Location, Location, Location

My building is definitely not in a trendy neighborhood, but it may be up for sale soon. My profile is a picture of the building.

Character! For me and my wife, more importantly than neighborhood et al., is the character of the house itself. As we prepare to move back, one thing strikes us very differently than many things I've read about Buffalo and the population's perception of 'safety'. It really is a matter of context. While we have been living in a 'decent' neighborhood in L.A., we are most definitely not in a 'safe' neighborhood - there is crime all around us. Most of it nonviolent. But, on occasion, as we sit in our living room and hear a *pop, pop, pop* noise coming from somewhere within earshot, my wife and I will share a casual, questioning glance and ask each other - gunshots or firecrackers?
So, we have a VERY different perspective of what is considered 'safe'. And, in doing so, we are open to far more areas of the city than most.
Which brings me back to my first comment - character. The place we will be looking for has to smack of history, be reflective of the city but also be reflective of our shared eclectic tastes! We, my wife and I, don't really do 'trend'. We've had quite enough of it, thank you. So, when we start our process, it will be by defining more the state of than the stature of the house we want! Character!

I just purchased a home. While I orignally wanted to live in Allentown, Cottage District or Elmwood, my search evolved as I took a peek inside the homes. I settled on my last choice neighborhood because the house was spectacular and the proximity to Delaware Park was perfect. So North Buffalo/Hertel it turned out to be, and now I'm falling in love with the area too.

Major Factors at the Start:
1. Neighborhood
2. Price
3. Size
4. General House Stuff (curb appeal, amenities, layout)

Major Factors in the End:
1. Important House Stuff (age of roof, insulation, windows, structure, foundation basement)
2. General House Stuff (curb appeal, amenities, layout)
3. Size
4. Neighborhood
5. Price

If you want an amazing Buffalo realtor who is fun to walk through homes with, honest as they come, and willing to look at any home YOU want: Marie Ryer-Beasley with Remax North mryer@hotmail.com

Your realtor shouldn't be commenting on "safety" as this can be interpreted as redlining. There are many wonderful homes in diffferent locations in the city. Location comes down to the amenities you want nearby

For us we left the city for commute reasons. We teach in opposite directions Erie/Genesee line and Niagara counties. We love the city and miss North Buffalo, our first apartment was on Commonwealth. I grew up in Central Park and wish I could live there with my family, but cost is a factor there. New model: when the kids are in HS we will go back.

About the Weekly Poll which fits right into this topic: Add taxes; why didn't you guys add taxes? Many times the cost of a home is doable until the taxes are factored in...

A home is a huge financial investment so safety and quality of life are paramount. Esthetically you can create anything.

If I still had kids of school age, with the exception of two public schools, Buffalo would be out altogether. Other than that, location is the premier issue.

walkability is way up there for me. if i want a newspaper, the bank, movie, or a cup of coffee - its great if it doesnt require starting the car.

also, let me take the neighborhood down a scale - your direct neighbors. who wants somebody who doesnt clean up after their pooch, or lets their lawn grow a foot high right next to them? even worse, who wants a 2am party every Tuesday or some domestic screaming match keeping you up @ nite.

other than that - I look for a good deal.

Walkability, nearby open recreation space, architectural character, and price... but not necessarily in that order.

We lived around Allen, Elmwood, and we loved it. The quality of the architecture, easy access to parks and stores, that's what we liked. But when it came down to it, we found no bargains. So we stopped looking for a perticular street, and started looking at neighborhood amenities. We were set on living in Buffalo, but we looked north, west and south.

We ended up settling in South Buffalo. We have easy access to Cazenovia Park, the Botanical Gardens, Tifft Nature Preserve, and Galagher Beach. We got what we liked about Elmwood living, but for only $46,000.

Funny thing about South Buffalo, the built environment is excellent, but most people living here don't realize what they have. Hardwood floors, stained glass windows, grand entranceways, big yards. Plus the parks and parkways, easy access to commercial districts. and Friendly neighbors, seriously, we hang out together, and sit on the front porch talking. It's safe too, kids playing outside, nobody asks you for money. Plus when we moved in here our expenses actually went down. anyway..

Happy house hunting everybody!

I just bought a place ½ block west of Richmond. Not trendy but, up and coming . I bought and rehabbed it for less than the price if it were east of Richmond in its raw form. So location was a factor. I’m to old to be an urban pioneer. Do your research and go for it. You may be rewarded in the future.

It always comes down to character and features, then location.

Its why the eastside was so quick to be flipped and decay other than the eastside being ripped apart by expressways. There is a shocking similarity between the eastside worker cottages and the postwar cape-cods for returning WWII veterans. Many dont have garages, many are only 2 bedrooms, small sqft, small lots, difficult to update...and relatively indistinct...limited curb appeal...and lastly...tracts have little to anchor them...especially today not that the retail has migrated away to newer neighborhoods. To me it says that the WWII suburbs are following the eastside worker shacks.

A light rail corridor to the Larkin, Central Terminal, Galleria and Airport will change the entire dynamic of a significant protion of the eastside.

So...that once again raises the question...if you have good high quality high character buildings...then why cant developers come in from the exurbs and suburbs to infill the empty lots in these neighborhoods.

The high character for olde Buffalo rests between Richmond and Linwood then expands from there to Niagara to Michigan...(excluding the Masten area which stretches to Fillmore) after that...your in new Buffalo territory. New Buffalo is so ravised by expressways and urban renewal, flipping and demolitions that its ripe for contemporary/modern without concern for historical preservation.

I absolutely agree with south buffalo but we have to thank the irish catholics for keeping up their property and not abandoning their urban homes for suburbs and exurbs...

I look for the character and potential of the property, then I look at the proximity of conveniences and cultural assets that would keep the future of the community stable, then it comes down to the current state of the community.

What are "exurbs"?
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It's very possible that in the not too distant future school systems will evolve away from being central and public.
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Reigs and Reitts, who have gotten strong and are infilterating everywhere now, have a very different and very invasive idea about investing in houses--houses, NOT homes.
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AL LABRUNA: Besides that (in 7-27-09, 3:02 am) you are describing what this City used to be and what suburbanites wanted to get away from and what everyone now wants to get back to, in describing about poochs and cleaning up--those are the fast developing Reig and Reitt neighborhoods--transient tenants don't care,they simply move elsewhere and real estate "investors" are happy to accommodate such transiency.
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We have a fast growing population who wants to and have been enabled to live only for the moment. If that moment becomes too intense and dirty, they move their moment to a different location. TTs living their moments are probably impossible to change anymore.
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Taxpaying live-in homeowners are the newest form of slavery.
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Therefore, paying $46,000; that's about where its at!

In other words, they '...they move their moment to a different' location, location, location...

wow

as long as the house has a solid roof and is structurally sound, i can work with it. interiors are easy as long as there's a roof over your head.

i'd say the most important things are the size and general layout of the house and yard. a garage or at least a driveway is also key at this point for me.

the neighborhood is important, but a luxury to some extent. take a house out of the 14222 zip code and move it to south buffalo and the price will be slashed at least in half, yet the crime rate (and the perceived "safety") will be about the same or less. so what are you paying for? it's almost like a brand name vs a store brand. you're just paying to say you live in "X" neighborhood. to some people that's important and i won't knock it, i'm just putting things in perspective.

proximity to jobs and shopping is also important. i like to walk as much as possible, and i don't want to get in the car and drive 20 minutes every time i need a gallon of milk. i'm also not a fan of long commutes. or any commutes really.

now price, that's the most flexible of all. nearly any price is acceptable as long as the house reflects its worth. $40,000 for a solid house with a good roof in a vibrant neighborhood, but a trashed interior is a steal. $240,000 for a big house with a leaky roof and cracking foundation, but granite countertops, marble floor tile, and fresh paint is a rip off.

What I am seeing daily with my clients looking for homes anywhere--Location matters but condition will drive the price up and in many cases buyers are competing.
The bidding wars in North Buffalo are crazy- so if you want to sell or live in this area- make sure it's on a great street and you can get a great ROI.
contact me if you need any help researching any real estae issue. I'd be happy to help.

i recently just bought as well, but i did pretty much the opposite of what a lot of people here are doing. i only moved here a few years back, and was fortunate to randomly find a suitable apartment in the Elmwood area (st james).

i loved it, couldnt leave. im young as well. so, got a hold of a realtor, and gave them my desires. 2 family, 120k-180k, Richmond to Delaware, North to Forest. i must have sifted through about 40 homes for sale that fit that criteria. Almost all were over priced and required a LOT of work, it was weird. ie a fantastic neighborhood, Inwood came up, the back half of the building was literally falling off of the rest of it, ripping the roof 4-6 cm every 5 years, and a garage that was falling apart, all for the low low price of 175k.

but i waited, and waited, and waited, and one showed up, i went to drive by it that day, liked what i saw, it was priced reasonably, nothing too fancy, nothing falling to the ground, the home inspector could not have been happier with it, needed nothing, put offer, accepted, all while the house never even made it to the listings the public can see.

but in the end, its mine. rent prices surrounding me over the past few years have gone from 625 up to near 900 depending on the apartment, and there is no shortage of young professionals wanting to move into the Elmwood district.

This effectively brought the cost of the house to half for me, and will only continue to eat into it. in the end i pay the rent i would have paid to live here, maybe a couple hundred less, and i own it, and it slowly but surely goes up in value as a prospect for investors. my yard isnt huge but its decent, my driveway only fits two cars, no garage, my house isnt the biggest, or the most unique, but it makes a good investment for myself

so, there are different ways to do everything, mind you, again, im young, not married, and no kids. so what i think is worth while is not going to be for someone else, and in reality, it probably wont be for me for ever either, but for right now in my life, im pretty happy with my decision.

PS. dcoffee your home is beautiful, good job, come up to Elmwood some time and lets chill.