Bill from NYC Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 (edited) Had a blast!!! 4 nights of fun with 3 couples who have been friends for more than 50 years. We met in a Queens schoolyard as kids. One of the guys (some of you met him) went to UB and met his wife up there. They still live down here but bought the family home in Williamsville. We stayed in the Hampton Inn on Main Street. There are places to go, the food is GREAT, the homes are cheap compared to here, and the people are shockingly friendly. Aside from the brutal winters/snow storms, there is nothing not to like imo. I'm in good shape for my age, but shoveling snow is not an option, and I don't know if I could deal with multiple 24 inch snowfalls. That said, I am in love with the area. I did not see 1 house with a "FOR SALE" sign in Williamsville or Amherst. Not one. In fact, they were building beautiful houses near a church that we attended. Some of them were not even close to being completed and they had "SOLD" signs, as did a few of the lots. I don't know what is happening in WNY but I DO know what is happening here. People with money in NYC are RUNNING out to the suburbs and buying up houses like I have never seen before. They are getting away from the riots, filth, and criminals that were released. Crime stats are through the roof and heading for 80's level. With people working from home, there is less need for cities. It looks like this is happening too Buffalo, but again, I am not from the area and cannot say. In any event, if you own a house in Williamsville/Amherst, congrats!!! It is a wonderful area and your property value must be skyrocketing! Edited July 28, 2020 by Bill from NYC 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teef Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 You get to the point where there’s no more shoveling. Just hire a plow guy and it’s clear before you leave the house in the morning. Easy fix. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 (edited) I stay at the Hampton Inn on Main St when I get back to the area, then move downtown for game days. I absolutely LOVE all the stuff you can walk to and the great food. This was home to me for so many great years growing up! Williamsville and East Amherst warm my heart. Woodstream Farms was a place I’d ride my bike thru and dream (sometimes past midnight with a 12 pack strapped to the back of the bike, but that’s another story!). I still go there when I get back. We moved a lot growing up. Going by all the old houses and eating at my favorite places is a full time job! I need more than 3 meals/day to get it all done. I’ve even thought about a summer place up there as it’s still cheap compared to so many other areas. Long shot, but a real consideration. Tough sell with the wife I’m sure. She dreams of mountains, but maybe a home opener would sell her??? Edited July 28, 2020 by Augie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 (edited) Called white flight, especially here to across the border into Indiana. This is 2000 & 2010 Census. 2020 has to have this chart on "steriods." Williamsville and Amherst. LoL... Very diverse! Williamsville is 0.1% AA. Edited July 28, 2020 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 8 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Called white flight, especially here to across the border into Indiana. This is 2000 & 2010 Census. 2020 has to have this chart on "steriods." Williamsville and Amherst. LoL... Very diverse! Williamsville is 0.1% AA. We just didn’t like going to all those weekly weekly meetings??? It doesn’t make us bad people! ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Augie said: We just didn’t like going to all those weekly weekly meetings??? It doesn’t make us bad people! ? No. But let's expel the elephant ? in the room. I am in a very diverse part of the South Suburbs here. In Will County, on the edge of the country. Explain how I built my house brand new in 1996 and in 2020, my value is less. I lost money on a new house in a collar county suburb. If I move my house via helicopter to the North Suburbs, homogeneous, less diverse area, I would get +2x what I paid for it. Same if I moved it to WNY. We live in a very racist country. It is what it is. I guess people will want nice, cheap housing some day. That's a plus. I live in a very nice rural area. It's just very diverse. Edited July 28, 2020 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 2 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: No. But let's expel the elephant ? in the room. I am in a very diverse part of the South Suburbs here. In Will County, on the edge of the country. Explain how I built my house brand new in 1996 and in 2020, my value is less. I lost money on a new house in a collar county suburb. I move my house via helicopter to the North Suburbs, homogeneous, less diverse area and I would get +2x what I paid for it. Same if I moved it to WNY. We live in a very racist country. It is what it is. I guess people will want nice, cheap housing some day. That's a plus. I make a joke about going to AA meetings, and you come back with this? Maybe I should have been more clear. My bad. Really. It’s more than race, it’s socioeconomics and location in real estate. You’ve heard the old adage about the three most important things in real estate. I’ll give you a hint, the first one is location. So are the next two. Yes, there is certainly racism. That sucks! One of the best things about our move to Atlanta is experiencing more diversity. Most days I go to a park where I’m the only white guy in a big melting pot. Everyone gets along great. I won’t apologize for growing up mostly in Williamsville. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 13 minutes ago, Augie said: I make a joke about going to AA meetings, and you come back with this? Maybe I should have been more clear. My bad. Really. It’s more than race, it’s socioeconomics and location in real estate. You’ve heard the old adage about the three most important things in real estate. I’ll give you a hint, the first one is location. So are the next two. Yes, there is certainly racism. That sucks! One of the best things about our move to Atlanta is experiencing more diversity. Most days I go to a park where I’m the only white guy in a big melting pot. Everyone gets along great. I won’t apologize for growing up mostly in Williamsville. Sorry. I don't think it's funny. Money discriminates. The system is complicit. I live 20 miles from downtown Chicago. BS on location. Move to the North, its different. It's socioeconomic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 2 hours ago, Bill from NYC said: Had a blast!!! 4 nights of fun with 3 couples who have been friends for more than 50 years. We met in a Queens schoolyard as kids. One of the guys (some of you met him) went to UB and met his wife up there. They still live down here but bought the family home in Williamsville. We stayed in the Hampton Inn on Main Street. There are places to go, the food is GREAT, the homes are cheap compared to here, and the people are shockingly friendly. Aside from the brutal winters/snow storms, there is nothing not to like imo. I'm in good shape for my age, but shoveling snow is not an option, and I don't know if I could deal with multiple 24 inch snowfalls. That said, I am in love with the area. I did not see 1 house with a "FOR SALE" sign in Williamsville or Amherst. Not one. In fact, they were building beautiful houses near a church that we attended. Some of them were not even close to being completed and they had "SOLD" signs, as did a few of the lots. I don't know what is happening in WNY but I DO know what is happening here. People with money in NYC are RUNNING out to the suburbs and buying up houses like I have never seen before. They are getting away from the riots, filth, and criminals that were released. Crime stats are through the roof and heading for 80's level. With people working from home, there is less need for cities. It looks like this is happening too Buffalo, but again, I am not from the area and cannot say. In any event, if you own a house in Williamsville/Amherst, congrats!!! It is a wonderful area and your property value must be skyrocketing! williamsville Amherst and East Aurora have been prime real estate in West New York for years It's pretty damn expensive but it's gorgeous 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 2 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said: williamsville Amherst and East Aurora have been prime real estate in West New York for years It's pretty damn expensive but it's gorgeous Thank You! Money talks, BS walks. I grew up in S.Cheektowaga, W.Seneca schools. Things are changing and the money is fleeing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 2 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Thank You! Money talks, BS walks. I grew up in S.Cheektowaga, W.Seneca schools. Things are changing and the money is fleeing. Parts of cheektowaga and West Seneca are still really nice. The parts that touch the city have some problems But South cheektowaga around stiglmeier Park is still really nice , and so is the area around maryvale school systems in cheektowaga Real estate in those areas are well up over 10 20 years 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 5 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Sorry. I don't think it's funny. Money discriminates. The system is complicit. I live 20 miles from downtown Chicago. BS on location. Move to the North, its different. It's socioeconomic. I hear what you are saying. I said it’s socioeconomic and location. You agree it’s socioeconomic, then say it’s different to the north. That would mean we agree on both points. I don’t blame you for not thinking it’s funny. It is what it is. We bought in an area of Atlanta people made fun of to some degree. We couldn’t comfortably afford what we really wanted, so we kind of “settled”. We had to be reasonably close to the office. Farther out we could get much more house for the money, but we chose proximity to work (a/k/a location). Now? We are closer to town and work, and people aren’t making fun of our area any more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 1 hour ago, Augie said: I stay at the Hampton Inn on Main St when I get back to the area, then move downtown for game days. I absolutely LOVE all the stuff you can walk to and the great food. This was home to me for so many great years growing up! Williamsville and East Amherst warm my heart. Woodstream Farms was a place I’d ride my bike thru and dream (sometimes past midnight with a 12 pack strapped to the back of the bike, but that’s another story!). I still go there when I get back. We moved a lot growing up. Going by all the old houses and eating at my favorite places is a full time job! I need more than 3 meals/day to get it all done. I’ve even thought about a summer place up there as it’s still cheap compared to so many other areas. Long shot, but a real consideration. Tough sell with the wife I’m sure. She dreams of mountains, but maybe a home opener would sell her??? What about the southern tier down 219 by the ski resorts? They are not mountains but you get someplace down there and find places to walk/climb if that is your thing. https://wnyssb.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 1 minute ago, Limeaid said: What about the southern tier down 219 by the ski resorts? They are not mountains but you get someplace down there and find places to walk/climb if that is your thing. https://wnyssb.org/ The wife wants (and I don’t disagree) something in the 3,500-4,000 foot elevation range where you get a climate that escapes the heat. After our son’s wedding in Florida next month we have a little NC “tour of towns” scheduled to scout around Highlands, Cashiers, Asheville and Blowing Rock. After the August heat in Florida, the NC mountains will probably be much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Just now, Buffalo716 said: Parts of cheektowaga and West Seneca are still really nice. The parts that touch the city have some problems But South cheektowaga around stiglmeier Park is still really nice , and so is the area around maryvale school systems in cheektowaga Real estate in those areas are well up over 10 20 years Yup. Things aren't that expensive for people coming in from The City. Actually downright cheap even in the posh areas like Williamsville, Amherst, E.Aurora... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Just now, ExiledInIllinois said: Yup. Things aren't that expensive for people coming in from The City. Actually downright cheap even in the posh areas like Williamsville, Amherst, E.Aurora... If by the city, you mean New York City... Of course , a house in Amherst or East Aurora is nothing to them To somebody living in the City of Buffalo.. a house in cheektowaga sometimes seems impossible to them, a house in East Aurora would be like a fairytale 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 (edited) 17 minutes ago, Augie said: I hear what you are saying. I said it’s socioeconomic and location. You agree it’s socioeconomic, then say it’s different to the north. That would mean we agree on both points. I don’t blame you for not thinking it’s funny. It is what it is. We bought in an area of Atlanta people made fun of to some degree. We couldn’t comfortably afford what we really wanted, so we kind of “settled”. We had to be reasonably close to the office. Farther out we could get much more house for the money, but we chose proximity to work (a/k/a location). Now? We are closer to town and work, and people aren’t making fun of our area any more. I get paid by the hour, blue collar. Even with my "management" wife who makes more, we still qualify for stimulus, but we take a small reduction. There really is an "escape velocity" here for especially the working class. Who the heck has a $3,000 mortgage? We have 5 more years left on house and we are out. 3 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said: If by the city, you mean New York City... Of course , a house in Amherst or East Aurora is nothing to them To somebody living in the City of Buffalo.. a house in cheektowaga sometimes seems impossible to them, a house in East Aurora would be like a fairytale Yup. Ain't rosy for the working stiff. Edited July 29, 2020 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 2 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: I get paid by the hour, blue collar. Even with my "management" wife who makes more, we still qualify for stimulus, but we take a small reduction. There really is an "escape velocity" here for especially the working class. Who the heck has a $3,000 mortgage? We have 5 more years left on house and we are out. Yup. Ain't rosy for the working stiff. I can buy a house in the City of Buffalo that is 1500 square feet For like 40-60 grand in spots That house in cheektowaga. 120-170 grand East Aurora: 200-300 grand lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 6 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said: I can buy a house in the City of Buffalo that is 1500 square feet For like 40-60 grand in spots That house in cheektowaga. 120-170 grand East Aurora: 200-300 grand lol That's exactly like where I live here. Just more diverse. I can find a house for cheaper than my vehicle. Decent too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo_Gal Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 1 hour ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Called white flight, especially here to across the border into Indiana. This is 2000 & 2010 Census. 2020 has to have this chart on "steriods." Williamsville and Amherst. LoL... Very diverse! Williamsville is 0.1% AA. Why does it have to be black and white to be “diverse?” When I moved onto my street, I was a minority. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 18 minutes ago, Buffalo_Gal said: Why does it have to be black and white to be “diverse?” When I moved onto my street, I was a minority. Where? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Alot of areas are seeing people getting out of the Big Cities after all of this Mostly its because of Companies realizing they can have people working from home and save money on offices so people don't need to live in the city because of work. Add in that people are also worried about being stuck in their home again during another lockdown and they are looking for homes with property so they don't get stuck in a small apartment and can atleast have some outdoor space to enjoy. I think we will see a big push in the next year or so, but then many will be going back once things return to 'Normal' and Covid is behind us once they realize the work required to maintain a home with any sort of property to it. Also it will end up just raising the prices of the cheaper homes now and not be worth it if you don't get in early. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 1 hour ago, apuszczalowski said: Alot of areas are seeing people getting out of the Big Cities after all of this Mostly its because of Companies realizing they can have people working from home and save money on offices so people don't need to live in the city because of work. Add in that people are also worried about being stuck in their home again during another lockdown and they are looking for homes with property so they don't get stuck in a small apartment and can atleast have some outdoor space to enjoy. I think we will see a big push in the next year or so, but then many will be going back once things return to 'Normal' and Covid is behind us once they realize the work required to maintain a home with any sort of property to it. Also it will end up just raising the prices of the cheaper homes now and not be worth it if you don't get in early. Thats what I am hoping. Raising house prices beyond what people can afford. Then the hunt for cheaper digs. But there will be transfer of wealth. All the old ones dieing in this will transfer $$$ and property to their children, etc... That transfer will affect the economy. 150,000 already dead. This will play out in many forms. The education bubble is also coming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 (edited) 11 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Thats what I am hoping. Raising house prices beyond what people can afford. Then the hunt for cheaper digs. But there will be transfer of wealth. All the old ones dieing in this will transfer $$$ and property to their children, etc... That transfer will affect the economy. 150,000 already dead. This will play out in many forms. The education bubble is also coming... People around here when it started thought it's great because of how much their values went up and how much they would make selling, but then don't realize that your now going to go and get into a bidding war and overpay for your next place because the values are so much higher. Its a great time here to sell if you are downsizing and don't need to buy again. Edited July 29, 2020 by apuszczalowski 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBud Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 15 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Called white flight, especially here to across the border into Indiana. This is 2000 & 2010 Census. 2020 has to have this chart on "steriods." Williamsville and Amherst. LoL... Very diverse! Williamsville is 0.1% AA. Not sure how true this is for Columbus. Apartments and condos are being built downtown like they are going out of style. 2-3 years ago I was considering the move to downtown. Now, you can't touch a condo / townhouse downtown. Prices went out of the roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 16 hours ago, Buffalo716 said: I can buy a house in the City of Buffalo that is 1500 square feet For like 40-60 grand in spots That house in cheektowaga. 120-170 grand East Aurora: 200-300 grand lol I think that's kind of true all over. If we moved our house 3 miles in different directions, its value would either treble or halve. Been that way for years. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teef Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 14 hours ago, apuszczalowski said: Alot of areas are seeing people getting out of the Big Cities after all of this Mostly its because of Companies realizing they can have people working from home and save money on offices so people don't need to live in the city because of work. Add in that people are also worried about being stuck in their home again during another lockdown and they are looking for homes with property so they don't get stuck in a small apartment and can atleast have some outdoor space to enjoy. I think we will see a big push in the next year or so, but then many will be going back once things return to 'Normal' and Covid is behind us once they realize the work required to maintain a home with any sort of property to it. Also it will end up just raising the prices of the cheaper homes now and not be worth it if you don't get in early. there's always a weird cyclical movement regarding this. maybe 5-6 years ago, everyone was moving back to cities in droves. the reason cited was younger people didn't have the money to buy homes, and didn't want to be bogged down by the daily upkeep as you mentioned. now we see the swing back to more living space. in my area the problem has been with people not moving out. our public school as significantly smaller classes than in the past, mostly because young people can't find housing in the area. once something comes on the market, there's such a steep overbid just to get something average. at some point the older population will age out, and there's should be a significant number of houses available. timing is everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 5 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: I think that's kind of true all over. If we moved our house 3 miles in different directions, its value would either treble or halve. Been that way for years. True Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo_Gal Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 20 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Where? The street where my house is located. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 24 minutes ago, Buffalo_Gal said: The street where my house is located. No silly, where your residence was when you were the "minority." Jefferson and Best? Bailey and Genesee? ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo_Gal Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 4 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: No silly, where your residence was when you were the "minority." Jefferson and Best? Bailey and Genesee? ? Lil' bit away from there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 1 minute ago, Buffalo_Gal said: Lil' bit away from there... Even Lovejoy ain't a joy. Wink ? ? ?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo_Gal Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Just now, ExiledInIllinois said: Even Lovejoy ain't a joy. Wink ? ? ?. ? My son and my mother actually do live in the city of Buffalo (although not on the east side). I do not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 6 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: I think that's kind of true all over. If we moved our house 3 miles in different directions, its value would either treble or halve. Been that way for years. I used to work in an area where a move of just a few hundred yards could easily result in a 30% swing in value. Cross one major road and you are on “the right side of the tracks.” Many national appraisal review companies will require a statement regarding whether comps have crossed any major roads, boundaries, etc that would affect value. All about location...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfanmiami(oh) Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 10 hours ago, BuffaloBud said: Not sure how true this is for Columbus. Apartments and condos are being built downtown like they are going out of style. 2-3 years ago I was considering the move to downtown. Now, you can't touch a condo / townhouse downtown. Prices went out of the roof. I think I’ve heard we’re the hottest market in the country Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 Been there for work. Nice place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 3 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Even Lovejoy ain't a joy. Wink ? ? ?. My friend owns a business in Lovejoy. It's okay There's a lot of good people and some crazy people 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo_Gal Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 2 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said: My friend owns a business in Lovejoy. It's okay There's a lot of good people and some crazy people You just described TBD! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 10 hours ago, teef said: there's always a weird cyclical movement regarding this. maybe 5-6 years ago, everyone was moving back to cities in droves. the reason cited was younger people didn't have the money to buy homes, and didn't want to be bogged down by the daily upkeep as you mentioned. now we see the swing back to more living space. in my area the problem has been with people not moving out. our public school as significantly smaller classes than in the past, mostly because young people can't find housing in the area. once something comes on the market, there's such a steep overbid just to get something average. at some point the older population will age out, and there's should be a significant number of houses available. timing is everything. It was crazy here the last few years where everything was going for over asking and being sold right when or just before it even hit the market. Just over 6 years ago, it took a lot of time to sell a house and you could get it cheap. After cleaning up and doing some maintenance/renos on my old house (which was a rental for college students for a year before I bought it and was known by those around it as the party house), It took me almost 5 years to sell the house having it on the market for off an on during that time period for what i paid + the cost of the new furnace I had installed. Bought my current house for under asking price and within a year the real estate market started going crazy. House was appraised by the bank a few years ago at about 2-1/2 times more then we paid, and now we have a neighbor selling a house accross the street for almost 4 times what we paid. All thanks to the fact that the region became a hotbed for retirees fleeing Toronto. Of course good luck trying to get anything reasonable or not having to bid over asking on a place...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 On 7/28/2020 at 7:32 PM, ExiledInIllinois said: Called white flight, especially here to across the border into Indiana. This is 2000 & 2010 Census. 2020 has to have this chart on "steriods." Williamsville and Amherst. LoL... Very diverse! Williamsville is 0.1% AA. WNY is historically one of the most segregated communities in the country. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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