by Kelsey Shea

The Northside housing market saw significant growth between 2011 and 2012 in almost all neighborhoods, though sales, growth and median home prices varied dramatically between neighborhoods.

In 2012, 615 homes, townhomes and duplexes with a price of $10,000 or more sold in the Northside’s 15 residential neighborhoods.

There were 118 more Northside homes sold in 2012 than there were in 2011, which is a 19.5 percent increase.

“It is amazing at how affordable quality, aesthetically pleasing, and inspiring homes are in neighborhoods such as Fineview, Brightwood, Brighton Heights, Spring Garden, among many others. This bodes well for the changing demographics that demonstrate and predict people are moving … closer to the city, not only for those who find the need to sell but also for the appreciation in equity that will benefit our new neighbors,” said Jon Huck, Northside Leadership Conference real estate director.

The median price for all of the Northside was $93,688, but varied widely by neighborhood. Allegheny West had the highest median price for a home at $232,152, and Brightwood had the lowest median price for a home at $37,326.

The neighborhoods of Spring Hill and Observatory Hill both saw significant growth in both the number of homes sold and median price.
Manchester also showed consistent growth, selling nearly twice as many homes in 2012 than were sold in 2011.

Spring Garden saw fewer home sales, but the average home sale increased to more than $70,000, where the average price of Spring Garden homes sold in 2011 was just 28,881.

Historic Deutschtown had 43 homes sold, compared to the 25 sold in 2011 though median home prices stayed nearly the same.

Most other neighborhood’s 2010 and 2011 numbers showed little deviation from each other showing incremental growth or change.

Of the 615 Northside homes sold, 113 were in Brighton Heights, making it the most popular Northside neighborhood for homebuyers. Brighton Heights home sales made up 18.4 percent of all homes sold on the Northside.

Check out or annual Home Buyers guide in the April issue of the Chronicle, out on April 1.