Welcome to this week’s edition of The Pittsburgh Pulse — Pittsburgh first, real estate second.
Spring is loading.
Rates just touched 5.99%. Sid's hurt. Tambellini's went quiet. And somewhere in Lower Burrell, there's a house with a two-story living room waiting for the right person to find it.
This is Pittsburgh right now — and there's a lot to talk about.
🏠 If You Live in Pittsburgh, Read This
Mortgage rates just touched 5.99% this week for the first time in over a year. That's not a typo. The psychological wall buyers have been waiting to break is cracking.
Inventory in Allegheny County sits at 2,138 active listings right now. That sounds like a lot until you realize serious buyers are already moving — and new listings only added 156 homes in the last two weeks.
The "wait until April" instinct is going to cost sellers this year. The buyers who are shopping in late February and March are motivated, pre-approved, and not casually browsing. List early or compete with everyone else who had the same thought.
Out-of-state buyers are not slowing down. Florida, California, New Jersey, Texas — they're looking at Pittsburgh's $245K median and doing math that makes no sense to us but makes complete sense to them.
The NFL Draft is in Pittsburgh in April. That is not a reason to list. It is a reason to temporarily Airbnb your spare bedroom for $1,000+ a night and then list in May when the out-of-state interest it generates actually converts.
If you're a buyer who has been waiting for rates to "feel right," consider that the people who bought last year at 7% are already refinancing. Waiting has a cost. It just doesn't show up as a line item.
The average Pittsburgh home is selling at 97.78% of list price in 46 days. Homes aren't flying off the shelf in a weekend — but they're not sitting either. There's a window. Right now, you're in it.
One more thing: you don't need 20% down. You never did. You just needed someone to tell you that you didn't.
Pittsburgh's spring market is loading — and most buyers and sellers are walking into it with the wrong assumptions.
We broke down the 7 things people keep getting wrong right now — from waiting on rates to the 20% down myth — with real Allegheny County data behind every answer.
📰 Big Stories
Sidney Crosby is out at least four weeks after a lower-body injury playing for Canada at the Milan Olympics — he missed the gold medal game, came home with a silver medal, and now the Penguins have to make a playoff push without their captain right when it matters most.
The Steelers are in Indianapolis this week for the NFL Combine, running formal interviews with draft prospects — and with Pittsburgh hosting the Draft in April, every decision they make between now and then is going to feel like it's happening in someone's living room.
Panther Hollow Bridge repairs are finally starting after more than a year of closures — the $2.23 million fix is expected to wrap up in August, with a temporary reopening in July for the Vintage Grand Prix. Oakland and Squirrel Hill commuters, this one's for you.
Pirates prospect Konnor Griffin is generating the kind of spring training buzz the Post-Gazette says is unlike anything they've covered in years — which is either genuinely exciting or classic Pittsburgh optimism. You decide.
📊 What Changed This Week — Pittsburgh Edition Residential · Last 7 Days
509 new listings — inventory is building. More options for buyers, more competition for sellers.
409 sold, 479 contingent — nearly 900 homes closed or went under contract. The market looks quiet. It isn't.
435 price cuts vs. 13 increases — homes priced right aren't the ones cutting. The market is disciplining bad pricing fast.
107 back on market — a deal fell through on that house you loved. It happens. Check again.
Homeowners: Your competition just changed. Get a current CMA before you decide when to list.
Buyers: 479 contingents means other buyers aren't waiting. Pre-approval isn't a commitment — it's what lets you move when the right house shows up.
🏙 Pittsburgh IRL
Joseph Tambellini Restaurant in Highland Park is "on a break until further notice" — no timeline, no explanation beyond a gracious note on their website. A Bryant Street staple since 2007 and the last restaurant carrying the Tambellini name in Pittsburgh. Worth watching.
Arts Landing is nearly done. The $31 million, four-acre downtown civic space is on track for a soft opening right before the NFL Draft in April — with a great lawn, bandshell big enough for a full symphony, Pittsburgh's only downtown playground, and public art from local artists including Thaddeus Mosley. The grand opening follows in June at the Three Rivers Arts Festival.
It's Lent. Fish fry season is here. --> The Fish Fry Guide of all Guides
🗓️ Weekend Picks
World Oddities Expo — This weekend only at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (Feb 28–Mar 1). Taxidermy, curiosities, human oddities, and things you can't unsee. Exactly the kind of only-in-Pittsburgh energy that isn't actually only in Pittsburgh but feels like it should be. Worth the trip if you're curious by nature.
52 Lovers — Running through March 1 at the Cultural District. A Czech man in a turtleneck does sleight of hand with playing cards. No nudity, apparently worth clarifying. Weird, romantic, and reportedly great. Tickets still available.
Conservatory Dance Company Winter Concert — Feb 28–Mar 1. Ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary works from guest choreographers. Good pick if you want something that feels a little more elevated this weekend.
WPIAL Basketball Playoffs — If you have a kid, know a kid, or just remember being one, the playoffs are running this week. Central Catholic just knocked out Seneca Valley. The gym energy this time of year is unmatched.
👀 Yinz Gotta See This
Full disclosure — I'm biased.
This one is in Lower Burrell. My hometown. The place I grew up, the streets I know by memory, the kind of town that doesn't make the highlight reel but absolutely should.
There's a version of Pittsburgh living that doesn't get talked about enough — not the city rowhouse, not the suburban cookie-cutter. Something quieter. Where the lot is half an acre, the ceilings go two stories, and afternoon light pours through a half-circle picture window and fills the whole room.
That's this house.
$624,900. 3,500 square feet. And a community I'd be proud to introduce anyone to.
If I'm lucky, I get to hand someone the keys — and then take them to lunch and show them what Burrell's actually about.
Most of you aren't buying a house in Lower Burrell this week.
But you are thinking about something.
Maybe it's whether now's the right time to list. Maybe it's whether you've been waiting too long to buy. Maybe it's just a number you want to know.
You don't need a presentation. You need a real conversation.
I'm here for that.
