Dec. 05, 2025 Edition | Read Online

Alright yinz, this one’s a quick hit. It’s Saturday, it’s snowing, and everyone’s already mentally checked out for Christmas. No long reads today — just the essentials and a few reasons to leave the house (or not).

If you’re new here — I’m Tim Pettigrew, Pittsburgh’s Go-To Realtor, Expert in Luxury Homes & Strategic Real Estate Solutions. Every week, I give you the only real estate breakdown worth reading in the 412.

👇 Market Watch coming up next.

Market Watch (Snow Day Edition ❄️)

I’ll keep this tight because:
A) it’s Saturday
B) it’s snowing
C) this is business as usual for mid-December

What we’re seeing right now is the typical Christmas slowdown — not panic, not a shift, just the market doing exactly what it does every single year.

Mortgage rates (still annoying):

• 30-yr Fixed: 6.32% (up +0.06)

• 15-yr Fixed: 5.77%

• 30-yr FHA: 5.90%

• 30-yr Jumbo: 6.43%

• 7/6 SOFR ARM: 6.01%

• 30-yr VA: 5.92%

Translation: rates ticked up again. Anyone claiming they know what happens next is guessing.

7-day Residential snapshot:

• New Listings: 431

• Sold: 525

• Price Decreases: 385

• Price Increases: 10

• Back on Market: 81

• Under Contract: 231

• Contingent: 385

• Withdrawn: 115

• Expired: 126

Still more homes selling than coming on — even with snow, holidays, and half the city mentally checked out until January.

Sold stats (last 7 days):

• Avg list price: $307,052

• Avg sold price: $298,270

• Avg SP/LP ratio: 96.41%

• Median SP/LP ratio: 97.78%

• Median DOM: 35 days

Quick takeaway:
This is the normal Christmas lull. Activity cools, noise drops, but deals still happen. Homes are still closing at ~97% of asking, which tells you everything you need to know.

Slower ≠ broken.
It’s just winter.

📚 Must-Read This Week

• Pittsburgh leads affordability, Austin invenotry surges

• Pittsburgh climbs in national real estate rankings

Yinz Gotta See this Haus

Nothing to see here, folks. 👀❌

I was bored out of my mind looking at houses this week.
Nothing spectacular hit the market.
Nothing made me stop scrolling.
Nothing whispered, “Tim, send this to the people.”

And honestly? That’s exactly what mid-December looks like.

Sellers are paused.
Buyers are distracted.
The good stuff is either already under contract… or waiting until January to show up fashionably late.

I’d rather tell you “nothing worth hyping” than force-feed you a beige box with subway tile and call it a standout. When something actually slaps, you’ll know.

Until then — enjoy the snow, the quiet, and the fact that not every week needs a hero listing. 😌

🏙️ Pittsburgh Life

Not a whole lot to write about this week but..

Fun Pittsburgh winter fact: we actually get less snow than people think — about 40 inches a year — it just feels worse because hills + bridges + shade + one bad plow route can emotionally wreck an entire neighborhood.

Add in Steelers snow games, 400+ stairways, and a city that refuses to cancel plans, and you get the perfect mix of cozy, chaotic, and stubbornly festive.

Weekend Radar (Snowstorm Edition ❄️)

If you leave your house this weekend, I respect it. If you don’t… I also respect it.
Here are some legit options that won’t require a 45-minute parking battle or frostbite:❄️ Tacky Sweater Party

Dec 11 | The Melting Pot
Wear the ugliest sweater you own and reward yourself with fondue like you’re a functional adult. $48 for a four-course meal = cheaper than therapy.

🧪 21+ Night: Stranger Science

Dec 12 | Kamin Science Center
Science meets supernatural meets 1985 nostalgia. Basically: “what if Stranger Things, but with cocktails and fewer Demogorgons?”

🧙 Witchy Winter Wonderland

Dec 12 | Helltown Taproom (Strip District)
Live music, gingerbread house competition, witchy vendors, festive vegan food, beer. Free admission. Indoors. Which matters because… snow.

🎄 Pittsburgh Holiday Festival

Dec 13 | Monroeville Convention Center
Big indoor European/world-themed holiday market + pop-up tasting room. If you need gifts and you hate the mall, this is your move.

🔥 FIRE FEST 2025

Dec 13 | Grist House
Food trucks + glass blowing demos + fire performances at night. If you want to “escape winter,” this is the most Pittsburgh way to do it: stand outside near flames with a beer.

Ongoing (aka “if you’re bored all month”)

• Phipps Holiday Magic: “Wild Winter” (through Jan 4)

• Wild Illuminations: Holiday Lantern Experience at the Zoo (through Jan 11)

• Kennywood Holiday Lights (select dates through Jan 4)

• The Nutcracker (through Dec 28) — Pittsburgh landmarks baked in

• Downtown Bookstore Holiday Pop-Up at One Oxford Centre (through 2026)