3 Highland Park row houses for sale, 2 priced at $180,000
You could say that the sale of three row houses in the 6300 block of Stanton Avenue is a family affair.
In 2004, Vanessa McConnell’s grandfather purchased five rowhouses in Highland Park as rental property. Fifteen years later, he decided it was time to retire from the landlord business and turned three attached units over to Mrs. McConnell and the other two to his son.
But being a landlord isn’t for everyone. Mrs. McConnell has put all three on the market, including 6321 Stanton Ave. (MLS No 1481228) for $180,000. She has listed it and adjoining row houses at 6319 and 6323 Stanton Ave. with agent Randi Cugini of the Fox Chapel office of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services (www.coldwellbankerhomes.com or 412-855-4558). All are open by appointment in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions.
“It’s a lot for me. I have a fulltime job and three kids,” said Mrs. McConnell. “Not something we can handle right now even though we would love to keep them.”
Built in 1911, each unit has three bedrooms, one bathroom and nearly 1,400 square feet of living space. 6319 is also priced at $180,000 and 6323, the end unit, is priced at $195,000. All three have been rented as part of Pittsburgh’s Housing Choice Voucher Program for lowincome, elderly and disabled renters. The current tenants are aware that the properties are for sale and that the buyer might not want to participate in the program.
Each row house has an exterior of pale yellow brick, a flat roof and decorative clay-tiled overhangs that provide shade for the upstairs windows. The living room of 6321 has three south-facing windows in front and a built-in bookshelf next to a decorative fireplace along one wall.
“The living room, I would have to say, is smaller than the dining room but still pretty big,” said Mrs. McConnell.
The dining room has a brick fireplace trimmed in wood. Mrs. McConnell said the house’s two fireplaces are decorative but “could be redone for use.” The dining room can easily fit a large table for family dinners and there is a built-in cabinet with glass doors.
The kitchen is in the rear and has a vinyl floor and upper and lower cabinets on two walls. Above the cabinets is an open space for storage. The kitchen sink is
beneath a large window that makes it easy to keep track of children in the backyard. There is a white dishwasher and refrigerator and a newer black gas stove with a ventless hood top.
One door leads from the kitchen to the partially covered deck and fenced-in backyard. The other door accesses the unfinished basement.
Stairs from the living room lead to three bedrooms; the smallest one could be used as a home office.
“There is pretty much a window in every room except for the dining room and that means lots of sunshine,” said Mrs. McConnell.
There is a large window in the single bathroom, which has a wood vanity, a bath/shower combination and vinyl flooring.
The property’s assessed value is $50,000. Over the past three years, seven houses have sold in the 6300 block of Stanton Avenue for prices ranging from $140,000 in September 2020 to $375,000 in July 2020 (www2.alleghenycounty.us/RealEstate/ Search.aspx?).
At the front of the house is a covered porch that overlooks a yard with mature shrubs. From here, you can see the nearby Highland Park Community Garden. Mrs. McConnell noted the house’s proximity to the city’s Highland Park, which offers swimming, biking, volleyball and fishing in Carnegie Lake.
“The area is great,” she said. “There is a big pool in the park and you’re within walking distance of a ton of stuff. They’re building the new Whole Foods not far away.”