Many home improvement projects can be accomplished with a modest amount of cash and yet deliver lots of value, particularly when it's time for you to sell your house.  From the Money Pit, here are some upgrages that will cost under $1,000:

Home ImprovementReplace kitchen counter tops - Cook up a new look by upgrading kitchen work surfaces with one of the many sleek, budget-friendly materials available. 

Accessorize the bathroom for comfort and safety - If you plan to stay in your home for many years to come, start making small changes that create easy access for family members of all ages and abilities.

Brush on a new look - Paint is one of the most affordable home improvement products around, so make it your go-to technique for updating a living space.

Spruce up an outdoor room - Expand both your living space and your home's value by building a small deck or a patio of brick, natural stone or cement pavers. 

Enhance curb appeal - Your front yard is an instant register of home value for every passerby, so green it up for a lush, lively look.

Improve energy efficiency - The climbing costs of home heating fuel make penny-saving improvements all the more valuable. 

Accessorize to organize - Make more space by clearing away clutter and installing organization systems. 

Read the entire article.

 

Here's the list of 13 homes that sold in July on Pittsburgh's South Side (up from 10 in June): 

Address                     List Price  Sold Price
2619 Stromberg Street 289,900 283,000
2905 Sarah Street 285,000 280,000
1709 Edwards Way 194,000 184,500
2516 Mission Street 195,000 183,000
2334 Larkins Way 169,900 162,370
51 Pius Street 154,900 158,000
143 S 19th Street 159,900 140,000
429 East Carson Street 139,900 130,000
102-104 Handler Street 91,000 84,000
1911 Baldauf Street 57,000 49,900
2623 Stromberg Street 44,900 25,000
45 Sterling Street 36,100 12,000
2411 Salisbury Street 9,900 9,900

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Real estate sales in Upper St. Clair showed good growth over the last two months.  From 13 homes sold in May, to 22 in June, sales jumped again in July with 37: 

Address                           List Price  Sold Price
2001 Murdstone Drive 540,000 540,000
1700 Ewing Circle 395,000 395,000
1836 Tragone Drive 394,900 382,500
2080 Outlook Drive 399,900 375,000
1802 Tragone Drive 389,000 375,000
2677 Gloucester Drive 349,000 340,000
435 Cadberry Court 349,900 315,000
2146 Meadowmont Drive 300,000 295,000
3416 Brookdale Drive 295,900 295,000
217 Carriage Lane 279,000 260,000
2384 Rexford Drive 274,000 251,000
1317 Manor Drive 265,000 250,000
1188 Sky Ridge Drive 242,500 239,468
1220 Ridgewood Road 250,000 237,875
1809 Taper Drive 259,900 235,000
504 Trotwood Ridge Road 259,900 233,000
2433 Huntington Drive 225,000 228,000
1604 Terrie Drive 229,900 225,000
2631 Old Washington Road 229,900 222,000
2304 Weston Drive 224,900 220,000
1603 Seegar Road 224,900 220,000
1721 Partridge Run Road 229,000 216,300
368 Lorlita Lane 219,900 215,750
2140 Clairmont Drive 229,900 215,000
471 Laredo Drive 229,000 215,000
1166 Billings Drive 221,500 212,000
219 Lesnett Road 189,900 200,000
1321 Rose Circle 210,000 197,000
210 Johnston Road 194,900 194,900
14 Keifer Drive 184,750 177,500
2513 Partridge Drive 174,900 174,900
3507 Myrna Drive 174,900 168,450
2274 Washington Road 179,900 165,000
103 Royanna Drive 156,000 156,000
153 Highview Drive 149,000 143,500
1329 Sun Ridge Drive 140,000 139,000
472 Long Drive 125,000 125,000

Call me today if you are ready to buy or sell a home in Upper St. Clair, or in any of our great Pittsburgh communities.

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Do you water your lawn ... and the sidewalks and street?  From Best Green Home Tips, here are some rules for eco-minded summer lawn watering:

  • Home LawnMany lawns only need about one inch of water per week to thrive and, in areas that see more rain, your lawn may need even less.
  • Timed sprinklers can help you water less and more efficiently.
  • Water in the morning or in the evening. If you water midday, most of the water is evaporated by the hot sun and can't actually do its job.
  • Set your sprinklers up to cover actual vegetation areas, not the sidewalk or street.
  • Use recycled water - easy if you have a rain barrel.
  • Use a hose or watering can for smaller areas vs. a sprinkler. When doing this, water slowly which helps the roots to get the water they need.
  • Create an earth-friendly rain garden.
  • Water less by planting native plants and by eliminating lawn areas where possible.
 

There were 24 homes sold in Peters Township during the month of July, compared to 28 in June.  Here's the July list:

Address                                             List Price  Sold Price
Lot 24 Windsor Court (New Construction) 699,900 741,250
1131 Moccasin Drive 619,900 570,000
Lot 610 Wild Briar (New Construction) 373,068 568,900
620 Sagewood Drive 559,900 520,000
202 Fox Run Drive 534,500 510,000
41 Lintel Drive 514,900 510,000
203 Bridle Trail 500,000 485,000
208 Windermere Court 495,900 475,000
317 Buffalo Ridge Road 475,000 460,000
163 Druid Drive 432,900 432,000
139 Elm Grove Drive 429,900 429,900
404 Bridle Trail 439,900 405,000
113 Blackmore Drive (New Construction) 395,000 395,000
218 Walnut Drive 369,900 375,000
116 Spring Meadow Drive 339,900 330,000
105 Standing Rock Drive 330,000 325,000
595 Bower Hill Road 299,900 283,500
352 E McMurray Road 281,900 270,000
133 Marble Drive 255,000 258,000
106 Lampliter Lane 248,745 250,000
202 Grandview Drive 249,900 242,000
122 W Edgewood Drive 239,900 239,900
120 McClintock Drive 227,500 227,500
516 E McMurray Road 225,000 210,000

There are a lot of great Peters Township homes on the market, so give me a call if you want to take a look at what's available.

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One of the first investments that you should consider after buying a new house is a home security system.  Protecting your home with a security system provides a much safer environment for your family and eases your mind in 4 areas:

Home Security1. Dissuasion - if a burgler sees a home security label on your window, he may move on to an easier target.

2. Minimum loss - if someone enters your home, he won't stick around very long when the alarm sounds.

3. Avoiding confrontation - if you arrive home and the alarm is sounding,  you know not to enter the house.

4. Protection against fires - smoke detectors can be incorporated into the system.

For more information, read the Home Alarm Systems Buying Guide.

 

Mt. Lebanon real estate sales were strong again in July (52 homes sold, slightly better than the 51 sold in June).  The last time more than 50 homes sold in Mt. Lebanon was in August 2007. 

Address                     List Price  Sold Price
3 Forest Glen Drive 630,000 630,000
253 Morrison Drive 489,900 480,000
734 Pinoak Road 449,000 402,000
347 Parker Drive 425,000 385,000
257 Vee Lynn Drive 375,000 375,000
194 Mayfair Drive 399,000 370,000
142 Crescent Drive 387,500 365,000
448 Parkview Drive 389,900 352,500
121 Mayfair Drive 349,900 340,000
850 Macarthur Drive 335,500 325,000
33 Altadena Drive 319,900 299,000
248 Orchard Drive 325,850 298,500
1431 Mohican Drive 296,900 286,000
114 Woodhaven Drive 274,900 265,000
844 Foxland Drive 273,000 264,000
108 Bradley Court 269,900 259,000
555 Sandrae Drive 265,000 256,525
460 Willow Drive 255,000 245,500
813 Hillaire Drive 249,500 241,000
870 Bridgewater Drive 259,000 240,000
1145 Pinewood Drive 259,900 239,000
99 Newburn Drive 229,000 238,500
1206 Pinewood Drive 235,000 230,000
1017 Larchdale Drive 269,900 226,800
115 Seminole Drive 224,900 217,000
282 Magnolia Place 219,900 212,750
1305 Firwood Drive 209,900 212,180
110 Shady Drive West 219,900 208,000
439 Marlin Drive 214,900 207,000
760 Gypsy Lane 209,000 205,000
487 Duquesne Drive 208,500 196,500
109 Elatan Drive 199,900 195,000
138 Poplar Drive 194,000 195,000
1159 Driftwood Drive 197,900 190,000
32 Academy Avenue 189,900 190,000
273 Roycroft Avenue 192,500 189,000
698 Fruithurst Drive 194,900 178,000
106 Morrison Drive 199,900 175,000
26 Rosemont Avenue 174,900 174,900
618 Crystal Drive 169,900 172,120
331 Jonquil Place 169,900 165,000
211 Altoona Place 168,350 165,000
774 Lebanon Avenue 168,900 164,375
719 Kewanna Avenue 159,900 160,000
800 Ella Street 154,900 154,900
619 Moreland Drive 150,000 149,000
610 Briarwood Avenue 138,500 142,500
517 Clemson Drive 139,900 142,000
472 Sleepy Hollow 134,000 133,560
460 Broadmoor Avenue 134,900 130,000
1347 Sylvandell Drive 127,900 118,000
938 Segar Road 119,900 117,000

If you are ready to buy or sell a home in Mt. Lebanon, I live in the community and know it well - so give me a call today.

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If you've got a weekend, then you have enough time to green your home. According to Best Green Home Tips, here are some small changes you can make quickly:

Home ClotheslineClean your refrigerator coils - Your fridge coils may be costing you in both energy and money. Dirty coils have to work harder to cool your fridge which pumps up your electricity use, and in turn your bill. You can easily clean off the dust and grime with a long brush and your fridge will run better.

Hang a clothes line - With warm summer air here, you've got no excuse not to hang a clothes line. This will save energy and money plus is a super cheap fix to start with. It'll only cost you about $10 for a decent clothesline and about 50 clothespins either online or at your local hardware store.

Clear out some plastics - Go through your kitchen cupboards and clear out some toxic plastic dishes and containers. Aim to ditch plastics #3, 6, or 7 first as these are the most toxic. Cleaning out toxic plastics leaves you space to stock up on some eco-friendly food storage containers.

Read the entire article.

 
Posted by Casey O. Smith - Pittsburgh Real Estate on 08/04/2009 08:17 AM   Comments (0)   home, green, environment  

Here's the list of 10 homes that sold in June on Pittsburgh's South Side (up from 6 in May): 

Address                       List Price  Sold Price
148 S 17th Street 419,900 395,000
1101 Sarah Street 275,000 250,000
2705 Josephine Street 239,000 232,500
1823 Sarah Street 235,000 225,000
506 Bingham Street 177,000 170,000
1818 Jane Street 159,000 150,000
1513 Sarah Street 119,500 110,000
200 15th Street 87,500 87,500
62 Magdalena Street 31,000 31,500
1014 Warrington Avenue 29,500 25,000

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Woman Home BuyerAre you a single woman looking for a new home?  Well, you're not alone.  According to the report, Buying For Themselves:  An Analysis of Unmarried Female Home Buyers, single women drive at least 20% of home sales. 

If you're like the average woman in this report, your home buying requirements may be a little different from your partnered female friends.  Instead of looking for more space or a change of locale, most single women simply want to own their own home.  Friends and family are important to these women and they tend to buy closer to these people. Single women are not as likely to give up location or neighborhood quality as they are amenities and home size.

For more information, visit the National Association of Realtors' website for its Field Guide for Women Homebuyers.  And, if you're ready to buy a home, give me a call today so I can help you find a house that matches your priorities.

 
  
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Casey O. Smith - Pittsburgh Real Estate

Pittsburgh, PA

More about me…

Prime Realty Group at Keller Williams

Address: 3241 W. Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15216

Office Phone: (412) 512-0090

Cell Phone: (412) 512-0090

Email Me

Statistics and helpful info about the Pittsburgh, Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair, Dormont, Peters Township, Scott Township and Nevillwood real estate markets.


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