with our volume purchasing,” explains Chris Cinker, regional manager for S & A Homes in Mars, PA. “The lack of financing really limits them as well. If they were lucky, they didn’t get caught with any product available but a custom builder always tries to have a spec on the market.” The ups and downs of business cycles are difficult for builders. Speculative homes are the model homes for the custom builder. It isn’t uncommon for prospective buyers of a spec home to decide to sign a contract with the builder for another home because of features and plans for the spec.
Custom builders with large homes on the market were unable to respond to the demands of the more conservative buyer during the recession. Those without homes on the market found themselves at a distinct disadvantage to the marketing strength of the volume builders. Selling homes requires resources that smaller home builders don’t have. During the last recession, the high volume builders also discovered that they could move up in size and amenities because of the void created by the shrinking custom market. Ryan Homes and Heartland Homes in particular were able to offer larger homes in smaller neighborhoods and custom home shoppers found that many of the things they were looking for – roomier floor plans, customization of finishes, and bonus features – were present in the homes that Ryan, Heartland and RWS were offering. Moreover, because the high volume builders had the financial wherewithal to manage it, there was even more selection of these custom homes. And buyers weren’t the only ones who saw the advantage of this shift in the market.
“Developers have been seeking out Heartland and Ryan to help them rescue custom projects where the builders haven’t been able to do the take downs,” says Oakley. A ‘take down’ is when a builder starts construction on a lot in a new development. Maintaining take down schedules is the key to a developer’s success in a new construction community. The more aggressive the take down schedule the quicker a developer gets paid back for the upfront site work and utility investment that is made. During the recession, the slowdown in custom sales hurt developers because the schedules lagged, in many cases to a degree that threatened developer profitability. The changes in the market can be a little confusing, even for the builders themselves. Marty Gillespie’s vision of growth for Heartland Homes meant that the company adopted the approach that made the production-oriented builders successful. Going from 50 homes to 400 homes a year changed the culture at Heartland, even though the company wanted to maintain its custom builder roots. Kevin Oakley www.greaterpittsburghnewhome.com
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says that the emphasis on higher volume definitely impacted the way the staff at Heartland perceived their business. “When I came here in 2007 custom was something that we didn’t want to do anymore. We were afraid that we may not be able to do it well again,” he says. As he struggled to figure out how to position Heartland over time, Oakley says he was able to make the point internally that custom plans made up the biggest share of their starts. “I said, I guess we’re the largest custom homebuilder in Pittsburgh. Can I tell people that?” “That’s a conversation we have all the time: what will we be when we grow up in Pittsburgh,” says Cinker. “When we put together a growth plan five years ago we were looking towards less customization, to be more efficient but with the downturn we have done more of what the customer wants us to do – move a wall here or there, change a material. We decided that if this is truly what is selling homes for us here, we should embrace it.” Being more customized has impacted the price of the homes these firms are building. Heartland’s average price was above
$400,000 in 2011. Because they added townhouses to their portfolio, S & A Homes had a lower average but their homes were just under $340,000 last year. The growth of their average home has been another source of soul searching for S & A. “Bob Poole [S & A founder and CEO] doesn’t want us to lose our ability to serve the first-time buyer,” says Cinker. For S & A Homes in Pittsburgh that has meant looking at the townhouse product to serve that niche and they have seen a lot of action in that segment. “We have taken over at Centennial Point and sold 14 of the 16 built in the first year.” S & A’s expansion into the townhouse and urban markets has helped them triple their volume during the recession. RWS Custom Homes was already positioned between the entry level and production builder and the high end when the recession hit. Although the downturn impacted their production, especially in 2009, RWS built more new homes in 2010 and 2011 – 79 each year – than it had during an average year the previous decade. Their business model meets most of the expectations a buyer would have of a custom homebuilder but with practices that
allow them to control costs and offer the homes in the price range that is just below where most custom builders are pricing. And RWS may be ahead of the curve for the future buyer. While most of their homes are larger than 2,500 square feet, only four of the 25 sample home plans they show on their website exceed 3,400 square feet. One byproduct of the recent recession was a reversal of the trend of progressively larger homes that had lasted 25 years. After growing from 1,590 square feet to 2,479 square feet in 2007, the average size of new homes has leveled off. While the average home size tends to level during a recession, most observers believe that buyers have changed their preferences and that once a recovery in housing begins, the size of homes will remain flat. Many longterm observers of trends feel that Americans will begin to look at smaller houses as part of a greater sustainability movement. More certain is the likelihood that fewer so-called McMansions will be built going forward. What this means for the housing market is even more demand for the mid-size house in new construction. Assuming that trend holds true in Western PA, that will mean that custom builders who want to get a share of a housing recovery will need to look at how they deliver smaller homes and compete with high volume builders on price and schedule. “I don’t expect custom building to revert back to what it was even after things rebound,” predicts Brennan. “Production builders have been better equipped to package options and if custom builders can’t do that it will be hard for them to thrive.” Brennan says he has taken steps to streamline their operations, integrating a design center and working to make desirable options available and easy to select for buyers. “There was plenty to be learned from streamlining our approach but it’s been very beneficial for us and for our customers.”
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| Spring 2012
For the high-volume builder – whether that is a production builder or a productionoriented custom builder – it means even more prospects for a product they have been getting better at delivering for more than a decade. The five largest Pittsburgh area builders have a little room for added capacity but if the regional housing market returns to 4,500 units a year or more there will likely be more opportunity for other volume builders to enter the market. One of the nation’s top ten builders, Hovnanian Enterprises has been in the Pittsburgh market with their program of building on an individual lot for almost a decade but the builder is examining the market for opportunities to develop communities. Marylandbased Dan Ryan Homes has dipped their toes in the water in Pittsburgh as well, building townhomes in Cranberry’s Georgetown Square, with plans to build 100 or more homes in Pittsburgh per year as the market returns.
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Americans – including Western Pennsylvanians – have short memories. It may well be that with the next round of prosperity will come even bigger houses with even more amenities and opportunities for custom builders to differentiate themselves from the volume builder. But the recession has created more chances for production minded builders to provide customization of aspects of the new home without losing the efficiency that makes the homes more affordable. Those lessons won’t be lost on the builders or the buyers, who may have already learned that customized is what they really wanted in the first place. “We do an analysis every few months to determine our most popular floor plans,” says Heartland’s Kevin Oakley. “The winner for 2011 was the fully custom category. But you have to remember that those plans made up only eight percent of our volume. The runner up was a plan that has been one of our most popular for years.”
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m a e r D n a c i r e Am
22 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
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Policymakers in Washington Have Americans Asking
Where Will Our Children Live? In the 19th century, artists from all over Western Europe and the United Kingdom came to America to paint the vast and unfettered wilderness. Their writings often spoke of untouched forests stretching straight out to the horizon line, broken only by the occasional winding river or majestic lake. Eventually, the proliferation of loggers and mills would turn our country into one built on the ideal of owning one’s own piece of land, and upon that land, a house that would protect us from the
harsh elements, host celebrations with community and kin, and act as a refuge from the difficulties and responsibilities of life in a new world. Without a feudal system like in old Europe, early Americans had experienced a land free of monarchic taxation and a feudal lord for whom they toiled daily in the hopes of keeping a roof over their family’s head. The American dream was soon becoming a possibility for people fleeing oppressive governments and political, or religious, intolerance. www.greaterpittsburghnewhome.com
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A
fter spending a good deal of time overseas myself, I had come to form a great appreciation for how relatively simple it was to acquire real estate in the U.S. With a stable job, a decent credit standing, and a small down payment, an American citizen could purchase a parcel of land, a plot of space which she could call her own. My Mediterranean friends found it fascinating that so many people in the U.S. could
come from our country’s own resources. New home construction sustains related industries as well, such as framers, plumbers, electricians, finish carpenters and a host of service or manufacturing sectors. Without construction or reconstruction, there would be a drastically reduced need for lighting and appliances; metals; plastics; architecture and engineering; wood products; concrete and paint manufacturers; craftsmen; and real estate or banking
has driven many builders into bankruptcy or early retirement. “When I started my business, builders were easily securing 80% of an appraised home’s value. Today, it’s 75% if you’re lucky, but more typically, builders are receiving only around 60%. That means the rest must be a personal investment on the builder’s part.” Without necessary lending to build a reputation
... WHY ARE LENDERS BALKING AT MAKING THE LOANS NECESSARY FOR POTENTIALLY PROFITABLE PROJECTS?
afford homes with mortgages paid solely by themselves, especially before the age of 40. In many other countries, individuals live with their extended family or parents until marriage, and then, the parents either bestow the newlyweds the family home, or purchase a “starter” property for them. Red tape, bureaucratic confusion, taxation, inflated pricing, and land scarcity make it much more difficult for them to purchase a home than for my colleagues in America. But over the last few years, the landscape of American home owning has been radically revised. The home-building industry in America is one of the only surviving domestic industries that utilizes goods and workforces from within its own country, and a majority of the materials used to build housing 24 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
professionals. It’s truly one of the only “Made in America” phenomena left. So at a time following economic downturn when these trades should be preparing themselves to meet a soon-to-come demand for housing, why are lenders balking at making the loans necessary for potentially profitable projects?
and brand, novice builders entering the industry are at a severe disadvantage. Though not impossible to secure lending, builders must have exemplary credit and a Herculean balance sheet, two things that are hard to come by when builders’ margins are suffering due to the economic downturn. Martin doesn’t foresee banks acquiescing, no matter how bleak the current situation. “Today, builders have to invest a lot of their own cash into the deal. We have a lot more skin in the game than we used to. Unfortunately, I project that banks won’t be loosening up in the next five years and helping to change this anytime soon.”
Builders are closing their doors, lenders are calling in performing loans under pressure from regulators, and construction companies can barely pay their sub-contractors or materials providers because banks are deleting loan extensions or instituting unreasonable payment schedules. Jeff Martin, owner of Primrose Homes, agrees that the current market conditions have made it very difficult for custom builders to secure loans, which
Unemployment in our nation’s communities has increased in part because more than 1.4 million jobs in residential construction were lost between the years of 2006 and 2011. As frightening as this may be, the story actually gets worse: legislation and regulation are now being seriously considered that would punish the average American home owner for a crime he didn’t commit. Not only has existing legislation negatively impacted the build-
| Spring 2012
ing industry, but impending changes will cripple buyers and current owners. The ripple effect of such an event would be felt throughout every aspect of our economy. One of the greatest, and oldest, national core values could be seriously threatened: ownership of one’s own land and home, and no one is safe from the fall out.
right past wrongs. These policies now being pushed through legislation affect a plethora of areas directly related to the
POLICY IS CHANGING THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE If the lending pendulum had swung way into the outfield during the height of unsound robosigning and sub-prime mortgage practices a few years ago, our present policymakers’ antidote is swinging it just as far afield in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, this doesn’t admonish those responsible for the crisis, rather it makes the process of buying a home nearly impossible in an attempt to aggressively
26 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
mortgage industry, and in effect, those utilizing their services. As the banks, lenders, and government have pulled back the reigns in panic, the plan to move forward is undermined by a deliberate stunting of housing growth. There are currently a
| Spring 2012
group of radical policy changes that might accelerate the shrinking of the middle class, and possibly preclude millions of Americans from ever owning a home, finding affordable rentals, or retiring. The Mortgage Interest Deduction, or MID, has been a way for families from various income strata to receive tax benefits for a century. If eliminating the MID, or limiting the deduction to a 28% maximum tax rate, lawmakers serve the middle class with a whopping tax increase and delete a major incentive for home ownership. In the long run, the elimination of MID would only further depreciate the value of homes across the country and fuel more foreclosures. 75% of the total deduction is claimed by individuals under the age of 55, and young, first-time-home-buyers with large mortgages, low amounts of home equity, and growing families to support benefit the most from the deduction. Buyers in this demographic and income level comprise
one of the largest purchasing populations, which means that the MID reduction would put the majority of homeowners at a loss. Affecting baby boomers and those of retirement age is the possible repealing of the capital gains exclusion on the sale of a principal residence. If this policy comes to pass, it would greatly inhibit the ability of owners looking to sell and upgrade. It would also impact baby boomers looking to retire and sell their home because a portion of their housing wealth would go to the government instead of toward their retirement needs. Repealing the capital gains tax could mean a 15% or greater tax on the profits made from the sale of a home, punishing those who depend on the equity they’ve successfully accrued over a period of responsible home owning. A study by Gfk Roper Reports claims that it’s the baby boom generation who make some of the economy’s most costly home improvement purchases, like fine art and specialty installation. This is important to keep in mind, because it’s a direct
example of how upcoming decisions won’t only affect homeowners, but also all of the related service and provider industries.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR OUR REGION Pittsburgh is now experiencing the benefit of having made the decision to transform our economy from one dependent upon a single commodity (steel), to one that is selfsustaining and based upon vital aspects of our society: medicine, education, and technology. Since Greater Pittsburgh’s economy has proved to be one of the strongest in the nation during the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression, it stands to reason that our housing market reflects the solvency of our top industries. Unemployment remains low in comparison to national standards: Pittsburgh unemployment rates hovered around 6.9% at the end of 2011, still lower than the national average (about 8.3%). Start-ups and fledgling businesses have recognized our region as one in which it is very possible to run a successful small, or new, business, and
PITTSBURGH’S ECONOMY HAS PROVED TO BE ONE OF THE STRONGEST IN THE NATION DURING THE BIGGEST ECONOMIC DOWNTURN SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION ... manage to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, replete with home ownership. Though median home prices have slightly risen in some local areas, an amazing feat considering that many in the nation saw their home values rapidly decline, those of us living in Southwestern Pennsylvania are not immune to the impact impending policy changes would make.
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Eliminating or reducing some of the major incentives for homeownership would mean that those able to afford a home would not reap the benefits from acquiring one, namely those provided by tax deductions or the protection from capital gains taxation. More startling yet, is that even though prices of Pittsburgh homes remain reasonable and the market solid, people are also being denied financing even when they can afford the terms. Though most of these recent closing snags aren’t due to activities on the buyer’s behalf, there are some important guidelines to follow to make sure that a qualified buyer is covering her bases for the best possible outcome, even in today’s economy. “A buyer’s best defense is a good offense,” says Julie Rost, a realtor with Prudential Preferred Realty’s city office. “Don’t apply for a loan product you don’t think you’re eligible for, and participate in a timely fashion when your lender asks you for documentation. Know in advance that their requests will be cumbersome and tedious…it’s just part of the process.” It’s a process that seems to be getting
28 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
more and more “tedious” as Uncle Sam tries to steady a shaky market. But the government is not the only one responsible for what might become one of the largest housing stagnation periods in American history. Private lenders are licking their wounds from the fall out, and homebuyers in our region are feeling the pain.
THE 30-YEAR FIXED MORTGAGE As you read this, members of Congress are discussing abolishing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a move that would eradicate a Federal absorption for market risk. Without a backstop to help private lenders feel confident, there is speculation that the 30-year fixed mortgage would become unpalatable to private lending institutions. Though this is still in the speculative stage, the mortgage industry would be forever changed as we know it. “It would be a massive shock if we were to lose the option of a 30-year mortgage,” says Lisa Siranovich of Sail Mortgage in Wexford—a shock that would be felt by millions of people
| Spring 2012
seeking an affordable means to own. The backlash would mean higher interest rates and points for low and moderate-income borrowers. Siranovich believes that another option would have to take its place if this were to happen, and though she, like many mortgage professionals, is skeptical of this coming to pass, the void would certainly have to be filled to keep the housing market afloat. The possible extinction of a 30-year mortgage tool would, in turn, also lead to an increase in rental rates because the demand would surpass the supply, especially in regions like Pittsburgh where most housing is owned and rentals are fewer as a result. If your perception was that rentals wouldn’t be affected by policy changes, think again: the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is also under scrutiny by the Feds, meaning that the production, and rehabilitation, of affordable rental properties would vanish. But before you decide that renting is something far-removed from your personal reality or that of your future children, consider this: most people in their lives both rent and own a home.
Lower transaction costs and maintenancefree living is a draw for those who cannot maintain a premise on their own, or who are in the active process of saving for a down payment on a home. In the past, the Steel City has not been one that is particularly known for its rental environment. The majority of rentals were taken by students or transients—those living in the city for brief, educational or professional purposes. But once they grow accustom to the exceptional standard of living here, many decide to purchase a home, citing Pittsburgh as an affordable, safe place to raise a family. Prospective homebuyers who can afford mortgages, but are turned down because of paralyzing policies, will also need some place to live until the tides turn in their favor. “Renters defy common perceptions that they are all young and have low incomes,” says a spokesperson at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. “Half of all renters are over age 40, and about 10 million renters are in the top half of the income distribution and
3.8 in the top quartile.” What affects one, affects all when living in such a tightlywoven and dependent economy.
HEY, FHA! IS ANYBODY OUT THERE? If the 30-year mortgage, about as popular a lending tool in this country as apple pie is to our culture, becomes more costly or scarce, millions of hopeful buyers will be unable to borrow the funds necessary to buy, even when their credit is exemplary. A natural reaction in times like these would be to turn our attention toward FHA loans, but the government has decided that it may be time to limit the FHA’s involvement. This is one of the most popular loans today, so what would it mean if its abilities were curtailed and its lending power stripped? It would mean a lot of things, and none of them promising. Losing Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and a respectable level of FHA-granted loans would severely limit buyers’ choices. Because a federal role would be reduced
PRESENTLY, A QUARTER OF BORROWING APPLICANTS ARE TURNED DOWN. THIS IS NOT A NUMBER THAT CAN INCREASE, FOR PRECIOUS FEW HOUSING MARKETS COULD WITHSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES, OUR CITY INCLUDED. and the privatized role increased, investors would be more apprehensive and
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the assurance of liquidity and stability, lost. Presently, a quarter of borrowing applicants are turned down. This is not a number that can increase, for precious few housing markets could withstand the consequences, our city included.
homebuyers disqualified for a mortgage. If the six federal agencies pushing to impose a national standard of 20% down payments succeed, the fantastical scenarios mentioned above would soon become grizzly realities.
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Imagine this: a whopping 62% of first mortgages given to homebuyers last year would suddenly disappear into the ethers. Prospective first-time homebuyers and middle class households would be unable to buy a home. Borrowers would have to pay two percentage points for private market loans to help lenders mitigate risk. Picture in your mind five million potential
Why citizens are being made to pay the consequences of poor lending practices is beyond anyone’s imagination, including the Center for Responsible Lending (a non-profit, non-partisan research organization). “Low down payment home loans have been a significant and safe part of the mortgage finance system for decades, bearing little resemblance to sub-prime and other alternative mortgage products that crashed our economy. And responsible, low down payment loans are also a key to
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USUALLY, IT’S AT LEAST 20% DOWN OR MORE, DEPENDING ON THE PRICE TAG OF THE HOME, BUT REGIONAL BANKS ARE WILLING TO HELP OUT AND GET CREATIVE.” the recovery of our nation’s housing market and economy.” It’s akin to a doctor amputating both legs of a patient when only one is responsible for infection. It is necessary to exterminate the root of the problem, but cutting off the life force that will fuel the recovery is imprudent and potentially fatal to the dreams of so many Americans who hope to own a home in their lifetime. 32 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
Up until now, the home has been the primary source of financial security and wealth for Americans. Despite the loss of home values in most communities nationwide, a Pew Research Center study in 2011 found that 81% of adults believe that buying a home is the soundest longterm investment an individual can make in his or her lifetime. These findings go hand in hand with what our country has always promoted as part of the comprehensive ideal to which one could aspire, and achieve, if he so wanted. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower called housing construction and development “essential to the economic and social well-being of our country.” And being such, he believed it to be government’s concern, and partial responsibility, to make sure every American family had a true opportunity to own a good home. Over 73% of Americans agree with President Eisenhower, and feel it necessary that Washington provide tax incentives to own. Perhaps one of the most important things that we can teach future homebuyers is that everything they do during their adult life, especially in the period preceding a purchase, will be scrutinized. As lenders become more and more cautious, we must be vigilant about painting a portrait of stability and consistency. One of the worst
| Spring 2012
things any of us can do while awaiting approval is change our spending habits to calm our nerves in the meantime. Rost has seen borrowers dig their own grave in an already difficult market, and in such cases, they only had themselves to blame. “Do not change major components of your financial picture, loan amount, loan product, or employer in the weeks leading up to closing. That type of action is a one way ticket back into loan underwriting and a delayed closing date.” Buyers may, however, have a greater chance of receiving the financing they need by limiting their search to regional banks. The impersonal and convoluted processes of Behemoth institutions are reason enough to work closer with lenders in one’s own community. Martin has taken great care to protect his buyers so that they can secure financing when they need it. “I work hard on my relationships with bankers, not just for my own benefit, but for that of my clients. There are ways to get it done today, but you have to have good credit and the numbers must make sense. Usually, it’s at least 20% down or more, depending on the price tag of the home, but regional banks are willing to help out and get creative.”
WHERE WILL OUR CHILDREN LIVE? Recent congressional and political activity in the real estate and home building industry proves that these days, a home is not only a dwelling. We’re far from what the 19th century landscape painters thought of as a home-owning experience in the American frontier. Today, it provides us with more than our forefathers could have ever imagined. Homeowners tap into the home’s equity for education costs, retirement funding, and as a way to cover mounting medical costs that keep our families healthy. In an election year, it is vital for all of us, homeowners and renters alike, to be aware of what changes loom on the horizon, determining if impending policies are in our best interest as Americans, as tax payers, and as people. We are able to exercise power and speak with our actions and votes. In the meantime, let’s hope that the housing industry rebounds heartily so that the American dream can remain possible for our children now, and for many generations to come.
Builder Profile
34 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
| Spring 2012
Builder Profile
Pittsburgh Creating Hope and a Safe Haven for Homeowners in Need By Erin G. O’Donnell The term “neighbor” means something slightly different to everyone, and the concept of community has certainly transformed drastically over the last few decades. Due to our reliance on technology for entertainment and work once performed by human hands and talents, we have lost many opportunities to connect with those in our immediate proximity, including individuals who live in the properties sur-
rounding our own. When I think about the concept of a neighborhood, I hear an audio play back of Dennis the Menace beckoning an exacerbated Mr. Wilson. Though the families were sometimes at odds over the never-ending enthusiasm and curiosity of this tireless, juvenile character, everyone on the street knew who lived on their block. A neighbor in need was usually met with an outpouring of efforts to help, even if it simply meant a basket of homemade baked goods delivered by, you guessed it, a rambunctious, wide-eyed troublemaker. As we become more and more isolated behind screens and monitors, we get to choose when, and whom, we interact with, and more often than not, it’s someone miles
away. In the age of heightened personal security and self-protection, a portion of our time is spent in the homes of reality television stars, not in the homes of our own neighbors. There is one organization, however, that has built their mission on helping those neighbors who make our towns what they are today, especially the long-term residents and stalwarts of our communities. Rebuilding Together was formed in 1988 on the basis of helping economicallychallenged community members unable to afford costs associated with home maintenance. They are the only non-profit in the nation providing free home repairs for
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Builder Profile those in need, and the bulk of those they help live at, or below, the federal poverty line. Throughout the country, Rebuilding Together has 200 chapters that use volunteers to repair the homes of seniors, veterans, and the disabled. This is precisely why Alan Sisco, Program Director at Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, has returned to his native region from Rebuilding Together headquarters in Washington, D.C. Now working for the local chapter in Greentree, he is excited about helping aging homeowners in Allegheny County. “Pittsburgh has the second largest senior population in the nation, and our housing stock is not much younger. The need here is huge. Nationally, Rebuilding Together will help anyone meeting low income standards, but in Pittsburgh, we concentrate mainly on our unique senior population.” Sandie Gagorik, Manager of Universal Service 13:15 PM Community Outreach at Equitable Gas didn’t have to relocate to join the RTP team. Like Sisco, she also felt called to serve. At Equitable Gas, Gagorik directs and promotes programs for limitedincome customers, so joining as Board
President at Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh was another way to help even more residents of Allegheny County receive the resources they required. “RTP is fulfilling a need in this area to sustain our neighborhoods and keep homeowners living independently through its various services. With the help of our sponsors, donors, and volunteers, we can continue to increase the number of homeowners assisted.” The Pittsburgh branch opened in 1993, and this April marks their 20th annual National Rebuilding Day where volunteers from companies, schools, churches, unions, and trade groups join RTP affiliates to provide low income owners with free repairs. It was her experience at a National Rebuilding Day event that drove Gagorik to take a leadership role at the organization. “When my company was approached to sponsor a home on Rebuilding Day, I signed up to help. My company has been sponsoring a home on Rebuilding Day for many years, and many of us continue to volunteer.” RTP is happy to match volunteers with projects throughout the region,
and Sisco stresses that anyone in Allegheny County meeting the requirements can apply to receive free repairs, but the nonprofit does have target communities that are in the greatest need. Those neighborhoods include the Penn Avenue corridor in East Liberty, West Pittsburgh towns, and the Southside hilltop close to Mt. Washington. “There are a disproportionate amount of housing issues with poverty and capacity in these areas. Resources for home-owning seniors on a fixed income don’t really exist in these neighborhoods. Many of them live in a 110 year-old house built for ablebodied mill workers. These homes weren’t originally built to accommodate seniors, so we target these areas because of how much our service is needed.” According to the Pittsburgh chapter, some of the most common housing problems in Allegheny County are with roofs. Much of it is differed maintenance, and Sisco has entered many sites where the entire structural integrity of a home is compromised by a leak. “It could be a simple $600 patch job that’s needed to alleviate the problem,
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Builder Profile but folks on fixed incomes or widows who never worked with contractors and don’t know who to trust, either call us or don’t call anyone at all.” After raging rain storms and unforgiving winter precipitation, a small problem can easily mushroom into a serious danger for a homeowner. “Roofing is definitely the number one need in this area from a structural standpoint. From the client side, however, it’s mobility and functionality of a house.” Pittsburgh homes often have cramped, hard-to-access bathrooms. There are 20 stairs leading from a sidewalk to a house, and another 20 stairs to a restroom. Our city of three rivers and a smattering of hills creates a difficult topography that demands accessible entrances, the creative navigation of stairs, the addition of handrails, and the placement of grab bars. And while RTP sees a lot of people living in homes that are too difficult to maintain by themselves on limited means, the organization is adamant about doing repairs, helping where they can, and doing so without suggesting homeowners sell or leave.
“Do you have grandparents? Have you ever asked them to move out of their home before? It’s not happening. People want to stay in their house. While it may not be the best decision, it’s not up to us to decide for them. Our job is to make homes safe and healthy, to stabilize them and improve them, so that when the owners do move, the property is more valuable. The home is the only source of wealth our clients have.” RTP has a streamlined application process that is simple to complete. Anyone who is a veteran, senior citizen, or disabled owner and of low income is eligible for RTP’s services, but they do require that those receiving RTP assistance are current on their taxes. “We want to help those who are good members of their community and who are most likely to stay on the property,” Sisco explains. If a homeowner is unable to fill out his own application, a neighbor or family member is welcome to complete it or send it in on his behalf. “A lot of our applications and suggestions come from our outreach efforts, specifically our interaction with church groups and block associa-
tions.” Marie and Brian Moisant were not aware of Rebuilding Together, but were grateful when they arrived to help the military family of seven. “When Brian’s commander got wind that his car had broken down, he contacted the Veteran’s Association and had the repairs paid for and put in a request for Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh to help us with some maintenance at our home as well.” We hadn’t even heard of RTP before that, but they did so much for us. They immediately took care of mold remediation in the attic, inspected and replaced our plumbing, provided a new wall of cabinetry, installed new countertops, got us a new refrigerator, and performed electrical re-wiring. I had no idea this resource was available for military families, and it was such a blessing to receive their help. It was wonderful. We are so thankful that they do what they do.” With a Rebuilding Together chapter in just about every major U.S. city (there are 200 chapters total presently), it seems as though the need for services like those that RTP provides are on the rise. What
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Builder Profile
is it about home owning in today’s market that makes it so difficult for these affected populations to maintain their homes? Sisco believes the problem is at the gas pump, in our utility bills, at the pharmacy counter, and in outdated building materials used to construct many of the homes in question. “The cost of owning a home for a low income, or fixed income senior, goes up every year. The mortgage may be the same, or it may be paid off entirely, but the cost of living goes up annually. You have older individuals in homes too big to heat and cool with no energy efficiency to speak of. They are living with 20 year-old appliances, insufficient window paneling, and bad insulation. To top it off, utilities are getting
“We all have very busy lives but, at the same time, we need to give back to those who made the communities of Pittsburgh and the surrounding region a great place to live.” more expensive. It’s the perfect storm.” Homeowners in these circumstances are made to choose between spending their scarce financial resources on contractors to fix leaks, or on those things which keep them alive, namely medical bills and energy costs. Economic disparity and its effect on property owners was something that Sisco was introduced to at an early age. As the son of a contractor, he would accompany his father on jobs and quickly learned that those who had a lot could afford the maintenance required to keep a home livable, but the economically-strapped families struggled to uphold a standard. “I realized quickly how poverty affects one’s ability to take care of a home,” he remembers. Luckily, Sisco, along with numerous others devoted to Rebuilding Together’s exemplary mission, have made it their personal goal to positively change the landscape of today’s communities. As in any grass roots non-profit, the local chapter is a very small,
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multi-tasking, work force comprised of professionals and AmeriCorps volunteers who sincerely care about helping others live healthy, full lives in Pittsburgh’s vibrant neighborhoods. “Running a non-profit is an art, more so than a science. You have to believe in what you’re doing.” RTP’s mission is one that is easy to support, but because of restrictions and limitations, they still must judiciously choose which homes receive free repairs. “It’s not easy to tell people that we can’t help them when we know they’re struggling. But then you get a phone call from an owner who, for the first time in two years, had a hot shower, I feel like we accomplished something. Those are the days I look forward to.” Currently, RTP has a strong and loyal group of sponsors, investors, and partners with whom they work to create safe dwellings for seniors in Pittsburgh, including the local carpentry union who generously provides 50-60 professionals for on-site work to ensure that repairs are done with
Builder Profile
accuracy and care. As they look towards the future, Sisco and his colleagues hope to increase the investment made in each home they repair. “Our average cash outlay for each home is $2,200, and it just doesn’t cut it. Over the next five years, we want to increase our average investment per house by at least 50%. It may not be a drastic increase, but when you spread it out over the 160 owners we’ll be helping this year, it makes a difference.” Local residents are encouraged to participate in improving the quality of life for their neighbors, whether those neighbors live down the street or in another community. The cultural and communal fabric of this city is one of the strongest in the nation, and by offering the general public an opportunity to help on National Rebuilding Day, or to volunteer on a regular basis, RTP offers us all a chance to show the pride and concern we have for our fellow Pittsburghers. Gagorik believes that service to one’s community is a priority that is oftentimes overlooked. “We all have very busy lives but, at the same time, we need to give back to those who made the communities of Pittsburgh and the surrounding region a great place to live. I guarantee that if someone can just give up one day to help, the feeling she will experience and the thanks she receives from the homeowners will be incredible.”
For those less inclined to work on-site, Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh is happy to receive donations and sponsorships that help struggling homeowners live independently. “For those who cannot volunteer, I ask that they consider a donation to help us continue our mission of repairing homes, improving lives, stabilizing communities—the donations stay in our community to assist our neighbors,” Gagorik says. RTP also hosts an annual fundraising event. This year, An Evening to Remember will be held on June 22nd at the Westin Convention Center. Jackie Evancho, recording artist and prodigy first discovered on America’s Got Talent, will be performing for attendees that night. Tickets for the annual fundraiser and more information on volunteering or sponsoring opportunities can be found on their website.
what they do really does help people. We felt so honored to receive any of this.” For Sisco, it’s simply a matter of regional pride, helping to protect those who have nowhere else to turn. “Our neighborhoods are our identity in this city. What side of the river, which side of the tunnel, and which hill we live on is important to us. We need to embrace that, and it’s our goal to make it comfortable for everyone while they live here.” A full list of supporters, as well as applications for homeowners and volunteers, are available at their web site, www.rtpittsburgh.org.
Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh will help over a hundred homeowners this year, and one home at a time; they are rejuvenating the landscape, and the spirits, of our city. We are fortunate to have an organization dedicated to helping our neighbors in need, especially in an age where we are continuously distracted from what is going on in our very own community. Marie Moisant didn’t realize what was going on in older veterans’ homes until RTP had come to help her family. “We saw what they were doing for others, especially older veterans. It was so sad to see what was going on in their homes. It’s really important that the general public knows RTP exists, and that www.greaterpittsburghnewhome.com
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Project Profile
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Project Profile
Dan McCaffery, CEO, McCaffery Interests, and Charles Hammel, President of Pitt Ohio, hit a home run with the success of the Cork Factory Lofts located in Pittsburgh’s historic Strip District. Now this dynamic duo of development has set their sights on a new project reflecting the name of its location also in the Strip, Lot 24. The site, positioned adjacent to the Cork Factory Lofts, will feature a four-story residential structure comprised of 96 apartments; a new construction rising from a fallow property owned by Hammel.
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Project Profile But bringing this property and the Cork Factory refurbishment to fruition was no small feat. Hammel, who owned both properties, had gotten a call “out of the blue” from Jules Marling, a former Chicago real estate developer. Marling, who had an interest in refurbishing historic buildings, had originally learned about the Cork Factory from his son, at the time a member of the Pittsburgh Ballet Company. Marling, in turn, had also spoken with McCaffery, asking for some help with what was a “potential” real estate project. Ultimately, McCaffery and Hammel partnered and took on the project solely. So by happy accident, the partnership between the two flourished, but more importantly, the need for urban living quarters was thusly realized. “Dan is an amazing developer. It was a tough, expensive deal that turned out to be a magnet for people,” Hammel explained, referring to the Cork Factory Lofts. “We attracted a lot of people new to Pittsburgh who wanted an urban experience.” Likewise, McCaffery was unsure about the success of such a project. “We spent
42 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
a great deal of time and effort on this project,” he said. “By all measures, it was a raging success.” Evidence to that point is the fact that the Cork Factory Lofts boasts a nine-month waiting list, continuing to hold a strong demand among potential urbanites. Because of the increasing demand, McCaffery and Hammel envisioned a “sister building” to the Cork Factory along the ever burgeoning Strip District skyline. “The market is telling us there is a demand in the Strip District,” McCaffery continued. “So we embarked on another building with slightly different finishes.” Hammel believes Pittsburgh is climbing in stature evidenced by a growing population. “We’re starting to dispose of the notion of ‘Who wants to live downtown,’” he explained. “There is a lot of pent up demand for urban living space, with people trying to simplify their lives by giving up the commute from the suburbs into downtown Pittsburgh for work. In the city, they can shop, enjoy entertainment, and dine out. UPMC, American Eagle
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Outfitters, Dick’s Sporting Goods and others are attracting people to work here and they want to live downtown because it’s chic. Indeed, Pittsburgh is enjoying a resurgence economically speaking, one not lost on United States Secretary of Commerce John Bryson. According to a February 1, 2012, CBS affiliate news broadcast, the Secretary said he was excited about the economic growth happening in Pittsburgh. Meeting with community and business leaders to discuss job creation, Bryson said that the area’s unemployment numbers continue to improve, according to the report. Confirming that notion is a December 2011 report on “Pittsburgh’s Labor Market in the Recession and Recovery” authored by Tim Dunne, Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, and Kyle Fee, Research Analyst, Federal Bank of Cleveland. In the report, “ …Pittsburgh experienced a milder recession, measured in terms of job loss or unemployment rates, than the nation and three other major metropolitan areas in the Fourth
Project Profile District – Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus. Pittsburgh’s unemployment rate is currently considerably lower than the nation.” And, “Pittsburgh performed better largely because specific industries in Pittsburgh grew faster (or declined less) than those industries in the nation as a whole.”
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE AN URBAN HOME Construction for the Lot 24 project began in December 2011, with Massaro Corporation, a commercial construction and real estate company serving clients in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, named as general contractor for the project. Financing for the project came from The Employee Real Estate Construction Trust Fund (The ERECT Fund), the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Strategic Investment Funds and is supported by a RACP grant (the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program administered by the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of economic, cultural,
or civic improvement projects), according to Pamela Austin, Project Manager of Development for McCaffery Interests. She views this project as having a different feel with a bit of a more intimate community, given it is a singular building as opposed to the Cork Factory Lofts’ three-building structure. Whereas the Cork Factory features the exposed pipes, concrete floors, and tall ceilings and beams, Lot 24 will exhibit more open layouts, 9-foot ceilings and upgraded finishes such as granite countertops, island kitchens and custom carpeting. McCaffery describes Lot 24 as a “very uplifting and edgy” project with its red brick and metal exterior, designed by Antunovich Associates of Chicago, meshing nicely with the Strip’s ambiance. “The Cork Factory Lofts celebrate the idea that it was once a factory, keeping alive the age of the building,” he noted. By contrast, Lot 24 is a new construction rather than a refurbished landmark, but no less striking with its contemporary look. Hammel explained it like this. “The Cork Factory offers the 15-foot ceilings with 8-foot walls – a cool look that may not be for everyone. Lot 24 offers an alternative
to that style that’s traditional but not by traditional standards.” But, interior amenities will not be spared. Residents will enjoy a variety of spaces – a reflecting pool, terraces, jacuzzi, gas grills and more. A club room with fireplace, billiards table and kitchen with an island bar around which people can gather as well as a media wall is de rigueur. Just steps away, residents can work off the stresses of the day in the Fitness Center, take advantage of concierge services or relax in the elegant lobby, outfitted with Wi-Fi and other homey touches. “This building supports the same amenities we put in all our developments,” Austin added. Tying in the Pittsburgh element further, a local artist will be commissioned for a piece to be placed in the main lobby. Looking for an apartment tailored just for your needs? Lot 24 offers four options from a compact studio version to a two-bedroom arrangement, all with a walk-in closet, washer/dryer, and an island kitchen. A studio apartment, for example, ranges from 472 to 650 square
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Project Profile
Occupancy of Lot 24 is expected to start before the end of 2012, with a big push in the spring of 2013, a time that Pittsburgh-born Hammel is anxiously awaiting. “The Strip is becoming a ‘neighborhood’, a hot area that’s close to the heart of the city,” he said. “Pittsburgh has finally tipped the scale so we’re gaining more people than we are losing.
44 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
feet, with an open living/bedroom space with several floor plans available. A onebedroom model, with 632 to 832 square feet, offers a “L”-shaped kitchen island with dark wood cabinets and a coat closet, all making for a cozy living arrangement. For those desiring a bit more space and additional functionality, the one-bedroom plus den apartment offers 858 to 1,007 square feet of space. The “den” area, separated by glass doors, serves as a home office, study, or whatever your particular tastes desire. Finally, the two-bedroom model boasting 1,098 to 1,107 square feet, features a master bedroom with bath, many of which hold a double sink vanity, as well as a guest bedroom and second bath easily accessible for both guests or other family members. In each case, tile flooring graces the kitchen, carpeting in the bedrooms, and engineered wood throughout the remainder of the apartments. Bringing the outdoors just a bit closer are balconies or terraces on many of the apartments, where folks can enjoy their morning cup of coffee or a nighttime view of the Pittsburgh vista. All told, the overall gross area of the building translates to 93,604 square feet. From a more distinctive look, IntraSpec Hospitality Design, with 20 years of experience in creating hotel and restaurant interiors, was called upon to add its unique touch to the project. “We want to create an atmosphere that related to the industrial vibe of the area,” said Susan Caruso, President/Principal Designer of Intra-Spec Hospitality Design. “We used a lot of natural materials and earth tones mixed with metal and glass elements.” As a design firm entrenched in the hospitality industry, the key was to translate that expertise into a residential environment. According to Caruso, features like the media wall, fireplace and business center help residents “feel at home while experiencing all the amenities of a resort or urban hotel.” She added that the activity room’s built-in kitchen, gaming and lounge-like elements add to the expanded residential feeling of the spaces. Investing in the common areas of the development is not a foreign
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concept to McCaffery. “He has a different approach,” explained Pamela Austin. “He wants to ‘sell’ you on your apartment before you reach the door.” One of the “fun” approaches he uses gives a nod to his Irish heritage and tradition. “There is a famous poster in Ireland called “The Georgian Doors of Dublin” with 30 doors of different shapes, sizes and colors. We couldn’t change the shape or size of our doors, but we could change the colors.” He explained that people sometimes turn a ‘jaundiced’ eye toward things because “everyone’s everything is the same. We try not to do that.” He continued that one of the simplest ways to accomplish just that was by changing the door colors, which “has proven to be very well received.” “We have done several properties with Mr. McCaffery,” Caruso said. “Dan McCaffery likes to infuse a bit of the unexpected in these projects. The door colors are a fun way to differentiate the residences, give each one a sense of individuality. The door colors relate to the color palette of the interiors. We have created pops of color throughout the public spaces that create a modern juxtaposition with the industrial elements and rich wood tones.” But Caruso sums up the characteristic that may attract residents: “We like to think of it as a true urban resort. It has all the comforts of home and the amenities of a hotel, along with the industrial and unconventional flavor of the surrounding Strip District.” Austin offered that the idea is for people to view the lobby areas as an extension of their living rooms, as places where they can grab their computers and hang out. Further, as in all McCaffery projects, the building is pet friendly. An additional benefit for building inhabitants is its non-smoking status. “We’ve done this with great success in some of our Chicago projects,” Austin commented. “It’s in keeping with our LEED goals and is healthier for our residents.” To brand the building further, the firm of Selbert Perkins Design was hired by McCaffery Interests to do the building’s environmental graphics. Recently named
2011 SEGD Fellows, environmental graphic design’s highest professional honor, Selbert Perkins has created such iconic designs as the LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), the Grammy Awards logo, Downtown Disney, Stride Rite product retail logo, andThis Dubai is a proof only. All colors here may or may not match final printed copy exactly. This is a Festival City among others.during the creation of your advertisement. ABC Advertising shall not be held responsible for an
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Occupancy of Lot 24 is expected to start Should the number of sets of changes requested exceed two, add before the end of 2012, with a big push in the spring of 2013, a time that Pittsburghborn Hammel is anxiously awaiting. “The Strip is becoming a ‘neighborhood’, a hot area that’s close to the heart of the city,” he said. “Pittsburgh has finally tipped the scale so we’re gaining more people than we are losing. I expect that we’re on the front end of population growth and development is following.” Hammel’s love of his hometown roots in Pittsburgh is well known. In fact, McCaffery has referred to him, in a good natured way, as “someone who bleeds Pittsburgh and cares about the city, believing that the Strip is deserving of another hotel or townhouses.” For now, Hammel takes pride in both the Lot 24 and Cork Factory projects. “These are things that will be around for many years. We took an old factory that was standing for 100 years and will hopefully be around for another 100 years. So you feel good about preserving Pittsburgh history.” Pursuing LEED certification, Hammel views this as part of good stewardship of the neighborhood. “We are contributing to change in the Strip District,” McCaffery offered. “It’s like bringing another set of eyes to the area. Many great areas in many great cities are left to go to waste, but you realize, it’s a stone’s throw from downtown and we’re looking to add to the charm rather than having it loose its luster.”
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INTERIORS
YOUR OUTDOOR LANDSCAPE
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INTERIORS
A Paradise or the Pits? Some tips on springing into action to keep your outdoor territory tip-top. As the winter doldrums give way to the enchantment of spring, there may be no greater reward than spending sundrenched days in your own private outdoor retreat - one that suits your needs and fulfills your dreams. But before you indulge a warm weather fantasy of outdoor living, do a reality check and gather some facts. Experts agree that thoughtful consideration should be given when creating, enhancing or maintaining that outdoor space, regardless of its size or level of sophistication. In all cases, moving from indoor to outdoor living takes planning and preparation prior to execution and enjoyment. Or, put more poetically, “Spring in the world! And all things are made new.”
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INTERIORS ing environment. Perhaps it’s a matter of enhancing an existing patio or deck, expanding a perennial garden, or adding features such as a fire pit, hillside waterfall or outdoor cooking area. According to the American Society of Landscape Architects, “Overall landscapes can add as much as 15 percent to the value of your home compared to other houses on your street. If you’re unsure about what to budget, one rule of thumb is to start with 5 to 10 percent of your home’s worth. While this may seem high, consider this: research from Virginia Tech shows that landscapes literally grow in value over time …”
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PLANNING
We’re all enthralled by the grandiose outdoor living spaces touted in magazines or on television. But without serious planning and thought, opting to conjure up gourmet classics in a new outdoor kitchen may not, in fact, be your cup of tea after all. That said, an honest assessment of what you want versus what truly meets your needs is a first step in realizing your dream of a private, outdoor paradise. In short, plan ahead. Research your options via the Internet, consult professionals, and explore home and living magazines to flesh out your own ideas. Determine how much time, energy and money you are willing to expend in preparation, construction and maintenance of your outdoor space. Consider how you will use this space to entertain, adopt as a hobby, use as a child’s play area, extend your overall living space, or simply relax in an aesthetically pleas48 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
How many times have you thought or heard someone say, “I know what I want, but … “ with the rest of that sentence ranging from “I don’t know how to go about it” to “I just can’t picture it.” To make even the seemingly best ideas better while bringing them to fruition, formulate a plan that includes a preliminary budget, your intended use of the space, and how much time you are willing to devote to its maintenance and upkeep. Keith Morris of K. Morris Landscape Design Inc., Oakdale, Pa., specializing in residential landscaping, cites a common mistake: Calling a contractor without going through a design process. He suggests sitting with a professional landscape designer to talk about possibilities before moving to construction, one who is qualified to do what you are thinking. “Many times, people look at magazines and television and say, “I really want to do some-
| Spring 2012
thing like that” but most are unsure of the cost and can’t envision what it will look like in their own space.” He adds that a realistic approach about who is maintaining the yard, you versus a lawn service, for example should be a consideration. Morris also advises that finding a comfort level with a design professional has its value. “Be comfortable with knowing the person by gaining direct referrals from friends, seeing the person’s work, checking references and considering word of mouth. Every landscape company has a specialty. Make sure you understand what that specialty is and if it’s what you want and need.” He adds that looking at the landscaper’s education, experience and any professional association memberships may also be helpful in making an appropriate selection. Eric French, President of Eisler Landscapes in Butler County, also emphasizes the use of a design as a road map. “Do your homework,” he counsels. “We want people to pull out pictures from magazines, build a
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portfolio, and give us direction when we meet and talk.” French believes it’s about balance – weighing a person’s ability to maintain a given space with the desired design. “Part of our job is to tell people how much work is involved. There is no such thing as a maintenance-free landscape.” The good news is, however, there are low maintenance landscapes that may fit the bill for any given client.
Bob Welling, Vice President of Marketing for R.I. Lampus, a leader in the hardscape industry located in Springdale, Pa., urges people to plan ahead. He suggests talking to various contractors, looking at their work, and seeking out references. He recommends that people contact the contractor early on in the spring. “Most homeowners don’t realize that most planning, construction and scheduling occurs very early in the season,” Welling said. “We are a manufacturer, not a retail provider of materials, but we serve as a resource to get people to the right person. We have a staff who can steer you in the right direction.”
PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR SUCCESSFUL GARDENING When it comes to planting, be it shrubs, trees or perennials, Keith Morris encourages people to get a designer’s point of view. “Every situation is unique. Just because you like a plant doesn’t mean it will work well in your situation. Sit down, look at options … talk about colors. You should have a combination that boasts a good look throughout the four seasons.” Paula Korber, President, Westmoreland County Botanical Society, agrees. “When you’re planting a perennial garden, shape, color and size are very important.” As a longtime member of the Botanical Society, Korber’s interest lies more toward Pennsylvania native plants, such as Black-Eyed Susan, cone flowers, sundrops, violets, butterfly weed and trillium, to name a few. But when using native plants, she
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INTERIORS cautions that watching where and how many you plant is key, since plants native to the area have a tendency to multiple. “I enjoy landscaping with native plants. Sometimes, when you use more exotic plants, you end up with a crazy looking array, some of which may be invasive, choking out good plants.” Planning also involves looking at the juxtaposition of plants with hardscape additions, furniture and other outdoor accoutrements, especially if you’re looking to entertain guests or spend time in the space. For example, “Butterfly bushes are great,” French noted. “They attract butterflies but they also attract bees, so you don’t want to put them by a seating area or beside a swimming pool. Choose the right place for the right plant.” The same holds true for a fire element. “Certainly, a fireplace or a fire pit can extend the outdoor season,” he continued. “The key is to locate it properly. Look at wind direction. If it’s blowing back
smoke in your face, it won’t be a pleasant experience.”
PREPARE TO EXECUTE THE LANDSCAPE You have a plan, determined a budget, and acknowledged what you will/ can do, so when is a good time to start outdoor preparations? “Clean-up is the Number One priority,” Korber explained. “A good clean-up allows you to remove wet leaves, pine needles and other debris left from the fall that may cause mold, fungus or other diseases, which are not good for your plants.” Since southwestern Pennsylvania soil is made up of hard clay, spring is also a good time to prepare the soil. “If you have compost, put that down in early spring to amend your soil for planting. Compost helps to loosen the soil,” she noted. According to Keith Morris, there is no bad time to mulch, advocating a 2 to 3 inch mulch depth. In addition to creating an eye-popping
“If you have compost, put that down in early spring to amend your soil for planting. Compost helps to loosen the soil,” finish to a garden, mulch is beneficial for plants on several fronts: it maintains moisture, retards weed growth, and breaks down into compost, which again, is good for soil composition. “When choosing a mulch, shredded, hardwood bark mulch is best for plants. It’s the least conducive to fungus and molds.” He cautions about
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INTERIORS other materials such as rubber mulch, which can be expensive and holds in heat thereby “baking” plant roots or color-sprayed wood chip and long-shredded wood chips that “look pretty but do nothing for the landscaping.” Eric French, of Eisler Landscapes that has served the region from Washington, Pa., to Erie and Ligonier/Somerset for 80 years, also recommends keeping adequate mulch down to cultivate. “I don’t like putting down plastic first, since it stops the air exchange, starving the soil, and the mulch tends to wash off easily. With fabric, weeds will actually root down from the top of the fabric into the soil. Mulching is very important and can be done in early March or even the previous fall.” French points out that late March serves as a good time to divide certain plants such as day lilies, hostas and ornamental grasses. As for the allimportant weed issue, all agree that the best method of eradication is elbow grease – plucking weeds as they appear, and mulching.
PREPARE TO EXECUTE THE HARDSCAPE
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52 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
| Spring 2012
But what about those hardscape areas? How do you keep that patio looking its best? Bob Welling, R.I. Lampus, explained that any patio of concrete, brick or paver surface needs the debris removed. “There are some very good cleaning products from detergents to mild acids that can remove debris and leaf stains. The cleaner works well to freshen and clean.” He also urges paying attention to the cleaners, reading labels, asking questions, and checking whether or not the cleaner will harm adjacent plant life, taking precautions to protect plants regardless. Retaining walls, too, can be cleaned in the same manner if stains have occurred from water coming in behind a wall or if chemicals from the soil leach out. For those anxious to pressure wash a stone surface, a word of warning. “Pressure washing is good for some things, but pressure washing pavers doesn’t always result in what you want,” explained Welling. “It can concentrate tremendous amounts of abrasion on some areas. If you pressure wash inappropriately, you can cause color patterns on the pavers and it may not clean as well as a cleaner or some chemicals.” On a fairly new patio installation, he suggests checking to see if the sand has settled. If so, simply buying some sand and brooming it over the patio to fill settled areas is a quick refresher. After cleaning a patio, some may wish to seal it, sharpening, deepening and highlighting the color. “The time of year is very important when sealing a patio,” Welling said. “The surface should be
As for the all-important weed issue, all agree that the best method of eradication is elbow grease – plucking
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weeds as they appear, and mulching.
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absolutely dry and the temperature above 40 F for some period of time. Sealing pavers, like waxing a floor, helps to reduce future staining.” Welling sees home and garden shows as a great place to glean ideas about landscaping and hardscaping from discovering new products like outdoor kitchens with granite countertops, outdoor pizza ovens and water features, to the latest in patio furniture, yard tools, gazebos, patio coverings and outdoor lighting. “Accent lighting can enhance the look of a patio space and is not a big expense.” Whatever you do, be sure the outdoor space reflects your needs, wants and taste since this space is not only an important extension of your home but your idyllic refuge from the rigors of everyday life.
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53
INTERIORS
… There’s so much to think about in terms of outdoor “primping” as the spring season rolls around. Try these suggestions so you can spend more time enjoying your outdoor haven. 1. Make sure your garden tools are clean, dirt free, and/or sharpened for spring use. Ideally, you should clean them with alcohol or bacterial wipes before storing in the fall. 2. Early spring means doing a thorough weeding in your garden beds. This aids in the successful return of plants and flowers. 3. Take a look at trees and shrubs. If there are dead limbs or sections, trim them. 4. Pay attention to your lawn. Aeration can be done in early to midspring. 5. Keep mowing equipment sharp and at the proper adjustment. Most 54 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
lawns should be cut at two inches or above and mowed regularly when the grass is growing. You may want to check those spark plugs and replace the oil and air filters in those mowers as well. 6. Apply weed control for annual grass weeds such as crabgrass, etc., prior to weed seed germination in early to mid-spring (suggested dates - April 1 to May 1 in southwestern Pennsylvania). Broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions and ground ivy, may take a broadleaf herbicide, done when weeds are actively growing in spring or early fall. 7. Fertilize. Two applications of a 10-6-4 fertilizer having a 35 percent or more of the total nitrogen as water insoluble nitrogen can meet the needs of most lawns. The first application can be made at the rate of 15 pounds of a 10-6-4 fertilizer per 1,000 square feet in mid- to late spring with the second application at the rate of 15 to 20 pounds in late summer or early fall. 8. If you garden extensively, you may want to test your soil. Sampling the soil in early spring or late fall al-
| Spring 2012
lows you to have results before buying fertilizer or lime. 9. Looking forward to grilling? Clean grills and burners. Check propane tanks and hoses for leaks and inspect the igniter. Always follow manufacturer’s guidelines for maintenance. 10. If needed, restore your wooden deck by cleaning with appropriate products and seal with a protective water repellant finish. 11. Pull out the patio furniture and give it a good cleaning! You may wish to use an environmentally friendly cleaner. If you have metal furniture with a tendency to rust, touch up those rusty spots with a rust inhibiting product. Sources: Better Homes and Garden – www.bhg.com; Real estate agents. com; www.homeownernet.com; Penn State Cooperative Extension Service; Homeownersinsurance.com.
Custom single-family homes, carriage homes, townhomes or condominiums ‌ new locations and new homesites.
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56 Allegheny County
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CITY OF PITTSBURGH
CITY OF PITTSBURGH
151 First Side Downtown Pittsburgh Condominiums Priced from: $500,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: 151 First Side 412-586-5970 151firstside.com Angel’s Arms Southside Condominiums Priced from: $199,900 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Northwood Realty Services 412-367-3200 Bedford Hill City of Pittsburgh, Homewood Single-family homes Priced from: $130,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Northwood Realty 412-367-3200 northwood.com The Carlyle City of Pittsburgh Condominiums Priced from: $308,900 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-367-8000 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Columbus Square North Side Single family Priced from: $179,000 to $289,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Fourth River Development LLC 412-231-4444 ColumbusSquarePittsburgh.com
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
The Condominiums at St. Mathews City of Pittsburgh Condominiums Priced from: $350,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-521-2222 theenclavepgh.com Crescent Court Condominiums Squirrel Hill Condominiums Priced from: $375,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-421-2153 howardhanna.com Federal Hill City of Pittsburgh/ Northside Townhomes Priced from: $140,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: S & A Realty 412-364-2626
Hilltop Housing Initiative Beltzhoover Single-family homes Priced from: $89,900 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Northwood Realty 412-367-3200 northwood.com Market House Shadyside Condominiums Priced from: $350,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-683-1980 howardhanna.com The Metropolitan Shadyside Condominiums Priced from: $950,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-683-1980 howardhanna.com Nunnery Hill Overlook Northside Single-family homes Priced from: $180,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: RE/MAX Select Realty 412-633-9300 ext. 214 724-309-1758 fineviewhomes.com The Residences Pittsburgh Downtown Pittsburgh Skyhomes Priced from: $514,500 Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-355-0777 Riverside Mews City of Pittsburgh/South Side Contemporary town homes Priced from: $449,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: One80 Real Estate Services LLC 412-318-4139 one80res.com Summerset at Frick Park City of Pittsburgh/ Squirrel Hill Traditional Neighborhood Development Single-family homes, duplexes, townhomes, condominiums, apartments Priced from: $300,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Summerset Land Development Associates 412-420-0120 summersetatfrickpark.com Sweet Briar Village City of Pittsburgh/Mt. Washington Townhomes Priced from: $240,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Coldwell Banker Real Estate Agency: 412-521-2222 liveatsweetbriarvillage.com
56 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
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Vista Grande City of Pittsburgh/Mt. Washington Luxury condominiums Priced from: $500,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-344-0500 vistagrandepgh.com Windom Hill Place City of Pittsburgh/South Side Contemporary townhomes - condo Priced from: $679,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: One80 Real Estate Services LLC 412-318-4139 one80res.com Wylie Ave. Homes East Allegheny /Hill District Single-family homes Priced from: $140,000 School district: City of Pittsburgh Agency: Northwood Realty 412-367-3200 northwood.com
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Asbury II Monroeville Carriage homes Priced from: $229,900 School district: Gateway Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-327-5161 howardhanna.com Avonworth Heights Ohio Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $375,000 School district: Avonworth Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Barrington Manor Franklin Park Custom single-family homes Priced from: $500,000 School district: North Allegheny Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-367-8000 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Beechwood Bethel Park Single-family homes Priced from: $240,000 School district: Bethel Park Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1704 loveheartland.com Berkeley Square Monroeville Single-family homes Priced from: $329,000 School district: Gateway Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-856-8300 howardhanna.com
Robinson Township Classic Custom Homes from $500,000 On 2.5 Acres Each www.VisitParagonHomes.com
Steve Fink
Voice: 412-787-8807 Fax: 412-787-0429 email: Steve@VisitParagonHomes.com
The Berkshires South Fayette Township Single-family homes Priced from: $190,000 School district: South Fayette Agency: Ryan Homes 412-914-2057 ryanhomes.com
Castletown Franklin Park Custom single-family homes Priced from: $650,000 School district: North Allegheny Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-367-8000 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Berringer Court at Sonoma Ridge Moon Township Carriage homes Priced from: $230,000 School district: Moon Area Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1724 loveheartland.com
Centennial Point Collier Township Townhomes and single-family homes Priced from: $150,000 townhomes, $230,000 single-family Chartiers Valley Agency: S&A Homes 412-276-0422 sahomebuilder.com
Breckenridge Highlands Baldwin Borough Single-family homes Priced from: $190,000 School district: Baldwin-Whitehall Agency: Ryan Homes 724-218-1328 ryanhomes.com Briarwood Franklin Park Single-family homes Priced from: $350,000 School district: North Allegheny Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1716 loveheartland.com Brookfield Manor Bethel Park/South Park Single-family homes Priced from: $240,000 School district: Bethel Park/South Park Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1704 loveheartland.com Burwood Acres Robinson Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $290,000 School district: Montour Agency: S&A Homes 412-264-9200 sahomebuilder.com Carriage Estates Franklin Park Lots Priced from: $80,000 School district: North Allegheny Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 pittsburghmoves.com
Chapel Harbor Fox Chapel Carriage homes, townhomes and single-family homes Priced from: $249,900 School district: Fox Chapel Area Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-963-7655 liveinchapelharbor.com Chartiers Landing Robinson Township Single-family homes Priced from: $375,000 School district: Montour Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-262-4630 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Chavelle Estates Plum Borough Single-family homes Priced from: Mid-$200,000 School district: Plum Borough Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-327-5161 howardhanna.com ricciuticonstruction.com Cimarron Moon Township Single-family homes Priced from: $190,000 School district: Moon Area Agency: Ryan Homes 412-264-5029 ryanhomes.com Cobblestone Ohio Township Single-family homes and townhomes Priced from: $270,000 Single-family-homes; $210,000 townhomes; School district: Avonworth Agency: Ryan Homes 412-364-1897 and 412-367-1927 ryanhomes.com
Cobblestone Ohio Township Single-family homes Priced from: $270,000 School district: Avonworth Agency: S&A Homes 412-364-2626 sahomebuilder.com Copper Creek Marshall Township Luxury estate custom homes Priced from: $1,200,000 Agency: North Allegheny Eddy Homes 412-221-0400 EddyHomes.com The Courtyards of Cobblestone Ohio Township Single-family carriage and villa homes Priced from: $234,400 School district: Avonworth Agency: Epcon Homes and Communities 412-548-3298 epconcarriagehomes.com
E lane @ Carnegie Carnegie Garden style condominiums Priced from: $194,900 School district: Carlton Agency: RE/MAX Select Realty 412-633-9300 ext. 214 724-309-1758 elane.biz
Forest Oaks at Wexford Wexford Townhomes Priced from: $199,900 School district: North Allegheny Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 pittsburghmoves.com /forestoaksatwexford
Fairwinds Richland Township Single-family homes Priced from: $270,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Ryan Homes 724-444-3177 ryanhomes.com
Forest View Indiana Township Single-family homes Priced from: $500,000 School district: Fox Chapel Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-772-8822 ricciuticonstruction.com howardhanna.com
Falconhurst Forest O’Hara Township Single-family homes Priced from: $750,000 School district: Fox Chapel Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-963-6300 howardhanna.com Fayette Farms North Fayette Single-family homes Priced from: $190,000 School district: West Allegheny Agency: Ryan Homes 724-218-1328 ryanhomes.com Fayette Farms Estates North Fayette Township Custom Homes Priced from: $400,000 School district: West Allegheny Agency: Keller Williams 412-787-0888
Edgewater Oakmont Townhomes and courtyard homes Priced from: $250,000 School district: Riverview Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1722 loveheartland.com
Fayette Farms Meadows and Towns North Fayette Township Townhomes Priced from: $150,000 School district: West Allegheny Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1728 loveheartland.com
The Enclave Fox Chapel Single-family homes Priced from: $800,000 School district: Fox Chapel Area Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-963-7655 pittsburghmoves.com/TheEnclave
Fayette Farms Villas North Fayette Township Single-family villa homes Priced from: $190,000 School district: West Allegheny Agency: Paragon Homes 412-787-8807
English Farms Pine Township Custon single-family homes Priced from: $390,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: S&A Homes 724-934-2858 sahomebuilder.com
Field Brook Farms Richland Township Single-family homes Priced from: $500,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-772-8822 howardhanna.com
The Estates at Jefferson Jefferson Borough Single-family homes Priced from: $275,000 Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-655-0400 pittsburghmoves.com /estatesatjefferson
Fields of Nicholson Franklin Park Borough Custom carriage-homes from $542,400, Custom villas from $434,400 School district: North Allegheny Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Foxwood Knolls Moon Township Single-family homes Priced from: $210,000 School district: Moon Area Agency: Ryan Homes 412-264-5029 ryanhomes.com Franklin Run Franklin Park Single-family homes Priced from: $340,000 School district: North Allegheny Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1716 loveheartland.com Gardens at Fox Hall O’Hara Township Custom single-family condos Priced from: $850,000 School district: Fox Chapel Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-782-3700 Georgetowne Pine Township Luxury townhomes Priced from: $529,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-367-8000 prudentialpreferredrealty.com The Heights of North Park Pine Township Custom single-family Priced from: $900,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: RE/MAX Select 724-779-7072 The HeightsofNorth Park.com Hidden Falls Indiana Township/Fox Chapel Borough Single-level townhouses Priced from: $540,000 School district: Fox Chapel Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-963-6300 howardhanna.com
Deerfield Ridge
South Fayette Custom Building Lots Coming Soon! Unique Home Designs Custom Builder Quality Voice: 412-787-8807 email: BestService@VisitParagonHomes.com
HyTyre Farms West Deer Township Carriage Homes Priced from: $224,000 School district: Deer Lakes Agency: Richland Holdings, LLC 724-443-4800 The Isles at The Highlands Plum Borough Patio and townhomes Priced from: $189,900s School district: Plum Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-327-5161 howardhanna.com Jefferson Estates Jefferson Borough Carriage homes Priced from: $199,000 Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-655-0400 pittsburghmoves.com/jeffersonestates Jordan Estates Upper St. Clair Single-family homes Priced from: $440,000 School district: Upper St. Clair Agency: Heartland Homes 724-781-1715 loveheartland.com Kings Court Richland Township Single-family homes Priced from:$200,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-487-0500 kingscourtplan.info
Lake MacLeod Pine Township Single-family homes Priced from: $750,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-487-0500 or 724-625-1277 lakemacleod.com Langdon Farms Pine Township Single-family homes Priced from: $600,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 or 724-776-2900 pittsburghmoves.com/langdonfarms Legacy Village Sewickley Carriage homes Priced from: $210,000 School district: Avonworth Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-0173 loveheartland.com
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
Deerfield Ridge South Fayette Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $375,000 Agency: Paragon Homes 412-787-8807 VisitParagonHomes.com
Evergreen Place Ross Township Townhomes Priced from: $220,000 School district: North Hills Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-487-0500 pittsburghmoves.com
Lenox Place Finley Township Villas and townhomes Priced from: $200,000 School district: West Allegheny Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-262-4630 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
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The Highlands Plum Borough Single-family homes Priced from: $210,000 School district: Plum Borough Agency: Ryan Homes 412-793-4797 ryanhomes.com
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The Links at Deer Run West Deer Golf course community, carriage homes Priced from: $239,900 School district: Deer Lakes Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Newbury South Fayette Single-family homes and towhomes Priced from: $210,000 School district: South Fayette Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-0175 loveheartland.com
Long Ridge Kennedy Township Single-family homes Priced from: $190,000 School district: Montour Agency: Ryan Homes 412-771-1456 ryanhomes.com Madison Woods Moon/Crescent Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $350,000 School district: Moon Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-262-4630 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
Newbury South Fayette Carriage homes Priced from: $360,000 School district: South Fayette Agency: S&A Realty 412-276-0422 sahomebuilder.com
Oakwood Heights West Deer Township Single-family homes Priced from: $280,000 School district: Deer Lakes Agency: S&A Homes 724-934-2858 sahomebuilder.com
Park Place Indiana Township Single-family homes Priced from: $850,000 School district: Fox Chapel Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-963-6300 howardhanna.com
One River Road O’Hara Township Townhomes Priced from: $620,000 School district: Fox Chapel Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-782-3700 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Parkview Estates Richland Township Single-family and carriage homes Priced from: $260,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-0171 loveheartland.com
homes across all western Pa Communities from $300,000
McCaslin Ridge Hampton Township Single-family homes Priced from: $500,000 School district: Hampton Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 pittsburghmoves.com/ mccaslinfarms McCormick Farms Moon/Crescent Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: High $400’s School district: Moon Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-262-4630 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Private Acreage South Fayette Single-family homes Priced from: $300,000 School district: South Fayette Agency: Paragon Homes 412-787-8807 VisitParagonHomes.com Rabold Fields Pine Township Single-family homes Priced from: $400,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 pittsburghmoves.com Raintree Manor Hampton Township Townhomes Priced from: $225,000 School district: Hampton Agency: Minnock Construction Company 412-366-4770
The Manor McCandless Custom single-family Priced from: $575,000 School district: North Allegheny Agency: RE/MAX Select Realty 724-779-7072 ManorCustomHomes.com The Manor at Hartwood Indiana Township Single-family homes Priced from: $900,000 School district: Fox Chapel Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-963-6300 howardhanna.com
Prestley Heights Collier Township Townhomes Priced from: $150,000 School district: Chartiers Valley Agency: Ryan Homes ryanhomes.com
Picky People PICK Paragon
M
any home buyers think that custom equals expensive, but at Paragon we would love to make your dream home a reality whether your budget is $300,000 or over $2,000,000 At Paragon, we have a simple philosophy: build a great home designed around the customer’s needs and dreams. Contact us today and put our buyer-friendly process to work for you, after all, they are Your Dreams, Your Home, and should be built Your Way.
C a l l T o d ay :
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w w w. v i s i t p a r a g o n h o m e s . c o m
Reddington Place Pine Township Single-family homes Priced from: $600,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-367-8000 prudentialpreferredrealty.com The Reserve at Fox Chase Fox Chapel Area Patio and carriage homes Priced from: $299,900 School district: Allegheny Valley Agency: Dennis Associates 412-828-7606 Ridge Forest Franklin Park Single-family homes and townhomes (coming soon) School district: North Allegheny Agency: Ryan Homes 724-249-6835 ryanhomes.com
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The Meadows at Hampton Hampton Township First floor living homes Priced from: $399,000 School district: Hampton Agency: RE/MAX Select Realty 724-779-7070 MeadowsAtHampton.com Neville Manor Collier Township Carriage homes Priced from: $220,000 School district: Chartiers Valley Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1710 loveheartland.com
North Park Manor Pine Township Single-family Homes Priced from: $600,000 School district: Pine Richland Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 pittsburghmoves.com/ northparkmanor Oakwood Heights West Deer Township Single-family homes Priced from: $229,900 School district: Deer Lakes Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 724-776-2900 pittsburghmoves.com/ oakwoodheights
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The Overlook at Forest Manor Harmar Township Manor homes Priced from: $500,000 School district: Fox Chapel Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-963-6300 howardhanna.com
Patriot Pointe Jefferson Hills Borough Single-family homes & townhomes with first floor owner’s suite Priced from: $210,000 single-family; $220,000 townhomes School district: Jefferson Hills Agency: Ryan Homes 412-914-2059 ryanhomes.com
Paragon Place Robinson Township Custom estate homes Priced from: $550,000 School district: Montour Agency: Paragon Homes 412-787-8807 VisitParagonHomes.com
Pinecrest Pine Township Single-family homes Priced from: $350,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1702 loveheartland.com
Riverwatch at O’Hara Woods Fox Chapel Single-family homes Priced from: $400,000 School district: Fox Chapel Area Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-963-7655 pittsburghmoves.com/ riverwatch Saddlebrook Farms Bethel Park Custom single-family homes Priced from: $321,900 School district: Bethel Park Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-833-7700 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Sangree Farms Ross Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $500,000 School district: North Hills Agency: Minnock Real Estate Services 412-369-7253
Sewickley Heights Manor Aleppo Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $300,000 School district: Quaker Valley Agency: Minnock Construction Company 412-366-4770 Silver Pines Pine Richland Townships Single-family homes Priced from: $850,000 School district: Pine Richland Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-934-3400 Sonoma Ridge Moon Township Village single-family homes and estate homes Priced from: $260,000 School district: Moon Area Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1724 loveheartland.com Springer Manor Moon/Crescent Township Custom villas Priced from: $325,000 School district: Moon Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-262-4630 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Sturbridge Court Wexford/Franklin Park Single-family homes Priced from: $550,000 School district: North Allegheny Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-772-8822 howardhanna.com The Summit Marshall Township Single-family homes Priced from: $800,000 School district: North Allegheny Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 pittsburghmoves.com/ thesummit Trotwood Acres Robinson Township Luxury townhomes Priced from: $180,000 School district: Montour Agency: Heartland Homes 724-213-3800 loveheartland.com Venango Trails Marshall Township Carriage Homes and single-family homes $330,000 carriage homes, $360,000 single-family School district: North Allegheny Agency: S & A Homes 724-934-2858 sahomebuilder.com
Steeplechase Whitehall Carriage homes Priced from: $230,000 School district: Baldwin-Whitehall Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1719 loveheartland.com
Village at Pine Pine Township Townhomes and single-family homes $210,000 townhomes and $260,000 single-family homes School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Ryan Homes 724-940-4051 ryanhomes.com
Sterling Ridge South Fayette Single-family homes Priced from: $320,000 School district: South Fayette Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-344-0500 pittsburghmoves.com/ sterlingridge
The Village at Sweetwater Sewickley Townhomes Priced from: $410,000 School district: Quaker Valley Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1716 loveheartland.com
Vineseian Place Wilkins Township Single-family, single level living, quite cul-de-sac neighborhood Priced from: $375,000 School district: Woodland Hills Agency: One80 Real Estate Services 412-318-4139 one80res.com Walkers Ridge Collier Township Single-family homes Priced from: $270,000 School district: Chartiers Valley Agency: Paragon Homes 412-787-8807 VisitParagonHomes.com Walnut Ridge Emsworth Condominiums Priced from: $160,000 School district: Avonworth Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-363-4000 walnutridgecondos.info Whispering Creek Hampton Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $450,000 School district: Hampton Agency: Century 21 Town & Country Real Estate Services 724-779-2101 PghPropertyOnline.com Willowbrook South Fayette Township Single-family homes Priced from: $240,000 School district: South Fayette Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-0177 loveheartland.com Woods of Sewickley Sewickley Hills Custom single-familyhomes Priced from: $420,000 School district: Quaker Valley Agency: S&A Realty 412-741-3657 sahomebuilder.com Woods of Sewickley Hills Sewickley Hills Single-family estatehomes Priced from: $370,000 School district: Quaker Valley Agency: Ryan Homes 724-741-8905 ryanhomes.com
Walkers Ridge
New Cul-de-sac lots just approved. Adjacent to Nevillewood Great Collier location minutes from Robinson and the South Hills Voice: 412-787-8807 email: BestService@VisitParagonHomes.com
www.VisitWalkersRidge.com
BEAVER COUNTY Ashley Ridge Brighton Township Single-family homes Priced from: $240,000 School district: Beaver Area Agency: Ryan Homes 724-847-1659 ryanhomes.com Barclay Hill Estates Brighton Township Villas Priced from: $226,900 School district: Beaver Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-774-2222 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Chippewa Heights
Chippewa Township
S ingle-family, townhomes and ranch style patio-homes Priced from: $274,000 single-family, $190,000 townhomes and $215,000 patio-homes School district: Blackhawk Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 724-774-2900 pittsburghmoves.com
Nottingham Ellwood City Townhomes and patiohomes Priced from: $160,000 School district: Riverside Beaver County Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 724-776-2900 pittsburghmoves.com/ nottingham Seven Oaks Brighton Township Golf-course community with single-family custom homes and triplex carriage homes Priced from: $269,900 School district: Beaver Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Shenango Woods Chippewa Township Single-family homes Priced from: $200,000 School district: Blackhawk Agency: Ryan Homes 724-847-1659 ryanhomes.com
Clearwater Estates Franklin Township Carriage homes Priced from: $170,000 School district: Riverside Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 724-776-2900 or 724-752-0383 pittsburghmoves.com
Traditions of America at Liberty Hills New Sewickley Township/ Economy Borough 55+ Lifestyle Living/ Single-family and garden homes/ Maintenance Free Priced from: $200,000s Agency: Traditions of America 724-869-5595 TraditionsofAmerica.com
Goldenrod Meadows North Sewickley Township Single-family homes Priced from: $250,000 School district: Riverside Agency: Northwood Realty 724-776-9705 northwood.com
The Village at Timberwood Trace Chippewa Township Carriage homes Priced from: $155,900 School district: Blackhawk Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-775-5700 howardhanna.com
www.greaterpittsburghnewhome.com
BUTLER COUNTY
Staunton Heights Moon / Crescent Townships Multi-family homes Priced from: $299,900 School district: Moon Area Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services howardhanna.com
Stonecrest Pine Township Single-family homes Priced from: $340,000 School district: Pine-Richland Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1700 loveheartland.com
Villages at Neville Park Collier Township Townhomes Priced from: $180,000 School district: Chartiers Valley Agency: Ryan Homes 412-276-0644 ryanhomes.com
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
Scarlett Ridge Franklin Park Custom single-family Priced from: $600,000 School district: North Allegheny Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 ww.EddyHomes.com
Stonebridge Hampton Township Single-family homes, carriage homes Priced from: $500,000 single-family homes; $289,000 Custom carriage homes School district: Hampton Agency: Century 21 Town & Country Real Estate Services 724-779-2101 PghPropertyOnline.com
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BEAVER COUNTY
Villas of Economy Economy Condos, Townhomes, Single-family homes Priced from: $249,900 School district: Ambridge Area Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 pittsburghmoves.com/villasofeconomy
Carriage Manor Cranberry Township Single-family homes Priced from: $600,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 724-776-2900 pittsburghmoves.com/ carriagemanor
Woodbridge Villas Center Township Townhomes or condos Priced from: $175,900 School district: Center Area Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-775-5700 howardhanna.com
Chatham Court Adams Township Luxury carriage homes Priced from: $575,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
BUTLER COUNTY Acton Franklin Township Single-family lots Priced from: $39,000 School district: Slippery Rock Area Agency: Northwood Realty 724-282-1313 northwood.com
BUTLER COUNTY
Amherst Village Adams Township Single-family homes Priced from: $270,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: Heartland Homes 412-945-1367 loveheartland.com
Cherrywood Springs Center Township Single-family home sites Priced from: $39,900 School district: Butler Area Agency: Northwood Realty 724-282-1313 northwood.com Ehrman Farms Cranberry Township Single-family homes Priced from: $550,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-452-1150 Foxmoor Cranberry Township Townhomes Priced from: $220,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: S & A Homes 724-538-4900 sahomebuilder.com
Belle Vue Park Cranberry Township Traditional single family homes Priced from: $255,900 traditional and $350,000 estates School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686
Foxwood Estates Cranberry Township Single-family homes Priced from: $800,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 pittsburghmoves.com/foxwoodestates
Blackthorn Penn Township Single-family home sites/Singlefamily homes Priced from: $66,000/$379,900 School district: South Butler Agency: Northwood Realty 724-282-1313 northwood.com
The Gables at Brickyard Hill Adams Township Custom Carriage Homes Priced from: $300,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: Century 21 Town & Country Real Estate Services 724-779-2101 PghPropertyOnline.com
Brookstone Adams Township Single-family homes Priced from: $270,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: S&A Homes 724-538-4900 sahomebuilder.com
Georgetown Square Cranberry Township Townhomes and carriage homes Priced from: $250,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Georgetown Square Associates 412-366-4770
60 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
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Heritage Creek Adams Township Custom single-family homes, townhomes with first floor master suite, two-story townhomes Priced from: $300,000 single-family homes; $280,000 townhomes with first floor master suite; $230,000 two-story townhomes School district: Mars Area Agency: Century 21 Town & Country Real Estate Services 724-779-2101 PghPropertyOnline.com Indian Meadow Adams Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $600,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: Century 21 Town & Country Real Estate Services 724-779-2101 PghPropertyOnline.com Kaufmann Run Adams Township Townhomes Priced from: $190,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: Ryan Homes 724-776-5610 ryanhomes.com Leslie Farms Connoquenessing Borough Single-family homes Priced from: $190,000 School district: Butler Area Agency: S & A Homes 724-538-4900 sahomebuilder.com Leslie Farms Connoquenessing Borough Single-family homes School district: Butler Area Agency: Ryan Homes 724-249-6835 ryanhomes.com Madison Heights Cranberry Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $700,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Century 21 Town & Country Real Estate Services 724-779-2101 PghPropertyOnline.com Meadow Ridge Forward Township Single-family homes Priced from: $250,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: S&A Homes 724-538-4900 sahomebuilder.com Meadow Ridge Forward Township Single-family homes Priced from: $240,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1714 loveheartland.com
Meadow Ridge Forward Township Single-family homes Priced from: $250,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 724-776-2900 pittsburghmoves.com/meadowridge Meredith Glen Estates Adams Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $750,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Myoma Woods Adams Township Single-family homes Priced from: $350,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1700 loveheartland.com Mystic Ridge Cranberry Township Single-family homes Priced from: $360,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1716 loveheartland.com Napa Ridge at Brandywine Connoquenessing Township Townhome community Priced from: $239,900 School district: Butler Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 or 724-283-0005 prudentialpreferredrealty.com The Oaks Buffalo Township Single-family homes Priced from: $299,900 School district: Freeport Area Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 homesattheoaks.com Orchard Park Cranberry Township Single-family homes Priced from: $310,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1712 loveheartland.com Park Place Cranberry Township Traditional neighborhood development single-family homes, townhomes, condos, rentals, retail Priced from: $350,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Northwood Realty 724-776-1863 Plantation at Saxonburg Clinton Township Single-family lots and homes Priced from: $65,000 lots $399,000 homes School district: South Butler Agency: Northwood Realty 724-295-9090
Plantation at Saxonburg Clinton Township Single-family and carriage homes Priced from: Single families $270,000 Carriage homes priced from $190,000’s School district: South Butler Agency: S&A Realty 724-352-5006 sahomebuilder.com The Preserve West Cranberry Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $550,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Century 21 Town & Country Real Estate Services 724-779-2101 PghPropertyOnline.com Redmond Place Cranberry Township Custom carriage homes Priced from: $370,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Century 21 Town & Country Real Estate Services 724-779-2101 PghPropertyOnline.com Seaton Crest Adams Township Single-family homes Priced from: the $330’s School district: Mars Area Agency: S&A Realty 724-538-4900 sahomebuilder.com Shadow Creek Cranberry Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $500,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Century 21 Town & Country Real Estate Services 724-779-2101 PghPropertyOnline.com Shady Lane Farms Center Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $300,000 School district: Butler Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-283-0005 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Shannon Mills Connoquenessing Township Single-family homes Priced from: $280,000 School district: Butler Area Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-282-7903 howardhanna.com Stratford Heights Center Township Single-family homes Priced from: $290,000 School district: Butler Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-283-0005 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
The Vineyards at Brandywine Connoquenessing Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $240,000 School district: Butler Area Agency: S&A Homes 724-538-4900 sahomebuilder.com
Brookview Peters Township Carriage homes Priced from: $349,900 School district: Peters Township Agency: Keller Williams 412-831-3800
Taylor Ridge Adams Township Single-family homes Priced from: $370,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: Ryan Homes 724-898-0010 ryanhomes.com
Wakefield Estates Cranberry Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $500,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
The Brookview Villas Custom villa homes Priced from: $350,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Paragon Homes 412-787-8807 visitparagonhomes.com
Timber Ridge Lancaster Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $450,000 School district: Seneca Valley Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-687-9097 howardhanna.com
Walkers Ridge Worth Township Farmlettes Priced from: $74,900 School district: Slippery Rock Agency: Northwood Realty 724-458-8800 northwood.com
Timberlee Butler Area Single-family-homes Priced from: $300,000 School district: Butler Area Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-687-0157 howardhanna.com Village at Camp Trees Adams Township in Butler County and Pine Township in Allegheny County Custom single-family Priced from: $550,000 School district: Mars Area and Pine-Richland Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
The Village at Treesdale Adams Township Custom carriage homes Priced from: Mid-$300’s School district: Mars Area Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-687-0157 howardhanna.com The Vineyards at Brandywine Connoquenessing Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $279,000 School district: Butler Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-776-3686 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Wyncrest Estates Butler Township Single-family homes Priced from: $250,000 Butler Area Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-366-1600 pittsburghmoves.com/wyncrestestates
WASHINGTON COUNTY Alto Piano Cecil Township Single-family homes Priced from: $500,000 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-302-2304 howardhanna.com Anthony Farms Peters Township Single-family homes Priced from: $600,000 Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-276-5000 howardhanna.com Brookwood Manor Peters Township Luxury custom estate homes Priced from: $900,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Century 21 Frontier Realty 724-941-8680 EddyHomes.com
724-776-1863
Hamlet1of Springdale Park Place.indd
Chadwick Estates Peters Township Single-family homes Priced from: $350,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1736 loveheartland.com Concord Green North Strabane Township Single-family homes Priced from: $230,000 School district: CanonMcMillan Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1730 loveheartland.com The Courtyards At Arden Mills Chartiers Township Single-family carriage and villa homes Priced from: $239,900 School district: Chartiers Houston Agency: Epcon Homes and Communities 724-223-1844 epconcarriagehomes.com The Crossings Peters Township Luxury custom villa homes Priced from: $300,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Century 21 Frontier Realty 724-941-8680 EddyHomes.com Great Meadows Peters Township Single-family homes Priced from: $280,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Ryan Homes 412-835-1869 ryanhomes.com
Peters Township Single-family homes Priced from: $679,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-941-8800 Heartwood Farms Cecil Township Single-family homes and carriage homes Priced from: $230,000 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1706 loveheartland.com Hiddenbrook Peters Township Villa homes Priced from: $280,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1738 loveheartland.com Hill Station Manor Cecil Township Townhomes or condos Priced from: $249,900 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-873-7355 howardhanna.com Majestic Hills North Strabane Township Single-family homes Priced from: $230,000 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Ryan Homes 724-745-6410 ryanhomes.com Maple Ridge Cecil Township Townhomes Priced from: $190,000 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Ryan Homes 724-745-6064 ryanhomes.com McMurray Highlands Peters Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $575,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-833-7700 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Meadow Ridge 2/15/10 12:31:09 PM Peters Township Single-family homes Priced from: $774,900 School district: PetersTownship Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 412-833-7700 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Mission Hills Cecil Township Carriage and villa homes Priced from: $228,500 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Epcon Homes and Communities 724-223-1844 epconcarriagehomes.com Oakbrooke Estates Cecil Township Single-family homes Priced from: $230,000 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1706 loveheartland.com Orchard Hill Peters Township Single-family homes Priced from: $270,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Ryan Homes 412-835-1869 ryanhomes.com Overlook Peters Township Single-family homes Priced from: $270,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Ryan Homes 412-835-1869 ryanhomes.com The Overlook Peters Township Single-family homes Priced from: $399,900 School district: Peters Township Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-941-8800 howardhanna.com Paxton Grove Chartiers Township Single-family-homes School district: Chartiers-Houston Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-222-6040 howardhanna.com
www.greaterpittsburghnewhome.com
WASHINTON COUNTY
The Village at Sarvers Mill BuffaloTownship Custom townhomes and cottage homes Priced from: Low-$200,000 School district: Freeport Area Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-353-2223 howardhanna.com
Weatherburn Heights Middlesex Township Single-family homes Priced from: $270,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: Ryan Homes 724-898-0010 ryanhomes.com
Cameron Estates South Strabane Township Single-family and carriage homes Priced from: $200,000 School district: Trinity Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-0179 loveheartland.com
Park Place
Traditional Neighborhood Development www.cranberryparkplace.com Northwood Realty Services
BUTLER COUNTY
Taylor Ridge Adams Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: mid $400,000 School district: Mars Area Agency: S&A Realty 724-538-4900 sahomebuilder.com
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Walnut Ridge Nottingham Township Single-family homes Priced from: $220,000 School district: Ringgold Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1730 loveheartland.com
Summerbrooke
Waterdam Farms North Strabane Township Carriage homes Priced from: $300,000 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services 412-344-0500 pittsburghmoves.com/ waterdamfarms
North Strabane Township Single-family homes Priced from: $310,000 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1719 loveheartland.com Sycamore Reserve North Franklin Township Single-family homes Priced from: $250,000 School district:Trinity Agency:Keith Homes 724-223-0285 keithhomes.net Timber Run Cecil Township Single-family homes Priced from: $190,000 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Ryan Homes 724-745-6410 ryanhomes.com
Weavertown Village North Strabane Township Carriage homes and luxury townhomes Priced from: $190,000 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency: Heartland Homes 724-871-1732 loveheartland.com Weavertown Woodlands North Strabane Township Carriage homes Priced from: $280,000 School district: Canon-McMillan Agency:Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-222-6040 howardhanna.com
WESTMORELAND COUNTY
WASHINGTON COUNTY
The Ridge at Spring Meadows Peters Township Single-family homes Priced from: $270,000 School district: Peters Township Agency: Ryan Homes 412-835-1869 ryanhomes.com
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WESTMORELAND COUNTY Acropolis Heights Unity Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $620,000 School district: Greater Latrobe Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Allegheny Woodlands Allegheny Township Custom single-family and cottage villas Priced from: $200,000 single-family and $220,000 cottage villas School district: Kiski Area Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-339-4000 howardhanna.com The Armory at Ligonier Ligonier Townhouses Priced from: $275,000 School district: Ligonier Valley Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-238-7600 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Cedar Hills Rostraver Township Condominiums and villas Priced from: $197,500 School district: Belle Vernon Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-929-7228 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Everview Estates Ligonier Township Single-family homes Priced from: $299,900 School district: Ligonier Valley Angency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-832-2300
Cherry Knoll Delmont Single-family homes Priced from: $225.000 School district: Franklin Regional Agency: ReMax Realty 412-856-2000 ricciuticonstruction.com
Foxfield Knoll Unity Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $289,900–$580,000 School district: Greater Latrobe Agency: Scalise Real Estate 724-539-3525
Cherry Wood Estates Mt. Pleasant Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $225,000 School district: Mount Pleasant Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Chestnut Hill North Huntingdon Township Single-family homes Priced from: $230,000 School district: Norwin Agency: Ryan Homes 724-863-3506 ryanhomes.com
Foxtail Court at Rolling Ridge Murrysville Single-family homes Priced from: $600,000 School district: Franklin Regional Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-327-5161 howardhanna.com Gleneagles at Cherry Creek Hempfield Township Golf course community patio homes Priced from: $218,000 School district: Hempfield Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Glenn Aire Unity Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $390,000 School district: Greater Latrobe Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Grandview Estates Hempfield Township Single-family homes Priced from: $180,000 School district: Hempfield Area Agency: Ryan Homes ryanhomes.com Greenfield Estates Unity Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $250,000 School district: Greater Latrobe Agency: Scalise Real Estate 724-539-3525 Hampton Heights (Formerly Carradam Golf Course) North Huntingdon Township One acre homesites Priced from: $400,000 School district: Norwin Agency: RWS Custom Homes 724-861-0571 rwscustomhomes.com
Kingsbury North Huntington Township Two-four acre estates Priced from: $450,000 School district: Norwin Agency: RWS Custom Homes 724-861-0571 rwscustomhomes.com Laurel View Place Derry Township Single-family lots Priced from: $49,900 School district: Derry Area Agency: Northwood Realty Services 724-537-0110 northwood.com The Legends North Huntingdon Single-family homes Priced from: Coming Soon School district: Norwin Agency: Ryan Homes724-863-0200 ryanhomes.com Lincoln Hills North Huntington Township Single-family homes, townhomes and grand villas Priced from: mid-$300,000 Single-family, $239,900 townhomes and $289,900 grand villas School district: Norwin Agency: RWS Custom Homes 724-861-0571 rwscustomhomes.com
Mallard Landing Murrysville Single-family homes Priced from: $470,000 School district: Franklin Regional Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-327-5161 howardhanna.com
Park Lane Greensburg Patio homes and townhomes Priced from: $174,900 School district: Greensburg-Salem Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-327-5161 howardhanna.com Rivendell Penn Township Single-family homes Priced from: $290,000 School district: Penn-Trafford Agency: S & A Homes 724-837-6124 sahomebuilder.com
MarRose Estates Hempfield Single-family homes Priced from: $190,000 School district: Hempfield Area Agency: Ryan Homes 724-836-1804 ryanhomes.com
Rolling Hill Farm Rostraver Township Single-family homes Priced from: $180,000 School district: Belle Vernon Area Agency: S & A Homes 724-872-8403 sahomebuilder.com
Marquis Place Murrysville Luxury condominiums Priced from: $275,000 School district: Franklin Regional Agency: Kacin Companies, Inc. 724-327-7700
Rolling Ridge Murrysville Single-family homes Priced from: $370,000 School district: Franklin Regional Agency: Ryan Homes 724-327-9330 ryanhomes.com
Meadowlane Heights Hempfield Township Single-family homes Priced from: $180,000’s School district: Hempfield Area Agency: S & A Realty 724-837-6124 sahomebuilder.com Moreland Manor Allegheny Township Single-family homes Priced from: $200,000 School district: Kiski Area Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 412-478-1002 ricciuticonstruction.com howardhanna.com
Salem Ridge Village Rostraver Township Single-family Priced from: $225,000 School district: Belle Vernon Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 prudentialpreferredrealty.com Siena Ridge Murrysville Single-family homes Priced from : $600,000 School district: Franklin Regional Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-327-5161 howardhanna.com
Northpointe Hempfield Township Custom single-family homes Priced from: $270,000 School district: Hempfield Area Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Summerhill Murrysville Patio townhomes, stacked flats School district: Franklin Regional Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-327-5161 howardhanna.com
Oak Farm Estates Penn Township Single-family homes Priced from: $250,000 School district: Penn-Trafford Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Tinstman Estates Scottdale Single-family home lots Priced from: $35,900 School district: Southmoreland Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Palmer Place Unity Township Custom single-family Priced from: $650,000 School district: Greater Latrobe Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
The Trails Level Green Patio homes and single-family homes Priced from: $288,500 School district: Penn-Trafford Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-327-5161 howardhanna.com
Victoria Highlands Unity Township Single-family homes Priced from: $290,000 School district: Latrobe Agency: Bob Shuster Realty 724-864-8884 rwscustomhomes.com
Westmoreland Farms Murrysville Single-family homes Priced from: $220,000 School district: Franklin Regional Agency: Ryan Homes 724-327-9330 ryanhomes.com
Village at Foxfield Unity Township Single-family homes Priced from: $210,000’s School district: Greater Latrobe Agency: S & A Homes 724-837-6124 sahomebuilder.com
Westmoreland Farms Murrysville Single-family homes and villas Priced from: $229,900 single-family; $176,900 villas School district: Franklin Regional Agency: Howard Hanna Real EstateServices 724-327-5161 howardhanna.com
The Village at Ligonier Ligonier Borough Carriage homes Priced from: $199,900 School district: Ligonier Valley Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-836-3660 howardhanna.com
Westmoreland Human Opportunities Monessan Single-family homes Priced from: $70,000 School district: Monessen Agency: Northwood Realty 724-838-9643 northwood.com
The Village at Ligonier Ligonier Borough Villas Priced from: $208,900 School district: Ligonier Valley Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-238-7600 prudentialpreferredrealty.com The Village at Stonegate Penn Township Villas Priced from: $264,900 School district: Penn-Trafford Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 or 724-327-0444 prudentialpreferredrealty.com The Villas at Grayhawk Unity Township Villa style condominiums Priced from: $239,900 School district: Greater Latrobe Agency: Cedar Ridge Realty 724-832-3501 thevillasatgrayhawk.com The Villas of Willow Estates North Huntington Townhomes and grand villas Priced from: $239,900 and $289,900 School district: Norwin Agency: RWS Custom Homes 724-861-0571 rwscustomhomes.com
Westwind Estates Hempfield Township Single-family homes Priced from: $230,000 School district: Hempfield Area Agency: Ryan Homes 724-836-1804 ryanhomes.com Willow Estates North Huntington Single-family homes Priced from: $260,000 School district: Norwin Agency: S & A Homes 724-837-6124 sahomebuilder.com Woodhaven Ridge Hempfield Township Townhomes Priced from: $114,900 School district: Hempfield Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-850-7249 howardhanna.com
WESTMORELAND COUNTY
Harrington Way at Wendover Hempfield Township Single-family homes Priced from: $249,900 School district: Hempfield Area Agency: Northwood Realty 724-327-5600 northwood.com
Lindwood Crest Hempfield Township Patio homes Priced from: $180,000 School district: Hempfield Area Agency: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 724-832-2300 howardhanna.com
Yok Wood Ridge Unity Township Single-family homes Priced from: $190,000 School district: Greater Latrobe Agency: Prudential Preferred Realty 724-838-3660 prudentialpreferredrealty.com
Westmoreland Community Action Jeannette Single-family homes Priced from: $75,000 School district: Jeannette City Agency: Northwood Realty 724-838-9643 northwood.com Westmoreland Community Action Reed Avenue Jeannette Single-family homes Priced from: $63,000 School district: Jeannette City Agency: Northwood Realty 724-838-9643 northwood.com www.greaterpittsburghnewhome.com
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OTHER COUNTIES
Clarion County Fairway Estates Foxburg Single-family lots Priced from:$39,900 School district: Allegheny Clarion Agency: Northwood Realty Services 724-282-1313 northwood.com
Mercer County Camelot Estates Hermitage Single-family homes Priced from: Lots starting at $29,900 Agency: Northwood Realty 724-458-8800 northwood.com
Greene County
Legends of Grove City Pine Township Villas, patio homes and Single-family homes Priced from: $184,900 School district: Grove City Agency: Northwood Realty 724-458-8800 northwood.com
Colonial Place Franklin Township Single-family homesites Priced from: $28,000 School district: Waynesburg Agency: Northwood Realty 724-627-4300 northwood.com
Pierce Bluffs Hermitage Single-family homes Priced from: Lots starting at $40,000 Agency: Northwood Realty 724-458-8800 northwood.com
OTHER COUNTIES
Volant Highlands Washington Township Single-family home sites Priced from: $27,900 School district: Wilmington Area Agency: Northwood Realty 724-658-6645 northwood.com Carriage Hills Pulaski Township Single-family lots Priced from:$35,000 School district: Wilmington Area Agency: Northwood Realty Services 724-658-6645 northwood.com Valleyview Heights Pulaski Township Single-family lots Priced from: $35,000 School district: Wilmington Area Agency: Northwood Realty Services 724-658-6645 northwood.com
64 GREATER PITTSBURGH’S NEW HOME
| Spring 2012
A
PUBLICATION OF
CARSON PUBLISHING INC. • 500 MCKNIGHT PARK DRIVE • PITTSBURGH, PA 15237 • 412-548-3823
When you find your perfect home...
Give your mortgage a perfect home, too. Your mortgage is a personal investment. Why trust it to just anyone? At Dollar Bank, your mortgage has a home. We keep the servicing of our mortgages so you’ll reach a Dollar Bank Representative long after the ink has dried. And since our mortgage originators are non-commissioned, they’re committed to assisting you in getting the right mortgage for your needs.
• Low rates and fees • 60-day rate lock with no charge
• 15 and 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgages • Free Pre-approval
Plus, get $500 off costs at closing with a qualifying checking account!* So give your mortgage a home. Call 1-800-344-LOAN (5626) or visit any office or dollarbank.com/mortgage.
Scan this code for current mortgage rates! Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC. Copyright © 2012, Dollar Bank, Federal Savings Bank *Qualifying checking accounts are subject to certain terms and conditions and may change after account opening. Ask for the Account Information Schedule for details. $500 credit towards origination fees requires the qualifying checking account to remain open for three years. Offer excludes no closing cost products and government sponsored loan programs including; VA and Government Bond Loans. MOR338_12