Home Ownership

Buying and Selling Your Home

Pittsburgh Region

• Allegheny County Municipalities
  Don't know where a town is? Check here for a map and information on each of the 130 municipalities that make up Allegheny County.
• Allegheny County Real Estate Site
  By inputting an address of a house, you can see what the price paid for it by the current owner was, the current market value of the house and property, and the size of the lot. You might need to find the Pittsburgh Ward information.
• Buy in the Burgh
  Search this database of properties to find available vacant land, homes and assembled development sites owned by public entities including the City of Pittsburgh and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA).
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Survey shows Pennsylvania has some of the highest closing costs in the nation"
  An August 27, 2010 article about a study by Bankrate.com showing that title insurance rates in Pennsylvania are higher than most other states, and fees are often tacked onto it. Mentions an alternative in EntitleDirect
• Property Reassessment in Allegheny County:
  An Online Resource Guide
  Information collected by Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Downtown & Business. It includes a detailed Appeal Hearing Assistance Handbook prepared by Mr. Kenneth Behrend, a Pittsburgh attorney who has served on the County Board of Property Assessment Appeals for 5 years.
• City of Pittsburgh Planning Department Information Center
  Information (or where to get information) on Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
• City of Pittsburgh Community Development
  Their Market Value Analysis maps show you the economic characteristics of each neighborhood.
• Getting to the Point
  provides relocation assistance to families and individuals moving to Pittsburgh
• University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR)
  This center at the University of Pittsburgh publishes the Pittsburgh Economic Quaterly and provides information about the economic health of Allegheny County municipalities and Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
  • Pittsburgh Neighborhood & Community Information System
    The Pittsburgh Neighborhood and Community Information System (PNCIS) is a property information system that collects integrated information on community conditions, and provides it to local stakeholders.
• Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh: Housing
  Carries out redevelopment activities in Pittsburgh by providing below-market interest rate mortgage financing to promote homeownership and home improvement, by financing the new construction and rehabilitation of housing for owners and renters, and by raising substantial funds through the issuance of mortgage revenue bonds. Check out the low interest rate loans for low income homeowners in Pittsburgh!

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
  The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency provides capital for decent, safe and affordable homes and apartments for older adults, persons of modest means and those persons with special housing needs.

Web Sites

• BankRate.com
  Check out the mortgage rates in your town!
• Census Bureau: Housing Topics
  Information and data from the federal government about homeownership, housing affordability, housing vacancy, residential segregation, etc.
• CNN Money: Best Places to Live in America
  Each year, Money Magazine reviews census data on 300 US cities compiled by the Fast Forward consulting firm and selects the best places to live, focusing on economy, education, culture, recreation and safety.
• Ginnie Mae
  Ginnie Mae - The Government National Mortgage Association - helps more Americans buy their own homes by operating the Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) program that helps to ensure that mortgage funds are available throughout the United States including in rural and urban areas in which it has been harder to borrow money to buy a home.
• HUD: Buying a Home
  Information from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development on Buying a Home, Finding Housing, Keeping Your Home, Building a Home, Buying Land, Making Home Improvements. Offers a checklist for homebuyers; lists HUD homes for sale.
• Interest.com
  Find a mortgage rate in your area.
• Making Home Affordable
  Making Home Affordable is a key part of the Obama Administration's effort to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.
• Motley Fool: Personal Finance: Buying a Home
  Tips on financing your home (what can you afford), finding the perfect home, making the deal, refinancing your home, how to maintain your home (home improvements, contractors).
• National Association of Home Builders
  NAHB offers Resources for Consumers that include information on building, buying, maintaining and remodeling your home. For the professional it also has construction codes and standards.
• New York Times: Mapping America: Every City, Every Block
  Although initially centered on New York City, you can input your zipcode to find out the racial makeup, income, home values (increase/decline), and education levels of any neighborhood.
• USPS: MoversGuide
  On-Line Help for Movers before, during, and after the move from the US Postal Service. Includes information on vehicle and voter registration as well as changing your address.
• Wall Street Journal: Real Estate
  A site for the home buyer from the Wall Stree Journal with articles on the latest housing trends and profiles of major US cities.