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).
• Property Reassessment in Allegheny County:
  An Online Resource Guide
  Information collected by Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Downtown & Business.
• 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
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Real Estate
  The Post-Gazette's Real Estate section is powered by Zillow and will allow you to search for a house and also give information on Pittsburgh mortgage rates.
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: State's closing costs are third highest in U.S.
  This August 8, 2012 article reports that "Closing costs in the state were the third highest in the country this year at an average of $4,467, 19 percent higher than the national average of $3,754, according to an annual check by Bankrate.com." This was mainly due to title fees.
• 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: Homebuyer Loans
  Low interest rate loans for low income homeowners in Pittsburgh.

Pennsylvania

• 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.

United States

• 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.
• 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: Building, Buying, Owning & Remodeling a Home
  Yes, some people even build their own home!
• 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.