When Shari Raghunath was looking for her next investment property, she didn’t look around her Brooklyn neighborhood, New York City, or even the state.
Local properties cost too much for this single mother turned property investor, so she decided to head west.
She had heard about Pittsburgh’s affordable property, and after a bit of research, she purchased a three-story brick townhouse built in 1900 in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood.
“Before I bought this house, I had never been anywhere near Pittsburgh,” she said with a laugh.
Work on 320 Walter St. started in July 2023, and a year and a half later, Raghunath has put the property on the market and is moving on to her next project.
The five-bedroom, one-bath home with 2,466 square feet of living space is listed for $176,000 (MLS No.1682289) with Jackie Frankle of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services (www.howardhanna.com or 412-337-3528).
Buying and developing a property in another state can be difficult because you don’t know contractors. Luckily, Raghunath had some friendly neighbors.
“Two of my neighbors, just met them out of the blue and they recommended people,” she said. “They were very kind to me, Leesha and Mr. Rick. They just made me feel comfortable, Mr. Rick has been in the neighborhood forever, and even lived in the property at one time.”
The contractors gutted the kitchen and bathroom and removed a wall that divided the kitchen and dining room.
Raghunath brought in porcelain flooring and matched the backsplash with the same marble design. New Samsung appliances include a French-door refrigerator, dishwasher and smart freestanding electric range. All new cabinets are topped with quartz countertops.
Wanting to preserve some of the home’s original character, she exposed some of the brick walls and kept the built-in cabinet in the kitchen with its great storage and vintage style.
The other major makeover came in the bathroom. It now has a high-end hotel feel, with a vibrant blue vessel sink atop a crisp white vanity, a modern frameless wall mirror and a stainless-steel shower panel tower system.
Raghunath took advantage of more local knowledge when it came to sourcing the pieces for her bathroom upgrades.
“The contractor that was doing the work, he put me onto a place where you go online and bid on the products,” she explained.
Utilizing the online auction, she was able to get what she wanted and stay within her budget.
Something old to complement the new is the original hardwood flooring in the living and dining rooms, which was sanded, stained a warm tone and given a new, durable finish. The original wood trim throughout the house was painted glossy white.
Raghunath also replaced the lighting with more modern designs, making for an interesting contrast. The wiring was not updated.
“The guy that looked at it said it was pretty decent so I didn’t have it rewired,” she said.
There are three bedrooms on the second floor, the smallest possibly used as a nursery at one time. On the third floor are two larger bedrooms.
All bedrooms have new laminate flooring, Raghunath said, but original hardwood remains underneath. “If [the new owners] have the money and wanted to refinish them, they could.”
The backyard is deep and can be accessed via Eugenie Way. She removed a fence and shed.
“I didn’t see any purpose in the shed and it was such a mess, I needed to take it down.”
Removing the shed made enough room for a parking pad, a new shed, or even a garage, and the small porch off the kitchen could be expanded to a deck.
The property assessment is $36,200 and the annual taxes are $834. Over the last three years, six houses have sold in the 300 block of Walter Street for prices ranging from $8,000 in August 2024 to $145,000 in March 2023. This house sold for $103,000 in July 2023 (realestate.alleghenycounty.us)
The property is a short walk from the main business district on Warrington Avenue, which is home to unique shops like the Weeping Glass and Dr. Tumblety’s, the Bottlerocket Social Hall, fabulous Italian food at Alla Famiglia and Inner Groove Brewing. Being close to the main street also means easy access to public transportation.
Lizabeth Gray: lgray@post-gazette.com
First Published: March 21, 2025, 8:00 a.m.
Updated: March 22, 2025, 1:52 a.m.
