Townhome Investment/Rent Rate

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Real Estate Deal Analysis & Advice
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Townhome Investment/Rent Rate

Tyler George
Member since 2026 路 7 posts 路 5 votes

New to Real Estate but there is a Townhome for Sale at $165,000 about 45 minutes outside the Pittsburgh Area. It is a 2 bedroom 1.5 bath with an garage. Does not need any work done to it. Looking to rent the property after purchase. Does this price seem adequate for the market? What are the monthly rents for something like this? Any help would be appreciated. 

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Alex Morales
Member since 2026 路 97 posts 路 57 votes
8mo

@Tyler George - a few things to help you evaluate this deal:

First, to answer your questions properly, you'll want to research:

1. Comparable sales - Pull sold townhomes in the same area (same bed/bath, similar sqft) from the last 6 months on Redfin or Zillow. That'll tell you if $165k is market rate or a discount.

2. Rent comps - Check Rentometer, Zillow rentals, or Craigslist for similar townhomes in that area. A 2/1.5 with garage 45 min outside Pittsburgh might rent in the $1,000-1,400/month range depending on the specific town, but you need local data.

3. Run the numbers - Once you have the rent estimate, factor in:

- PITI (principal, interest, taxes, insurance)

- HOA fees (townhomes often have these - make sure to ask)

   - Vacancy (budget 5-8%)

   - Maintenance/repairs (5-10%)

   - Cap-ex reserves (5-8%)

For quick deal analysis, I use a few tools: Rentometer for rent comps, the BP calculator for running numbers, and PropLab for pulling comps and estimating ARV quickly. DealCheck is another solid option. The key is verifying the numbers before making an offer.

General rule of thumb: At $165k, you'd want $1,650/month rent to hit the 1% rule (a quick filter, not a guarantee of cash flow). That's aggressive for a Pittsburgh suburb townhome - most I've seen are closer to 0.6-0.8%.

What town specifically? That'll help narrow down what you can actually charge. Also - is there an HOA? That can eat into cash flow significantly on townhomes.

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  • Max FeinbergPro Member
    Real Estate Agent 路 Pittsburgh, PA 路 Member since 2017 路 151 posts 路 70 votes
    9mo

    Hey @Tyler George, what area specifically is the property in? That would be helpful in figuring out if the price is right and what the rents would be. Feel free to PM to discuss if you鈥檇 like.

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    • Tyler George
      OP
      Member since 2026 路 7 posts 路 5 votes
      9mo
      Quote from @Max Feinberg:

      Hey @Tyler George, what area specifically is the property in? That would be helpful in figuring out if the price is right and what the rents would be. Feel free to PM to discuss if you鈥檇 like.

      Greensburg PA 15601
      0Reply
  • Jeremy TaggartBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent 路 Pittsburgh, PA 路 Member since 2014 路 850 posts 路 647 votes
    9mo

    @Tyler George Can you send the property over? Need more context to be able to give insight on it. 

    DHRE- The Jeremy Taggart Team590 Reviews
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  • Tyler George
    OP
    Member since 2026 路 7 posts 路 5 votes
    9mo

    https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/521-Bush-Way-Greensburg-P...

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  • Jeremy TaggartBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent 路 Pittsburgh, PA 路 Member since 2014 路 850 posts 路 647 votes
    9mo

    @Tyler George You can probably rent that for $1,200 maybe $1,300. If you want a newer build it could be a decent option, since most of the housing stock is older in Pittsburgh. It does have an HOA with a monthly fee of $100, I'm usually not a huge fan of rentals in an HOA. Bit further out though so rent growth and appreciation probably won't be as high as some areas closer to the city. For that price point you can probably get something a little closer to the city so I would want to get price down a bit.

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  • Tyler George
    OP
    Member since 2026 路 7 posts 路 5 votes
    9mo

    Thank you for the response on this! After viewing the home, there are some cosmetic things that need repaired on it and it needs a new air conditioning unit. I think the property value with the needed repairs with the home owner not being willing to do them is about $140,000. Does that seem ridiculously low? 

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  • Bo SmithPro Member
    Hinton, WV 路 Member since 2026 路 1k+ posts 路 375 votes
    9mo

    That 45min from Pittsburgh thing is key - rent can drop off a cliff once you get too far out. I'd definitely look at what similar places are actually renting for in that exact neighborhood, not just the broader area. Also worth checking if there's a bunch of empty rentals sitting around. What part of town is it in?

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  • Tyler George
    OP
    Member since 2026 路 7 posts 路 5 votes
    9mo

    Thanks for the response! Greensburg PA. These townhomes typically go quickly and are largely occupied when rented. 

    1Reply
  • Jeremy TaggartBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent 路 Pittsburgh, PA 路 Member since 2014 路 850 posts 路 647 votes
    8mo

    @Tyler George It just came back on market so they may wait and see if they can get something closer to asking price before accepting that low. Maybe if it were to sit a bit though. 

    DHRE- The Jeremy Taggart Team590 Reviews
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  • Alex Morales
    Member since 2026 路 97 posts 路 57 votes
    8mo

    @Tyler George - a few things to help you evaluate this deal:

    First, to answer your questions properly, you'll want to research:

    1. Comparable sales - Pull sold townhomes in the same area (same bed/bath, similar sqft) from the last 6 months on Redfin or Zillow. That'll tell you if $165k is market rate or a discount.

    2. Rent comps - Check Rentometer, Zillow rentals, or Craigslist for similar townhomes in that area. A 2/1.5 with garage 45 min outside Pittsburgh might rent in the $1,000-1,400/month range depending on the specific town, but you need local data.

    3. Run the numbers - Once you have the rent estimate, factor in:

    - PITI (principal, interest, taxes, insurance)

    - HOA fees (townhomes often have these - make sure to ask)

       - Vacancy (budget 5-8%)

       - Maintenance/repairs (5-10%)

       - Cap-ex reserves (5-8%)

    For quick deal analysis, I use a few tools: Rentometer for rent comps, the BP calculator for running numbers, and PropLab for pulling comps and estimating ARV quickly. DealCheck is another solid option. The key is verifying the numbers before making an offer.

    General rule of thumb: At $165k, you'd want $1,650/month rent to hit the 1% rule (a quick filter, not a guarantee of cash flow). That's aggressive for a Pittsburgh suburb townhome - most I've seen are closer to 0.6-0.8%.

    What town specifically? That'll help narrow down what you can actually charge. Also - is there an HOA? That can eat into cash flow significantly on townhomes.

    1Reply
  • Megan Downs
    Specialist 路 Member since 2026 路 2 posts 路 0 votes
    8mo

    Welcome to real estate investing! Pittsburgh area can have some great deals.

    A few things to help you evaluate this:

    $165k for a 2bed/1.5bath townhome 45 min outside Pittsburgh could be solid, but it depends heavily on the specific town/neighborhood. Pittsburgh suburbs vary wildly - some areas are appreciating fast, others are flat or declining.

    Without knowing the exact location, here's what I'd expect:

    - Close-in suburbs (20-30 min): $1,200-1,500/month

    - Further out (45+ min): $900-1,200/month

    - Depends on: School district, walkability, condition, amenities

    For a 2bed townhome 45 min out, I'd estimate $1,000-1,200/month is realistic, but you need to verify with actual comps.

    Let's say rent is $1,100/month:

    If you put 20% down ($33k):

    - Mortgage (7% rate): ~$877/month

    - Property tax: ~$200/month (varies by county)

    - Insurance: ~$80/month

    - HOA (townhome): ~$150-300/month (need to verify!)

    - Vacancy (8%): ~$88/month

    - Maintenance: ~$137/month

    - Property mgmt (if not self-managing): ~$110/month

    Total expenses: ~$1,542-1,692/month

    Rent: $1,100/month

    Initial cash flow: -$442 to -$592/month** 馃槵

    This only works if:

    1. Rent is actually higher (like $1,400+), OR

    2. You self-manage and there's no/low HOA, OR

    3. You're banking on appreciation (not cash flow)

    Critical Questions Before You Buy

    1. What's the HOA fee? This is the killer for townhomes. If it's $200+/month, your cash flow is toast.

    2. What do comparable townhomes ACTUALLY rent for? Don't guess - look at Zillow, Apartments.com, FB Marketplace for similar units.

    3. What's the neighborhood trend? Growing or declining?

    4. Property taxes? PA varies wildly by municipality - some areas are 2-3x higher than others.

    5. Why is it so cheap? $165k seems low for Pittsburgh area unless there's a reason (bad location, high HOA, declining area, etc.)

    My honest take is this could be a good deal or a money pit. Pittsburgh has pockets of both. The fact that you're asking these questions means you haven't run the full numbers yet.

    I actually specialize in helping new investors analyze deals like this before they pull the trigger. I can run a complete financial breakdown showing you:

    - Exact monthly cash flow (with real comps)

    - Whether this property actually makes sense as an investment

    - What red flags to look for

    - What you should offer (might be less than $165k)

    If you want me to analyze this specific property with the exact address, I can deliver a full report in 24 hours. Could save you from making a $33k mistake if the numbers don't work.

    Either way - definitely verify those rents and HOA fee before you make an offer. Feel free to DM me if you want help running the numbers.

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