To realize the community’s vision for East Liberty, ELDI works with stakeholders across the spectrum — from long-time residents and legacy businesses to large-scale developers and government agencies. Another group we work with but don’t often shine a spotlight on is realtors. Our relationships with trusted realtors make it possible to bring the homes we develop online and attract new neighbors to our beloved neighborhood.
We sat down with a long-time ELDI partner and realtor, Sarah Madia of RE/MAX Select Realty. Working in the neighborhood for more than 19 years, she offers a unique perspective on the transformation of East Liberty and what makes the neighborhood unique.
Tell us about your background and how you started working with ELDI.
I am a real estate agent in Pittsburgh, going on 19 years. I live in Lawrenceville and work at RE/MAX Select Realty in East Liberty, so I’ve been working in the neighborhood for quite some time. I come from a family of builders; my father started Madia Homes over forty years ago. I grew up around new construction, so it’s been a natural fit. Today, much of the business I do as a real estate agent is with developers, architects, and builders. I connected with ELDI when they partnered with PW Campbell to build new construction homes on Hays Street in East Liberty in 2015. ELDI was among the first organizations to bring new construction housing to East Liberty. I was very excited to partner with them. We had a fantastic team, including Benjamin Maguire, our architect, who elevated the houses’ designs. It was exciting to bring something new and unique to the neighborhood. It’s been such a great relationship from day one.
What was that first project like?
At that time, there wasn’t much new residential development happening in the East End. We were starting to see more restaurants open, but we weren’t seeing the big boom we are in now. So, at that time, we had a goal of getting the word out on how great Pittsburgh is to live in. If people were relocating, they might have been looking at the suburbs, but we wanted to highlight the benefits of living in someplace more urban like East Liberty. We also realized home buyers were looking for modern, new construction in the city, and that product was hard to find. ELDI brought a thoughtful, well-designed option to market. Being part of one of the first residential new construction offerings in the East End was exciting.
You’ve witnessed East Liberty’s transformation over the past decade and longer. Can you tell us about the changes you’ve observed?
I remember going on a tour of East Liberty that ELDI’s former director of land recycling, Kendall Pelling, was giving almost two decades ago. It was a class for real estate agents to learn about various neighborhoods in the city. Kendall took us down a street with a lot of empty land, and I asked him what the plans were for those lots. He goes, “Well, we would sell the lots, but we plan to build houses here.” And I remember thinking, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” At that time, there wasn’t the demand or development happening where, in my mind, it would make sense. At the time, I was also used to working with builders who built multiple houses at a time in large suburban neighborhoods, while these were scattered in-fill lots between older homes. Some of these vacant older homes needed a lot of work and to be brought back to life. It was a very different time in Pittsburgh, and I remember thinking he might be a bit too ambitious. Remember, this was almost 20 years ago in the East End.
Fast forward to all these years later, and I became the real estate agent for those exact same lots. I fell in love with East Liberty and was super excited about each house we brought to market in the development. It was truly a full-circle moment. This story exemplifies one of the reasons I love working with ELDI: they’re very thoughtful in their approach to development projects. ELDI thinks holistically rather than just building houses and calling it a day. They look at the neighborhood’s fabric as a whole and everything it needs to thrive. They want people to become part of the community as they are part of the community.
“This story exemplifies one of the reasons I love working with ELDI: they’re very thoughtful in their approach to development projects. ELDI thinks holistically rather than just building houses and calling it a day. They look at the neighborhood’s fabric as a whole and everything it needs to thrive. They want people to become part of the community as they are part of the community.”
What’s unique about the East Liberty neighborhood and market?
I’ve found that people who live in East Liberty truly love their neighborhood—it’s a thriving community. There are many people who have lived in the neighborhood for years, and everyone that I have met has been so nice and friendly. Today, we are seeing more people relocate to the area, especially with Duolingo’s headquarters in the neighborhood. East Liberty is also one of the only flat neighborhoods in the city. Because of that, it has excellent infrastructure. I constantly see people riding their bikes or walking their dogs around the block. East Liberty has a very “neighborhood” feel; you can have a yard if you want a place for your dog or maybe even a garden. The best part is that you are still in the middle of the East End and near many great shops and restaurants. Another unique aspect of East Liberty is that it isn’t a huge neighborhood. People often assume it is a lot larger than it is. However, it does have a big business district. There’s also a nice mix of older homes and newer construction. Overall, it offers many great opportunities, including being only minutes from great restaurants, shops, and major universities and hospitals. I think the location is really a hidden gem, but now people are starting to discover it. I am personally so happy that RE/MAX Select Realty opened its city office in East Liberty so that I get to spend time in the neighborhood daily.
Discover the story of 315 and 317 North St. Clair Street.
Get in touch with Sarah:
Sarah Madia
RE/MAX Select Realty
412-522-7587 (mobile)
724-933-6300 x675