Moving to Pittsburgh with SO for Pitt Law - finding a house (Ross Township: fit in, apartment)

[Wahinds]

Hello, my husband and I just moved to the Pittsburgh area and are trying to find a house that is within 30 min./public transportation accessible to Pitt Law. I will be starting at Pitt Law in August, and my husband's office is in Greentree. We have been focusing our searches on the Ross Township, Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, and Mt. Lebanon areas. Can you offer any guidance on whether driving and parking near Pitt is fairly easy (if coming from someplace like Ross Township) as opposed to taking the T and bus (from Mt. Lebanon)? Or is it much better to live in the city where public transportation seems to be a little simpler?

A couple of details about what we're looking for: a home in the $250K or under range and at least a one car garage. We are in our mid-twenties and do not have any children but hope to in several years.

Thank you for any advice! I have enjoyed reading many of these Pittsburgh posts.

[Renaldo5000]

Be sure to graduate in the top 10% of your class and be on law review. Other than that you might not get a job. The legal profession is rough right now.

Pitt Law is in Oakland. You don't want to live in Oakland and parking there can be a pain. It all depends on what you want. Do you want a vibrant and nice neighborhood in the city limits? Do you want a first-ring suburb with a walkable downtown? Do you want a more spread out suburb where you have to drive everywhere? Do you care about the school district? Do you care about taxes?

[Aran]

Have you considered Perry N/S?

[grimacista]

Originally Posted by iwonderwhy2124

Be sure to graduate in the top 10% of your class and be on law review. Other than that you might not get a job. The legal profession is rough right now.

Pitt Law is in Oakland. You don't want to live in Oakland and parking there can be a pain. It all depends on what you want. Do you want a vibrant and nice neighborhood in the city limits? Do you want a first-ring suburb with a walkable downtown? Do you want a more spread out suburb where you have to drive everywhere? Do you care about the school district? Do you care about taxes?

Even that won't get you a guaranteed job right now.

[DaBurgh]

250k seems steep for one income in the household, law school expenses, and this volatile economy, but I suppose everyone's circumstances are different. If it were me I would shoot for a city neighborhood like Morningside, thereby spending less on the house. Upon graduating law school and finding a job in the area, I would then upgrade to the family house whose location is based on commutes to work. But like I said, everyone's circumstances are different.

[PeterRabbit]

In Regent Square and possibly some other older neighborhoods, just because a house has a garage doesn't mean your car will fit into it or if it does that you can open the door and get out and if your car is long you may not be able to close the garage door. In some of those garages an SUV is too tall to get in.

[PeterRabbit]

Renting a garage or private parking space in Oakland could be more convenient and maybe cheaper than paying for parking every time you go there.
Promotional Special!!! Off Street Parking! 1 block from Forbes Ave (http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/prk/1821529719.html - broken link)

[jay5835]

I can't imagine going to school and having to drive to Oakland every day and staying sane.

I would rent an apartment for a year in Sq. Hill. You could take the bus to school in 15 minutes, and your husband could drive to work. If you absolutely must buy a place, look in Greenfield, but in an area that's on the 61 bus line to Oakland.

You can decide where you want to buy a house either at the end of your first year or after you're working as an attorney.

[Renaldo5000]

Originally Posted by grimacista

Even that won't get you a guaranteed job right now.

Yeah, it's scary. I was reading an article that basically said that even in the best of times (economic boom), law schools were pumping out too many graduates. This means that there are many people out there with a law degree who will never use it because there aren't enough jobs.

If you go to a Tier 3 or 4 school you flat out won't ever get a job unless you are the superstar of the class. A low level Tier 1 or 2 school will only confer a good job if you are in the top 10% of the class. Prepare to do document review work for $15 an hour if you aren't. Pitt is a low-level Tier 1 school. Outside of the immediate area its name doesn't have a lot of pull from what I hear. You want me to pay over $100,000 for a piece of paper that might not get me a decent job? Pfft...no thanks.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by iwonderwhy2124

Yeah, it's scary. I was reading an article that basically said that even in the best of times (economic boom), law schools were pumping out too many graduates. This means that there are many people out there with a law degree who will never use it because there aren't enough jobs.

If you go to a Tier 3 or 4 school you flat out won't ever get a job unless you are the superstar of the class. A low level Tier 1 or 2 school will only confer a good job if you are in the top 10% of the class. Prepare to do document review work for $15 an hour if you aren't. Pitt is a low-level Tier 1 school. Outside of the immediate area its name doesn't have a lot of pull from what I hear. You want me to pay over $100,000 for a piece of paper that might not get me a decent job? Pfft...no thanks.

People are even doing that for undergrad nowadays. Even for liberal arts degress.