Also, if this is a historical house then anytime you do repairs you have to put a ton of money into doing it the way with people that know what they are doing and sourcing the correct building materials. I've done work on houses like this and it's a pain in the butt.
There doesn’t need to be. The photographs are a nightmare, starting with slide 11. I’m thinking this is a mold house. Possibly a tear-down due to the cost to remediate.
I clicked on the photos in the first link and #5 popped up. If this is the damage they have photographed, there is a heck of a lot wrong. It looks like it needs to be taken down to the studs. The nicest bathroom is the one on the third floor. And what they did to the fireplaces is very suspicious. It looks like a cover for water damage.
Yeah…I work in Allegheny County and will loosely describe my job as “related to food deserts,” so I’m basically never hanging out in “good” neighborhoods professionally. I’ve been threatened exactly three times in 15 years and held at gunpoint once. Two out of three threats and the holdup were in McKeesport.
ETA: I would also note that many of the houses there are abandoned and derelict. That’s because the population is only about a third of what it was at peak.
I owned a 1939 duplex outside Baltimore from 2007-2018. You don't even want to know how much replacing the slate roof worth another slate roof would have cost in 2016 and it was probably half the size of this house. You would have to use different roofing materials to make it affordable with the house and neighborhood.
McKeesport is right outside Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. It’s not nowhere. That’s Beaver or Washington or Westmoreland county. Unfortunately, its crime rate is 100% higher than the national average and the schools have a reading proficiency of 20%
This Beautiful 1939 BrickHome in McKeesport, PA, Is Only $80,000. So What's the Catch?
Fixed it for you.
For those not from the area, McKeesport was huge in our industrialization period but has since dried up with steel manufacturing mostly leaving the Pittsburgh area. As with most cities in the Great Lakes rust belt, when the industry goes people flee leaving only those who cannot along with higher crime rate and drugs. If you need a larger major city to compare it to, McKeesport has a higher violent crime rate (per 1000 people) than Detroit, MI. In many ways, McKeesport and Detroit are similar except that Detroit is trending towards the positive direction (a "revival") whereas McKeesport is still bleeding out. I say this as a West Mifflin resident, right across the river from McKeesport.
Yep. McKeesport has a violent crime rate 575% higher than the state average. Also the school ranks in the bottom 14% in the state. PA schools are funded by local taxes rather than at the state or county level, so little chance of improvement.
Don’t expect to get any return on property investments in this area.
I looked up McKeesport on Google Maps, you can tell from the arial view alone the place is an abandoned crap hole. I went to street level view and it only got worse.
Seeing the other comments, gonna go out on a limb and say it's because there's probably hidden damage with wiring/piping and that the area has a lot more violent crime than other areas. Gonna go out on a limb and say this is definitely one of those towns that did pretty well for itself until de-industrialization and NAFTA in the 80's and 90's.
Here's the test whether you should ever consider living somewhere Search for physician jobs in that city. If you see online postings quoting primary care salaries of $500K+ or specialist salaries of $1M+ then you should NEVER set foot in that city.
Adding to this: in 2027 'health care deserts' are getting far larger/worse because severe cuts to rural hospital funding kick in shortly after the midterms that just happened.
The "Big Beautiful Bill" passed last year saved those cuts for just after the midterms. It will be a healthcare bloodbath.
The venn diagram of people with the money to buy and fix this and people who want to live in McKeesport are two circles. Very far apart from one another.
Bluntly but with respect, McKeesport has higher crime, worse public schools, and fewer jobs than many other Pittsburgh suburbs. There aren't a lot of great restaurants for a town of that size, because a huge number of people have been broke for two or three generations. There's also a lot of blighted properties, so you'd want to see the neighbors and the street on something like this. The steel industry falling apart on us hurt, badly.
That said, we have screaming deals on real estate in spots that still have blight, because yeah, from 1920 to about 1960, Pittsburgh was effectively rich; we made more steel here than most of Europe made in total, and that was a very, very profitable business, at least for people who weren't on the bottom tier of labor.
The copper on this says someone cares, so if you were in the market and nearby, yeah, I'd clearly go look at this one.
Termites. I had a house that was listed for $2.3 million in a very exclusive neighborhood. It was on a Large landscape lot on the lakefront.
The interior was perfect in every measurement. Everything was updated tastefully with high-end fit and fixtures, including an AGA oven.
Three stories with three stories of stone decks that faced the water.
It’s sold for $700,000 after being on the market for a year and a half. It was 2021.
During the remodel of the kitchen, they installed cabinets and discovered Formosa termites, had eaten the entire framing of the house, and the home was in danger of collapse.
The owner had spared no expense on the design and remodel of the home.
But he went cheap on getting a treatment Bond instead of a repair Bond for termites.
The people that bought the home ended up spending close to $2 million repairing the framing wall by wall.
They got a great house, but it ended up being a money pit by every measure.
Pic of wood that came out of bottom floor framing.
It was so weird. Go a block in one direction it was a bunch of deteriorated houses with fully fenced of yards...then another direction there are vintage brick roads with even prettier houses.
I love that master bedroom upstairs with the fireplace. The light is gorgeous. I'll bet there's some very nice hardwood floors under that wall to wall carpeting.
A friend of mine bought a house in McKeesport because it was so incredibly cheap.
Unfortunately, most of the people who live there are addicts. With all of the associated problems that come with that. Petty crime. Run-down properties. Loud fights in the street. Drug dealers. Destroyed, miserable people as neighbors.
The walls splitting apart in multiple rooms aren't a giveaway that there are problems? There's graffiti spray tagging in the stairwell too, so it very likely was vacant/abandoned long term.
Oh, it’s being sold as is. There’s something expensive happening that they don’t wanna pay for, so they have to drop the cost. Besides, you’re in a part of the country that already has pretty low house prices, so 80,000 is a reasonable ask here.
ETA: people itt are saying is a bad neighborhood too, which is also contributes to the low price. When we were looking for homes in 2023, we found some really beautiful properties for 80-100K but the neighborhoods were so bad it wasn’t even worth checking them out.
Besides the major structural issues this home has, McKeesport has significant crime problems. It's one of the worst places to live in the Pittsburgh metro area.
That place looks like it was sitting abandoned for some time given the obvious water damage in those photos. Between repairing/replacing walls, floors, roof, and possibly even foundation issues if it's also been sitting unheated in the winter, you'd be spending more than $80k on repairs.
If they’re saying it requires “significant work” in the MLS description that’s usually a bad sign. You won’t know specifics until you get an inspection but could easily be over 80k in work that’s needed on top. 80k seems par for the area (I’m not familiar) and the public schools don’t look like they’re rated well so I dunno… doesn’t look that appealing to me.
Well, first off, the greater Pittsburgh area is very reasonable, housing prices-wise. The city is kind of odd because there are hundreds of tiny independent townships all around it McKeesport is an OK town but it can be difficult to commute into town if that is where you work and the roads there are busy...really busy. I lived around Pittsburgh for several decades and was able to buy homes for really, really cheap (like $15k cheap) and fix them up for a modest profit. This particular house looks OK, but the insulation, heating, cooling and electrical systems are probably in need of an update. I see actual radiator room heaters which means huge, expensive gas boiler. I see very few electrical outlets and wonder what state the wiring is in. The windows are original metal frame single pane... That room with the collapsed ceiling tells a story that is plaster and lathe (tough to work with) and possible asbestos. One bright spot is that all of the floors are probably hardwood under that ancient carpet. When looking to purchase any home, you always need to look at the comps. This home is priced below market and compares very favorably to the comps. There is probably a reason for that but if you are willing to put up with or correct the issues in this home, it might be worth it. It is probably one of the nicer and potentially higher priced homes in the neighborhood, though, so if you sink $150k into renovations, you probably won't get it back.
Mckeesport is the most dangerous place to live in Pittsburgh and it's not close, nobody with the ability to afford anywhere else would ever live there. Which is why you guys are seeing the rest of the street abandoned and collapsing. My wife used to be a school therapist and had students murdered regularly, at least 1 a year.
I looked up the crime stats and it’s competitive for one of the most dangerous small cities in the US, with a violent crime rate 3.6 times the US average.
Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in McKeesport is 1 in 55 and property crime is 1 in 37. It may be cheap, but not worth potentially paying for it with your life.
McKeesport? It's pretty grim there even on a sunny day. Hell, I work from home so it doesn't matter much where I live, but personally I'd give it a pass. Beautiful home tho.
A long time ago McKeesport was a nice place. It’s got a lot of problems now. I have a feeling it’s not the house, it’s the location. I’ve lived in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area for all of my life (70 years). I remember McKeesport in the 60s and 70s. It was great back then. If I had kids I wouldn’t buy the house, but otherwise, maybe if enough people started moving to the area it would improve. Buying a house is always a gamble.
Failed Contract / Buyer Walked: The property went Pending on 9/11/2026 at $99,500, but the deal fell through. Usually, when a rehab property drops out of pending status, it indicates severe issues were uncovered during inspections (e.g., structural foundation issues, severe roof leaks, or environmental hazards). Bullet Aggressive Price Cuts: Listed in August 2026 for $135,000, it has been slashed down to $80,000 after sitting on the market over 90 days. Previous Purchase: The seller bought it in June 2023 for just $42,000. They may have realized the scope of work was far beyond their budget or expected return on investment (ROI). While Rent Zestimate shows ~$1,415/mo, high property tax jumps (up 876% after recent reassessments to $1,739/yr) and maintenance costs on an older 5-bedroom home can severely narrow net cash flow. It is a 3-story home built in 1939 with a slate roof. Repairing or replacing a slate roof alone can easily cost $20,000 to $40,000+.
It’s in McKeesport, that’s what. Was a thriving African American suburb to Pittsburgh until the mills left. Now the place has basically been left to rot with the roads literally crumbling under your tires. There’s so many gorgeous old homes there just sitting bc no one wants to live in that neighborhood. It’s also very east of the city & there’s no direct highway access to get you anywhere quickly. Oh and the steel mills that still exist tend to still be around the area so the pollution is a factor
McKeesport kind of really sucks. There’s no money left in the community because once the steel mills left the money went with it. So of course that brings crime, drugs, and bad schools.
McKeesport is the first problem. Slate roof is probably another - it most likely needs to be replaced and slate is very expensive to deal with. Source: buying a house now in Pittsburgh and it has a slate roof lol
It's beautiful but it absolutely needs a new roof, and who knows how wet the basement is. Easy 100k extra for a new roof, mold remediation, basement waterproofing, and potential foundation issues...and a security system.
It's not walkable. You'll have to drive everywhere no matter what you're trying to do or where you're trying to go. No local jobs. The chances of having a neighbor that is either an addict or a magat are very high. This house looks nicely maintained, but you have no idea what could be hiding without a thorough inspection. Every Pittsburgh home that I know of has either some kind of water issue or soil erosion issue thanks to the hills and the consequences of industry.
That whispering voice in the night is scary at first, but ends up being a great sort of white noise generator; and the walls don't always bleed...
On a more serious note, I'm betting the damage that we can see is indicative of major structural damage. This will be a tear-down and rebuild in an area without a lot of call to do so. Gentrification will see it get swiped up by a corporate interest and converted into a self-storage or bland strip mall.
Anytime you see a house less than 200k its because there's no industry in that area. No jobs = no buyers. Even high crime area will get gentrified if there's money. It will also mean there's less to do in the area. If you want that poor small town feel and you can work remote, then go for it. Most people dont want that.
$150k - bath renovations @ $50k each $120k - kitchen $ 40k - cooling throughout $ 1k getting someone to look at the slate roof $ 20k if it needs repair (conservative) $80k deferred maintenance heat, elec, plumb, floor refinish, painting, repairs, lighting subtotal $400k+ Basic renovations. The house wants better than basic. I’d budget $600k. Idk comps . . . how’s that work out?
Corner lot is a HUGE drag. It’s not 1950. People hate corner lots now. Less privacy. More traffic. Zoning usually imposes 2 deep ‘front’ setbacks instead of one, allowing for less usable property than a same sized neighbor.
McKeesport is depopulated with many areas blighted or empty lots since US Steel still closed their tubular works there. Like most deindustrialized Mon Valley towns, black people over represented there (39%) attracted by the inexpensive housing - having having been priced out of Pittsburgh by the gentrification. Then there are the poor schools due to the crash of the RE tax base. And of course, it has an outdated and overblown reputation of being "dangerous".
Since most people in the area wanting to move out of of Pittsburgh or into the Pittsburgh area and have kids are going to take McKeesport off the list. Of course plain old western Pennsylvania racism is a factor too. Which is a shame, because it has lots of local recreation opportunities like the GAP Pittsburgh-to-DC bicycle trail, parks and the large Dead Man's Hollow forest preserve.
And so, having used the words "racism" and "gentrification", bring on the downvotes...
Edit: Just looked at the pictures. The house is in awful shape! So that's a big factor,
Pic 11 is a bigger nightmare than Jason. The biggest issue is that a normal person getting a mortgage cant buy it due to condition (reno loans are a colossal PITA) and it probably needs mold remediation, drywall, new windows, knob and tube replaced, lead plumbing replaced, no central air and cant bring it in due to incredibly outdated oil heat, potential foundation issues, shitty town, etc etc
There's probably about $200,000 worth of renovation to do there. I'm guessing compromised foundation, out of code insulation, possible need for asbestos removal, and guessing by the peeling on some of the walls there could be major moisture damage and/or mold. That's before we look at the electrical situation, and the plumbing.
Oh and check the municipality to see if the building is declared historic. If so, that severely limits you on what you can and can't do. For instance, a declared historic house will render you totally unable to get rid of any supernatural serial killers that may be staring through your windows.
This is more money than I would pay for it. It needs a bunch of work and is an area that is generally full of lower-cost homes. (And more importantly, is losing population, so it’s full of dilapidated properties that used to be nicer). You’d be dumping money into it that you won’t get back. Somebody will buy it for less is my guess (if it sells at all).
McKeesport just doesn’t have a whole lot of opportunities. And school officials try but the district is not great (the tax base is not wealthy and so schools are not well funded). The infrastructure in this area in particular is also a problem (for instance nearby Versailles Ave is closed at Ravine St until a bridge replacement project is completed, projected for 2029. The bridge has been closed for safety reasons since 2022).
My husband has worked in McKeesport for several years, so we can vouch that there are a few jobs, although not as many as it used to support during the Steel mill heyday. There are some really great people who live in town though.
“The property requires significant rehabilitation, making it best suited for experienced investors, contractors, or buyers looking to restore a historic home to its former beauty. With the right vision and investment, this property has the potential to become a standout residence”
That tells me that someone started and probably realized the extent of the issues and gave up or ran out of money. It doesn’t say anything about upgrades to electric wires or roof, roof is slate and looks like it’s leaking so “steep gables” and slate roof alone will be a fortune.
The fireplaces (2) are “decorative” which is a red flag. Especially with water damage. Zero pictures of the basement. The one bathroom has clear issues around the window with water damage and possibly damage to the brick so you’d need a mason. The ledge thing outside looks like it has water draining towards the house and keeping moisture there.
Essentially you’ll spent probably upwards 250k just to be able to start spending on the fun things.
Unfortunately with old houses the more you start moving and changing the more you need to do. The wall might have knob and tube wires and cast iron pipes and most pros don’t want to just do pipes in one wall and connect them to iron pipes one wall over.
If you are already a roofer with slate experience and masonry skills it might be slightly less financially devastating.
Without looking past the first picture, the catch is already in your title. Lived in the Pittsburgh area all my life, wouldn't consider living in Mckeesport unless you paid me. Even then I'd be hesitant
I love old homes, but have neither the money or the skills to give it the love it needs. But the pics after 1 and 2 were disappointing-i was expecting him to be in every pic! Where was Michael Myers?! But seriously, beautiful old home!
OP did you even look at your own photos? Or are you just trying to ragebate? It is an incomplete resto with some questionable damage in the bathroom. Someone probably started it and found something they didnt like. I am not sure what the laws are in PA but a lot of states require the seller disclose what's wrong with the house.
Also the damaged ceilings are not reassuring. If you want drop an additional 100 to 200k to renovate this would be a great home
Aside from being in McKeesport? (Industry has left, there are really only a few good areas in town, lots of blight, urban prairies, neglect, one of the worst school systems in the state, etc.) It isn't in the worst area of town, over towards Myer Park is decent, but you would need someone special to sink money into it and a flipper would want it much cheaper.
Water damage and a fallen ceiling on what looks like the second floor when there is another floor above it? (Staircase going upstairs visible.) That’s a nightmare.
Does it come with the Michael Myers in the window? Cause with a place that looks that much like a haunted house I would definitely want the full package.
There is a bike trail that goes from Pittsburgh to DC. Well it's really 2 but the GAP trail goes through McKeesport. This is the only part of the trail that I am on guard with my mace close at hand.
1
2.9k
u/danappropriate 19h ago edited 18h ago •
I'd be willing to bet there's quite a bit more damage than what's seen in the photographs.