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Pittsburgh City Council

Pilot program for buying houses directly from the City.

Written by Amy Whipple

  • The program would allow for certain City residents to purchase houses directly from the City.
  • The first five properties are located in the West End. Council gave an affirmative recommendation for their sale.
  • Council questioned Director of Finance Gula and City Solicitor Kubiak about the program. The information below is from their answers.
  • A house would be sold to the highest bidder as is required by City statute. There would be requirements for who could place a bid such as income that’s not above 120% of the area’s AMI ($128,775 for a family of four).
  • The houses will not be in market-rate condition but will be in better condition than other properties available from the City that have been unoccupied for many years. They will be sold as-is.
  • There would be open houses. Potential buyers may bring contractors or inspectors so they can make an informed purchase based on the amount and type of work needed.
  • The City will have already cleared the title of the house. This brings the time until closing down to around six months. The existing program can take up to two years.
  • A purchased house must be occupied by the owner for at least five years. If they do not, the property will revert back to the City.
  • Local banks said that it's possible for someone to get financing under all of the program's parameters.
  • Councilperson Wilson expressed concern that the new program will duplicate or hinder the Land Bank.
  • City Solicitor Kubiak said the program will complement the existing efforts of the Land Bank, the URA, and the existing City purchasing program. The Land Bank in particular is currently focused on properties in worse shape in other areas of the city.
  • She added that the City owns approximately 450 houses that could be available through the program. There is currently not a backlog for processing them, which should help efficiently move them.

Connections to this story

Topics:
Housing & Land Use
Governments:
Pittsburgh City Council
Public meetings:
City Council · June 17, 2025
Sources:
Resolution 2025-1892 — providing for the conveyance by the City of Pittsburgh of certain property to qualified city residents, subject to…

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