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Northeastern Pennsylvania Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
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Old 09-07-2013, 10:24 AM
 
40 posts, read 95,433 times
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I am wanting to buy an investment home in the city. I will not be an absentee landlord but will be living in the home for a few years while I renovate it and then renting a home to live in nearby. This is to help me out with my retirement. I know there are a lot of issues in the city with crime and corruption and I know to stay away from the Sherman Hills area. I see an awful lot of fixer uppers for sale and was wondering if they could still be left over from the flooding. Are there areas that would be better to look for a house to renovate and are there other areas besides Sherman Hills that I should avoid? I like city living and being able to walk to parks and farmers markets, etc. I'm hoping to eliminate using a vehicle at some point. I have lived in much larger cities and am not afraid of a little crime but I don't want to have to worry about going out at night. I would very much appreciate hearing from anyone who currently lives there. I know there are other towns in the area that might be more inviting but I am on a limited budget and so need inexpensive real estate.
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Old 09-07-2013, 10:44 AM
 
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
2,014 posts, read 3,900,271 times
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The city in general is no worse than any decent size city even though it gets bashed here a lot. I am not afraid to walk the streets but sure you do have some risky areas. The biggest trouble spot as you know is around Sherman Hills, they really need to make some tougher rules about housing assistance there. There are a few pockets up north near Washington St and few areas near Carey St in the South that are seedy and dangerous. But as with all cities you just need to be aware of your surroundings especially when choosing your place to live. Where I am at in Mayflower is nice, every takes care of their houses and property and I never feel scared to be walking my dogs even at night. I am about 1 mile from Sherman Hills but I have no problems in my immediate area. Even around Sherman hills it's not like you have druggies on ever corner looking to bother you. You don't even see the riff raff on a normal day driving by.When I was in Philly you couldn't walk two blocks without encountering some risky business.

Just do your homework, if it looks like a bad area it probably is and don't by in low lying areas or near the river if you are worried about flooding. I would also mention that the Market Square area has had it's share of thugs lately with the college kids. Parking would be hard around the city section and you'll deal with the college crowd partying which is fine if you are into that. Just keep in mind that the chances of you having an altercation get higher if you are right in the city.

If you are careful where you choose to live you should have no problems
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Old 09-07-2013, 10:46 AM
 
41,813 posts, read 51,074,696 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PABlondie View Post
I see an awful lot of fixer uppers for sale and was wondering if they could still be left over from the flooding.
Any home that is left over and flooded you'll immediately know it, matter of fact if nothing was done then you might as well rip it down. AFAIK there wasn't a great deal of homes affected by the flood in WB. WB is protected from the river by the ****, any flooding issues would have been caused by streams and creeks inside the **** and most likely just basement flooding at most.
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Old 09-07-2013, 10:49 AM
 
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
2,014 posts, read 3,900,271 times
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Originally Posted by thecoalman View Post
Any home that is left over and flooded you'll immediately know it, matter of fact if nothing was done then you might as well rip it down. AFAIK there wasn't a great deal of homes affected by the flood in WB. WB is protected from the river by the ****, any flooding issues would have been caused by streams and creeks inside the **** and most likely just basement flooding at most.
True, just research the flood plains that have historically flooded and don't buy there. Sure, they have the Levee now but I steered clear of anything near the river. I wouldn't let the landlord show me anything too close to it.
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Old 09-07-2013, 11:01 AM
 
28,164 posts, read 25,318,510 times
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What Chefkey said. I'm a lifelong resident of the city and yes, it has changed since the 80s - some for the worse (crime, decreased industry) and some for the better (more diversity, renewed downtown area). In general, I enjoy living in the city. We have children who attend a city elementary school. We are happy with their education but wish the school had more resources to draw from. I was going to say downtown is the best place to live if you want to get rid of your vehicle but there is no grocery store down there. So, I would recommend South Wilkes-Barre in the Old River Road area. If you want specific street names, let me know.
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Old 09-07-2013, 11:46 AM
 
41,813 posts, read 51,074,696 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chefkey View Post
True, just research the flood plains that have historically flooded and don't buy there.
As I tell everyone if you're ging to buy a house near the river it will get flooded at some point in time, the big question is when. The type of flooding that would top the WB levee's may occur next week or next century but it will happen. Historically you have Agnes in 1972 and Lee in 2011. Agnes would be a cake walk for the levees compared to Lee and Lee didn't top them. Your chances are pretty good but you never know.
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Old 09-07-2013, 12:43 PM
 
21 posts, read 28,612 times
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Blondie, let's take a more practical look at what you're thinking about. First, you need to be positive about any property you buy that needs renovation is in an neighborhood that will in fact increase in value. In WB, I hope you have a good crystal ball. Second, unless you're a seasoned pro, retirement and real estate speculation should never be used in the same sentence. Go rent the move "The Money Pit", have a laugh, then call a financial advisor.
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Old 09-07-2013, 12:56 PM
 
5,302 posts, read 6,185,664 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chefkey View Post
The biggest trouble spot as you know is around Sherman Hills, they really need to make some tougher rules about housing assistance there.
Speaking of Sherman Hills, the two killers of a 16 month old Brooklyn, NY child were picked up in the complex at 06:30 on Saturday. See Antiq Hennis Slaying: Daquan Breland, Daquan Wright Waive Extradition « CBS New York
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Old 09-08-2013, 05:02 AM
 
40 posts, read 95,433 times
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Thank you very much. Nice to hear from current residents. One more question about the levee. How far does it go? Does it go up to the Plains area? Is there a levee on the other side at Swoyersville or does it just protect the city of Wilkes Barre?
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Old 09-08-2013, 10:49 AM
 
41,813 posts, read 51,074,696 times
Reputation: 17865
Quote:
Originally Posted by PABlondie View Post
Thank you very much. Nice to hear from current residents. One more question about the levee. How far does it go? Does it go up to the Plains area? Is there a levee on the other side at Swoyersville or does it just protect the city of Wilkes Barre?
The levee protects nearly all of the Wyoming Valley, I don't know what the exact number is but you might have like 2000 houses that got flooded this last flood and most of them were in West Pittston because it's not protected by the levee. This last flood was fairly historic and came pretty close to going over, I don;lt want to scare you away with that but just make you aware. It's unlikely you'll see a flood like that.
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