The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently had an interesting article about Pittsburgh home vacancies in the area.

The article discusses the Pittsburgh-area borough of Braddock. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the community has a 24.2 percent vacancy rate, which is the highest of all 130 communities in Allegheny County.

The community’s vacancy rate has  dropped since 2000, when it had 1,624 housing units and its vacancy rate was 28.5 percent.

In comparison, last year’s housing vacancy for all of Allegheny County was 9.4 percent.  Those numbers were 9.9 percent for all of Pennsylvania and 11.4 percent for the entire country, the paper reported.

Vacancy rates for the county and state are actually not that different from the year 2000, when those rates were last measured by the U.S. Census.

What Do Pittsburgh Home Vacancies Mean for the Pittsburgh Real Estate Market?

It’s important to note that home vacancies are not always the result of foreclosures or of people moving from the city to the suburbs.

Income, the quality of the school district, and the condition of the properties in a community can also play a part.

Additionally, home vacancies is not a unique issue to the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.  In fact, experts say that the Pittsburgh area’s housing market is actually quite healthy compared to other communities around the country.

How Do Pittsburgh Home Vacancies Affect Pittsburgh Home Buyers?

Another factor that might be confounding the number of home vacancies on the Pittsburgh real estate market is the fact that demand for new homes right now is quite high – especially in the northern part of Allegheny County.

This means that older homes in the county that are sitting vacant right now aren’t being considered as much.

The truth is, however, there are a lot of great finds in the Pittsburgh existing homes inventory.  Whether it’s a home with a lot of historical integrity or one with some fine detail work that you don’t always see in newer homes, there are certainly a number of gems out there.

The best part is that Pittsburgh home buyers can often get great deals on these homes because Pittsburgh home sellers are eager to find interested buyers right now.  That means you’ll have more negotiation room when it comes to deciding on the Pittsburgh home’s selling price.

The bottom line is that Pittsburgh home buyers should not shy away from a Pittsburgh home just because it’s sitting vacant.  You never know – that home might turn out to be the dream Pittsburgh home for which you and your family have been looking.

Interested in checking out some of the available listings on the Pittsburgh real estate market? Then contact me, Jim Dolanch.

As your Pittsburgh real estate market, I’ll help you navigate the Pittsburgh real estate market as you search for your dream Pittsburgh home for sale.

Until next time,

Jim