Volume 27 No. 4 April 2011
2011 Homebuyer and Home Improvement Guide
Photo By Kelly Thomas
This Fineview home was one of 479 homes bought on the Northside in 2010. Read the buyers’ story and see more home sale data in our Special Section.
More people seem to be calling the Northside home these days, and with good reason. With plentiful parks, a rich history and easy access to other parts of the city, developers and community groups are putting their money into improving and enriching our communities. Our 2010 Homebuyer and Home Improvement Guide features stories, tips and statistics for those considering a move to the Northside, or for readers who already live in and enjoy one of our many great neighborhoods. Inside our Homebuyer Guide you can find: -Homebuyer profile: Finding Fineview -Urban gardening: More than aesthetics -RealStats: Local real estate transactions -Ask the Realtor: What to know and do -Handyman and contractor listings Northside real estate market The Northside’s real estate market is
unique in that it contains many different neighborhoods and demographics. In the following months, The Northside Chronicle will feature articles on the local real estate climate, examining trends and comparing sales prices, and looking at quarterly trends from 2010 and 2011. We’ll also examine: -New construction and resale values: Where the new construction is and how much those homes resell for -Buyers: Who is buying, where they are from and who occupies a home - Commercial real estate transactions: Where the most properties are being sold and what kind of redevelopment follows In this month’s Homebuyer’s Guide, The Chronicle looks at 2010 home sales in the various Northside neighborhoods, including median sales price and number of homes sold in each neighborhood. Flip to our Special Section in the middle of The Chronicle to find all of these stories.
Services plentiful for older adults on Northside By Isaac Saul In the 2000 Census, nearly 418,000 people over age 65 were counted in Allegheny and the five surrounding counties. And each and every day, volunteers step up to make the lives of senior citizens more pleasant and easier to manage. Three of the major senior services that can be found in the Northside are the Meals on Wheels program offered by Lutheran Service society, the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging, and the Northside
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Citiparks Senior Community Centers. Lutheran Service Society Some of those volunteers who improv seniors’ lives work for the Lutheran Service Society, a nonprofit, faith-based human services provider. Leslie Montgomery, the director of volunteer services for the society, helps run the Meals on Wheels program that delivers pre-cooked meals to seniors in the area. “Almost all of our programs are driven by volunteers,” Montgomery
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said. “The Meals on Wheels program has volunteers that come in five days a week to help prepare meals, and then deliver them to people who are home bound.” To qualify for the program, seniors must be unable to plan, shop or prepare meals for themselves, or have a temporary or permanent disability. The services offered are primarily for senior residents above the age of 60, but Montgomery said that they serve some younger residents as well. According to Montgomery, the program’s meals offer nearly
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two thirds the daily recommended nutritional value for seniors. But the meal isn’t the only priority. “We always say the visit is just as important as the meal being delivered,” Montgomery said. “Volunteers are trained to observe the situation in the home they are delivering to and to make sure the person is alright. Usually they are the only person to see the client each day so they can be their only connection to the outside world.” The program doesn’t want to
See Senior Services, page 19
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