Dec. 19, 2025 Edition | Read Online

Good evening. If you’re reading this… wow. You’re either
A) desperately trying to distract yourself from something painfully boring
or
B) a true raving fan of mine

Either way — welcome, and thank you for being here. Hopefully that made you laugh.

Real talk: it’s December. And in my world, December means no one in real estate is really “working.” We’re all staying up until 2–3am binge-watching shows, sleeping until 11, casually checking emails, maybe taking a call or two… all while our partners (if we’re lucky enough to have them) are up at 5am, out the door by 6–7 (google the number 67 and report back), home by 5–6, eat something, watch a show, and boom — back to bed.

As I typed that, I realized… that sounds absolutely terrible.
Which is one of the many reasons I’m in real estate. For better or worse, I’m my own boss — and the only person telling me what to do is the man in the mirror. Unfortunately, that guy is also me.

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. Not so much this week but you get my drift.

👇 Market Watch coming up next.

Market Watch (It’s December.. no one cares edition)

If you’re still reading… wow again. You either really like me or you’re extremely bored right now.

Either way, here’s the truth: you probably don’t actually care what the real estate market is doing this week. And that’s okay.

Fun fact though — homes are still being listed. Buyers are still buying. As long as humans are alive, people will buy real estate 24/7, 365 because life keeps happening:
death, divorce, job changes, kids, downsizing, upsizing… the list never ends.

Can you get a better deal this time of year?
Hell yes.

But only if you actually need or want a house. If you’re already in search mode, you’re probably scrolling year-round anyway, waiting for the one.

Can you sell this time of year?
Also hell yes — but you have to be strategic as hell. Overpricing will absolutely kill you right now. The market will not babysit bad decisions in December.

📚 Must-Read This Week

• Pittsburgh leads affordability, Austin invenotry surges

• Pittsburgh climbs in national real estate rankings

No, you don’t have to… but here’s my favorite house I saw this week 👀

915 Liberty Ave #701 — Downtown Pittsburgh
Modern condo vibes, killer city views, and proof that Downtown living still slaps when done right. I just think it’d be so cool to live downtown, others will strongly disagree here. Such a great location though!

🏙️ Pittsburgh Life

Somehow… some way… the Steelers are still in the mix.

This is the Steelers “Christmas game” — four days before Christmas — and they’re taking on Detroit, who is an absolute powerhouse. Do I think we should win? No, probably not. Do I think this could be one of those classic Tomlin wins we have no business getting but somehow pull off?

Absolutely. And that’s why this team shortens all of our life expectancy.

Weekend Radar (Do something CHRISTMAS)

It’s the week before Christmas, so you’ve got:

• Christmas bars

• holiday pop-ups

• festive chaos everywhere you look

Personally, I’m trying to snag tickets to Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Saturday. If I pull it off… maybe I’ll see you there. It’ll be one of those gametime decisions, literally. I’m going to get out of my Uber and buy tickets right as I approach the door straight from my phone like 20 mins before the show kicks off. Why? Because tickets are so cheap that way. Try it.. trust me. You can snag some tickets for dirt cheap.

That’s it for this week. Short. Honest. No overthinking.

Have a great weekend. I’ll probably send another one next Tuesday, so it won’t be long before you hear from me again.

Best,