Public Schools

November 7, 2010

• There are 11 active listings with an average list price of $216,491 ranging from $54,900 to $699,000 with days on market:
  • 0-30 days- 18.18%
  • 31-60 days – 27.27%
  • 61-90 days – 18.18%
  • 91-120 days – 9.09%
  • 120+ days – 27.27%
• There are 10 pending/under contract sales and in the past 30 days there has been 1 closed sale with an average sold price of $279,900 spending an average of 3 days on the market
• YTD there has been 29 closed sales with an average sold price of $172,076 spending an average of 72 days on the market
  • Highest closed – $555,000 – 196 days on the market
  • Lowest closed – $10,000 – 0 days on the market
  • Of the closed sales 42.86% of the sales closed under 30 days

Selection of Active Buffalo Waterfront Condos for Sale

406 Admirals Walk Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 199,900 Built in 1991 1100 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 0 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B352449 (IDX)		15 Marina Park Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 299,000 Built in 1985 1702 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B370145 (IDX)
	370 Lakefront Blvd Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 305,000 Built in 1987 1532 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B374475 (IDX)
305 Portside Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 359,000 Built in 1990 3121 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B371446 (IDX)		704 Admirals Walk Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 359,900 Built in 1991 1992 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 0 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B313543 (IDX)
	252 Rivermist Dr Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 479,900 Built in 1984 2185 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B357560 (IDX)
156 Rivermist Dr Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 499,900 Built in 1988 2185 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B360250 (IDX)		5 Ojibwa Cir Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 520,000 Built in 2008 2400 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B366862 (IDX)
	132 Lakefront Blvd Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 699,000 Built in 2007 2185 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 0 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B373038 (IDX)
176 Rivermist Dr Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 799,900 Built in 1988 2620 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B368103 (IDX)		401 Gull Landing Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 990,000 Built in 1990 2943 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B368769 (IDX)

• Downtown Buffalo Waterfront Living at Gull Landing
• Buffalo Waterfront Village Living at Portside
• Buffalo Waterfront Living at the Rivermist Condos
• Downtown Waterfront Living at The Breakwaters
• Downtown Waterfront Living at Admirals Walk

Listing # B365505 $1,300,000 3 bd/4 ba Buffalo 200 Delaware Ave Sq Ft: 2964 Acres: 1.73 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B365500 $912,000 2 bd/3 ba Buffalo 200 Delaware Ave Sq Ft: 2392 Acres: 1.73 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B365508 $820,000 2 bd/3 ba Buffalo 200 Delaware Ave Sq Ft: 2302 Acres: 1.73 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B365497 $475,000 2 bd/3 ba Buffalo 200 Delaware Ave Sq Ft: 1520 Acres: 1.73 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites

The 28 upscale residential units –with an average askin

City of Buffalo Communities sport a wide variety of places to live and a wide variety of prices from a few thousand dollars to million dollar price tag.   This market report focuses on a selection of all City of Buffalo Homes Under $50,0000

Other Searches that may be of Interest:

• City of Buffalo under $50,000 that are Short Sales
• City of Buffalo under $50,000 that are Foreclosures
• City of Buffalo under $50,000 Single Family Homes
• City of Buffalo under $50,000 Multi-family Homes
• City of Buffalo under $50,000 Condos
• City of Buffalo under $50,000 Lots and Land

Market Reports & Community Updates

• The Avant
• 2010 Allentown Closed Sales – Single Family Homes
• Allentown Market Report for Single Family Homes
• Buffalo New York Condos for Sale Market Report
• 2010 City of Buffalo Foreclosure Auction – October 25-27
• City of Buffalo Foreclosures
• 2010 Black Rock Closed Sales
• Black Rock Real Estate Market Report
• Waterfront Homes of Downtown Buffalo NY Real Estate Market Report
• Buffalo Waterfront Village Living at Portside
• Buffalo Waterfront Living at the Rivermist Condos
• Downtown Buffalo Waterfront Living – Admiral’s Walk
• Downtown Waterfront Living at The Breakwaters
• Downtown Buffalo Waterfront Living at Gull Landing
• Buffalo Homes with a Pool
• Elmwood Village Single-Family Homes For Sale
• Looking at Massachusetts Avenue

Listing # B373231 $50,000 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 156 Zittel St Sq Ft: 1080 Acres: 0.11 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374777 $50,000 2 bd/1 ba Buffalo 77 Gerald Ave. Sq Ft: 1492 Acres: 0.10 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B375132 $50,000 3 bd/2 ba Buffalo 134 Weston Ave Sq Ft: 1248 Acres: 0.11 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374216 $50,000 Buffalo 134 Ross Ave Sq Ft: 1896 Acres: 0.08 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B365966 $49,999 4 bd/1 ba Buffalo 3 Roebling Ave Sq Ft: 1854 Acres: 0.12 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B373785 $49,900 Buffalo 116 Reiman St Sq Ft: 2043 Acres: 0.18 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B371271 $49,999 3 bd/2 ba Buffalo 488 Winspear Ave Sq Ft: 1701 Acres: 0.11 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B369709 $49,999 6 bd/2 ba Buffalo 48 Lilac St Sq Ft: 1758 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B370095 $49,500 Buffalo 112 Ross Ave Sq Ft: 1883 Acres: 0.08 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B369938 $49,000 Buffalo 45 Weaver St Sq Ft: 3300 Acres: 0.08 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B370591 $49,000 Buffalo 46 Mineral Springs… Sq Ft: 2156 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B372882 $49,500 2 bd/2 ba Buffalo 112 Wiley Pl Sq Ft: 1098 Acres: 0.14 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B364504 $47,000 Buffalo 270 Maryland St Sq Ft: 2359 Acres: 0.10 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B359122 $46,900 Buffalo 75 Baxter St Sq Ft: 2112 Acres: 0.08 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B372681 $46,950 5 bd/1 ba Buffalo 72 Parkridge Ave Sq Ft: 1381 Acres: 0.08 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374421 $47,000 Buffalo 19 Armin Place Sq Ft: 2000 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B375035 $44,900 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 545 Minnesota Ave Sq Ft: 1145 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374231 $44,900 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 351 Hampshire Sq Ft: 1662 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374210 $44,900 Buffalo 122 Delavan Ave Sq Ft: 2631 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374122 $44,900 Buffalo 107 Brinkman Avenu… Sq Ft: 1804 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B370501 $44,900 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 394 Germania St Sq Ft: 1013 Acres: 0.06 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B371485 $44,900 4 bd/1 ba Buffalo 24 Leamington Pl Sq Ft: 1392 Acres: 0.06 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B371397 $44,900 5 bd/1 ba Buffalo 439 Stockbridge Av… Sq Ft: 1260 Acres: 0.08 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B369394 $44,900 Buffalo 165 Fisher St Sq Ft: 2466 Acres: 0.10 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B369231 $44,500 Buffalo 490 Glenwood Ave Sq Ft: 3511 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374667 $43,900 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 291 Weston Ave Sq Ft: 1248 Acres: 0.11 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B359598 $44,000 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 7 Freeman St Sq Ft: 1645 Acres: 0.10 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374979 $44,000 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 614 Lasalle Ave Sq Ft: 1408 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B342128 $42,500 5 bd/1 ba Buffalo 152 Oakgrove Sq Ft: 1457 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B368488 $42,300 3 bd/2 ba Buffalo 687 Division St Sq Ft: 1232 Acres: 0.11 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B367899 $42,500 Buffalo 191 Congress Sq Ft: 2134 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B363175 $42,900 Buffalo 523 Minnesota Ave Sq Ft: 1821 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B370472 $41,500 Buffalo 197 Grote St Sq Ft: 1852 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B373283 $40,500 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 612 Lasalle Ave Sq Ft: 1315 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B373968 $41,000 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 97 Davidson Ave Sq Ft: 924 Acres: 0.08 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374428 $41,000 Buffalo 16 Hillside Ave Sq Ft: 2212 Acres: 0.07 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B373943 $40,000 2 bd/1 ba Buffalo 560 Lasalle Ave Sq Ft: 985 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B375083 $39,900 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 235 Forest Sq Ft: 1190 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B371958 $40,000 3 bd/1 ba Buffalo 209 Mineral Spring… Sq Ft: 1470 Acres: 0.12 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B371905 $40,000 4 bd/2 ba Buffalo 93 Hamlin Rd Sq Ft: 2050 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B375188 $39,900 Buffalo 194 Baynes St Sq Ft: 1920 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374338 $39,900 3 bd/2 ba Buffalo 32 Glendhu Place Sq Ft: 1080 Acres: 0.10 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B374236 $39,900 Buffalo 24 Weaver St Sq Ft: 2289 Acres: 0.12 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B375137 $39,900 2 bd/1 ba Buffalo 20 Zollars Avenue Sq Ft: 1296 Acres: 0.07 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
Listing # B369407 $34,900 Buffalo 358 French St Sq Ft: 1800 Acres: 0.10 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B373144 $34,900 4 bd/2 ba Buffalo 222 Massachusetts … Sq Ft: 1484 Acres: 0.07 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B369636 $34,900 3 bd/2 ba Buffalo 15 Albert Sq Ft: 1276 Acres: 0.07 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites	Listing # B369508 $34,900 Buffalo 533 Wyoming Ave Sq Ft: 1920 Acres: 0.09 >> View Details >> Add to Favorites
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Thinking of selling your Buffalo home? Interested in finding out the current market value of your single family home, condo or investment property? Then call Colleen Kulikowski at (716) 650-0051 to discuss what is happening in today’s Western New York Real Estate Market.  We would be happy to give you a personalized Comparative Market Analysis for your home or assist you to purchase a home.   View additional WNY Market Area Statistics here.

If you enjoyed this Buffalo Real Estate article, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Daily updates to home sales market reports, homes for sale and helpful buying and selling articles are regularly posted on Buffalo Real Estate News. Colleen Kulikowski and the Best Buffalo Homes team of Keller Williams Realty is here to assist you with all of your home buying, selling and investing needs. Just call us today at (716) 650-0051!

When our parents become frail and we worry about them living alone, what to do is an important question facing many Western New York.   Questions like: Are they able to live on their own in their current home with some assistance? Could they live on their own in a smaller more manageable home? What about [...read more]

Don’t wait until you find the perfect WNY home to select your Home Inspector!

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Show me how to own a home!

You are considering a home purchase but you are lost and confused. You can’t seem to find the answers you need to start the process. The most important thing to remember is that you can’t purchase a home unless you can purchase a home with cash or qualify for a mortgage. So to start the process, you must begin with your finances… [...read more]

Asbestos and your home purchase

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Is your Buffalo Realtor® telling you what you need to hear or what you want to hear?

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Downtown Waterfront Living

There is a lot of interest in living in the Downtown Buffalo area, especially the Buffalo Waterfront!  The waterfront village consists of over 200 housing units and the development of the Waterfront village began in the 1970′s and was part of the Downtown Urban Renewal Plan.

The Waterfront Village consists of the following communities:

One of these communities in the Waterfront area of Downtown Buffalo is Rivermist.   According to the MLS here are the current market conditions in Rivermist:

Current Market Report

October 20, 2010

• There are 5 active listings with an average list price of $537,900 ranging from $429,900 to $799,900
• There is 1 pending/under contract sale and in the past 30 days there has been no closed sales
• YTD there has been 4 closed sales with an average sold price of $481,250 spending an average of 429 days on the market
  • Highest closed – $565,000 – 655 days on the market
  • Lowest closed – $380,000 – 174 days on the market

Select Rivermist Homes for Sale

	196 Rivermist Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 429,900 Built in 1988 2185 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Bath(s) , 3 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B335558 (IDX)
	252 Rivermist Dr Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 479,900 Built in 1984 2185 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B357560 (IDX)
	248 Rivermist Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 479,900 Built in 1984 2185 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 3 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B361251 (IDX)
	156 Rivermist Dr Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 499,900 Built in 1988 2185 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B360250 (IDX)
	176 Rivermist Dr Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 799,900 Built in 1988 2620 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B368103 (IDX)

Other Waterfront Condos for Sale

Current Market Conditions

October 20, 2010 There is one active listing for $990,000 There is one pending/under contract and no closed sales in the past 30 days There are no closed sales year to date

401 Gull Landing Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 990,000 Built in 1990 2943 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B368769 (IDX)

Other Waterfront Condos for Sale

Portside Community Market Report

October 2, 2010

• There are 2 active listings with an average list price of $492,450 ranging from $445,000 to $539,900
• There are no pending/under contract sales and no closed sales in the past 30 days
• YTD there are 2 closed sales with an average sold price of $402,500 spending an average of 207 days on the market
  • Highest closed – $530,000 – 309 days on the market
  • Lowest closed – $275,000 – 105 days on the market

Select Portside Condos For Sale

305 Portside Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 445,000 Built in 1990 3121 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B371446 (IDX)
	308 Portside Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 539,900 Built in 1996 3121 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 0 Full Bath(s) , 0 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B356586 (IDX)

Other Waterfront condos for Sale

The Breakwaters – Buffalo Waterfront Living

The Breakwaters in the Waterfront Village of Downtown Buffalo NY is a community of 48 townhouses in the heart of the Erie Basin Marina District.  Just minutes from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the Central Business District in Downtown Buffalo, the Theater District, HSBC Arena and Coca-Cola Field with quick access to Routes 190 and 33.   In less than 20 minutes you can be most anywhere in Western New York.

Current Market Conditions

Featured Waterfront Condos For Sale

Other Waterfront Communities

There is a lot of interest in living in the Downtown Buffalo area, especially the Buffalo Waterfront!  The waterfront village consists of over 200 housing units and the development of the Waterfront Village began in the 1970′s and was part of the Downtown Urban Renewal Plan.   The Waterfront Village consists of the following communities:

Important WNY Seller Question:

Why do I care if you are on the Internet?

I just want my home sold!

You want results. You want the best exposure for your home for sale in Western New York. We want to deliver them to you. Delivery means doing business differently today.

The difference is the Internet.

A Little Background.

I started my Real Estate career in Florida, and discovered Blogging as an effective means of advertising listings and gaining Internet exposure. With well over 80% of buyers starting their search on the Internet, you need a Real Estate Professional that understand how to Market Homes for Sale via the Internet. Moving back to Western New York, I seriously looked at what did and did not work for me in Florida.

Working with amazing mentors I changed my focus and dug in. It seems fitting that Bloodhound Blog was where I ventured from the safety of ActiveRain. It changed how I looked at the Internet; it changed how I did business forever. I finally graduated from the Nursery, achieving success by implementing the best of Internet practices.

Read Also: Active Rain, a Nursery to Prepare You for ‘Real World’ Blogging

Laurie Manny gently pushed me out of the ActiveRain Nursery and on to a post of Brian Brady’s on Bloodhound, then off to an assortment of other sites. Laurie has taught me to be authentic, consumer focused and engaging. Oh and a little thing called SEO. Brian Brady taught me to about being viral. Probably the most influential of Brian’s Bloodhound posts is an old one of his. I have to disagree with his use of the word instead, I prefer in conjunction with.

Read Also: Building an audience: Using Blogging, social networks, email newsletters and viral marketing instead of SEO

Social Media Optimization

Read the rest of this entry »

Downtown Waterfront Living – Admirals Walk

Living on the water is a dream for many.   But when you think of waterfront living many times you think of Florida or California and being a snowbird to enjoy such living.   Buffalo NY is not the first place many people think about Waterfront living around the country, and yet we have a spectacular one!   And compared to what people pay in Florida or California, those condos on the Buffalo Waterfront are a tremendous deal!   One of the communities in the Waterfront area of Downtown Buffalo is an impressive high rise condo named Admiral’s Walk.

I have two active qualified buyers right now looking to purchase in Admirals Walk – if you are considering selling your Admirals Walk we need to talk!   They have been looking all summer and watching, but they have not been compelled to purchase what currently is on the market.   Perhaps it is your high rise waterfront unit.

Current Market Conditions for Admirals Walk

September 23, 2010

• There are 2 active listings with an average list price of $279,900 ranging from $199,900 to $359,900
• There are no pending/under contract sales and no closed sales in the past 30 days.
• YTD there has been 4 closed sales with an average sold price of $228,800 spending an average of 345 days on the market
  • Highest Closed – $360,000 – 824 days on the market
  • Lowest closed – $128,200 – 31 days on the market

Admirals Walk Condos For Sale

	704 Admirals Walk Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 359,900 Built in 1991 1992 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 0 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B313543 (IDX)
406 Admirals Walk Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 199,900 Built in 1991 1100 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bath(s) , 0 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: B352449 (IDX)

Congratulations!   You found a Western New York home that you want to purchase!  After all that searching on the Internet, going to Open Houses and all this time together looking and we have found the house of your dreams.   Now how do we make the it your Western New York home?

Making the Offer on the Home

What you offer on a Western New York home is dependent on many things.   Do you want to offer above or below the asking price? Maybe you are thinking of offering the asking price. This is where we come in to assist you.   We will have all the  information that you will need to make a decision.

Read Also: Is your Buffalo Realtor® telling you what you need to hear or what you want to hear?

Remember that the decision is YOURS.   Our role is to advise you based on what is happening in the Real Estate market.    Each home is unique in how to approach an offer.   Some homes are over-priced and the owner wants to negotiate, others are firm and will laugh at any offer other than full price.

Factors that affect your offer price

Market Conditions

Is this a buyers or a sellers market?   How are the homes selling in this community?    Are they selling in a matter of days and with multiple offers?   Is the community days on the market longer than 100 days?  Depending on the type of market you may be able to offer lower than the asking price and still feel the offer will be taken seriously.   If there are multiple offers on the table, you will have to step up to the plate or your offer won’t be considered.

VIP Pricing

Several Realtors are listing homes on the internet with VIP pricing.   What exactly is VIP Pricing?   Well it is a way to get a home on the MLS with a lower price.   VIP pricing is a technique to attract buyers to put an offer in on a property while at the same time pacifies a seller who may be reluctant to put their home on the market for a particular price because they don’t want to take less than a specific figure.

In other words it is a starting point, they really are looking for a lot more than that price.    Basically they are telling you what their bottom line is.  Is this good or bad?   It is different and affects what we are going to offer on the home.   It is out there, and you should be aware of this strategy in selling.

Seller Motivation

How motivated is the seller to sell will affect their willingness to accept a lower offer.   How many days on the market has this home been?  Are there other offers?  Has there already been several price reductions?   Is the seller “Chasing the Market down”?   Have they already purchased a home and the sale is contingent on the sale of this house?   Are they testing the market?   Are they relocating to another city?

Comparable Sales

Compare the most recent sold homes to that of similar homes in the area.    Is the asking price in line with the most recent sales?   How recent are those sales?

Read Also: How to get a Real Estate deal!

What you can afford

Dos this home stay within your pre-qualification?   Can you comfortably afford the monthly payments, and save money for a “rainy day” and handle unexpected expenses?   Just because you qualify for a particular amount doesn’t mean that you should go to that maximum amount.

Read Also: Why Pre-qualification is important

Your Motivation to purchase

You really have to ask yourself – How motivated are you to buy? If you really want the home, you may want to make an offer equal to or greater than the asking price.   A good question to ask yourself is how upset will you be if you do not get the home?   This is particularly an important question when you are faced with the fact that there are other people offering on the home as well.   This means you need to bring your best offer up front or your offer could be rejected immediately.

You see there are many factors that will affect your offer price on a Western New York home.   Together we can put together an attractive offer for the sellers.

Thinking of purchasing a WNY home? Then call Colleen Kulikowski at (716) 650-0051 to discuss what is happening in today’s Western New York Real Estate Market.  Check out our Buyers Resource page, or fill out our request form below for more information.

I came across an interesting article this morning regarding the foreclosure crisis – on how Self-storage facilities are experiencing a high number of units not paying their bills.

It is an interesting to see that what is happening as a direct result of the foreclosure crisis.   Not only are buyers finding it more difficult to qualifiy for a mortgage today, and the options for a mortgage signficantly reduced there are others affected by this crisis.

Here is a brief list of businesses that are affected by the mortgage crisis:

• Real Estate Professionals
• Mortgage Professionals
• Attorneys and Title Companies
• Stock Market
• Banks & Financial Institutions

The effects do not stop just there.   Now it seems this crisis is affecting the companies that support these Professionals too.   I was talking with a friend of mine and businesses like salons, plastic surgeons, and clothing stores are feeling the pinch too.    Print shops, dry cleaners, restaurants are all affect too.

There are so many details about purchasing a new home. At times it can be overwhelming. In fact, in all the excitement of searching for a home, getting the sale approved, your home inspected, and all the associated excitement of getting ready to move into your new Buffalo area home, some things might fall through the cracks. One thing you should keep on the top of the list is changing your locks.

Read Also: How to Change a Lock

The first thing you should do in your new WNY home is Change the Locks! The house you just purchased and now call home was for sale. What that means to you that the keys to that home were in many hands. Just think of all the potential people that have had access to the home from the previous owners:

• The helpful neighbor

• Inspectors

• Cleaning people

• Repairmen

• Friends and family of the previous owners

• The Listing Realtor

• The previous owners

Since you dont know who might have keys we strongly encourage you to change the locks immediately! It just makes good sense to change the locks. But many times, in all excitement, it gets put off or worse never happens. So you see, after you get the keys to your Buffalo home, the first thing you must do before you move in — Change those locks!

Read Also: Why Change Your Locks When You Move In?

 

What to disclose to homebuyers.

By law, real estate professionals cannot fill out any sellers’ home disclosures unless the agent is the seller or a party to the transaction. If your agent can’t tell you, ask a lawyer if you need to sign every disclosure handed you.

Read Also: Things Sellers can do make a buyers day!

Every state has its own laws regarding disclosures, so the forms will be different. A federal disclosure such as Lead-Based Paint is required for all transactions if the home was built before 1978. Chances are in most areas of Western New York you will need this form.   At the time that you sign the listing contract, your Realtor will ask you to fill these disclosures as well.

Continue Reading about Disclosure to Buyers »

There is much discussion on how to get your Buffalo Home sold. In today’s competitive Real Estate market the price you have your Buffalo home listed at is very important to getting sold. The price you start your Buffalo home for sale at will determine how long it will take to sell your home.

Why is it that some Buffalo homes sit on the market for sale for weeks and months.  Yet others sell quickly with multiple offers in a Buyer’s Market?  It has everything to do with pricing your Buffalo home correctly.

Read the rest of this entry »

Many know me as the Chairwoman of Niagara Rises, Inc. which is a grass roots organization in Niagara Falls that is focused on reversing the course Niagara Falls is taking and reducing poverty in the Cataract City.    Part of Niagara Rises Mission includes a four day celebration at the end of June called Niagara Homecoming.   Niagara Homecoming includes a Career Fair, our Kickoff to benefit the NCCC Culinary School, Real Estate Open Houses and a focus on some of the very best things happening in Niagara County.   At our 2nd annual Kickoff, we handed out our Frank Thomas Croisdale Volunteer of the Year Award to Dr. David Taylor of Niagara University for his work with at Risk Youth.   We work very closely with Dr. Taylor and have some very exciting news coming up in the coming weeks about how Niagara University and Niagara Rises will be partnering together.

There were two new awards that we added this year.  The first was our Excellence in Media Award which was given to Mike Hudson of the Niagara Falls Reporter.    Their support of our organization when we couldn’t get a single bit of coverage by other outlets is not forgotten.  Neither is the fact that the Reporter has become the official program to all events related to Niagara Homecoming is so very appreciated.   Like the cover this past week said “there is no place like home”.     In an age where Newspapers are dying on the vine, the Niagara Falls Reporter is strong in a city that has not one but two major papers and a third producing a Niagara Section.   Western New Yorkers are very lucky to have the options that many communities no longer have.   Today they celebrate their 10th Anniversary — a great achievement.

On Friday night, at the Rapids Theatre it was my honor to present our other new award — the Niagara Rises Nikola Tesla Developer of the Year award to Carl Paladino of Ellicott Development for his work on the Giacomo.  Below is my speech introducing Carl Paladino to the audience that attended our Kickoff Gala:

It was a very dark day when they first opened the United Office Building in Niagara Falls.   Fortunes were crumbling across the country as the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929.  Despite such an infamous introduction, the building rose tall into the sky in the city’s South End and the citizenry seemed to embrace its existence as a standard bearer of prosperity and hope.

Throughout it’s early life it was home to some of the top business names in the city, before it was abandoned in the 1980’s. The elegant, art deco structure with its distinctive monochromatic-colored brick and decorative Mayan sculptures became the topic of much tangled bargaining as many government agencies and private developers tried and failed to breath life back into the abandoned structure.  For a long time it stood, empty, crumbling and towering over the city 20 stories high, a reminder to anyone who looked up of great promise gone sour.

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Let’s talk about showings for your home for sale.  I am frustrated with the lack of professionalism by some Realtors.  Not all, just a few.  And I am not the only one who is frustrated.

I am sure that it is the behavior of these agents that give those of us that work hard to facilitate every showing and keep home owners informed a bad name.

Are you considering selling your WNY home? Here are a few things you need to understand.  Those Realtors that are working with buyers have a lot to do.  First off they have to qualify their clients, then select properties that:

1. Their clients can afford
2. That has the features they desire
3. Deal with people that may not be completely honest
4. Difficulty in scheduling appointments

There are times that these agents are faced with trying to schedule last minute appointments and are meet with resistance.  But as a homeseller you need to be aware that it is not always the agent’s fault.  I have a system in place to make sure that if someone wants to show a property last minute they can. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Before our appointment to list your home…

Listing of your Buffalo Home The team at Best Buffalo Homes is really excited about listing your home and our upcoming meeting to get all the paperwork completed.  To ensure that this meeting goes quickly and that we have all the information we need to list your home for sale we will need the following: All parties on the deed to sign the [More about the Listing Appointment...]

Your home’s job interview — the Home Showing!

Home Showing is like a job interview. You would not dare show up to your job interview without wearing a freshly pressed suit, your hair done nicely, polished shoes, and a well written resume.  So why is it that you let your home go to an interview with a stained suit, looking like it rolled out of bed, bringing the kids, and no resume? Selling [How to get your home sold during the showing..]

Additional Articles of Interest:

And this is just a selection of articles we have written to assist you in selling your home!

• How to get your home sold in today’s Real Estate Market!
• Real Estate and your pending divorce…
• Western New York Home Improvements Worth Doing…
• Don’t Let Last Minute Showing of Your Buffalo Home Catch You Off Guard!
• Adventures on the MLS — and not the fun kind either!
• How can I get my home SOLD faster?
• Does your Handyman Special have a stunning renovated price tag?
• My Buffalo home is about to expire!
• How your Showing Instructions can affect the showings on your Buffalo area home for sale!
• How to make glass sparkle before your home showing
• I just want my Western New York Home SOLD!
• Bad Real Estate Photos
• Ways to Sabotage Your Home Sale
• Western New York Showing Advice for Sellers
• For Sale By Owner many times means frustration for homesellers.
• How to Avoid the Real Estate Listing Black Hole in Western New York.
• Your Buffalo Home – Selecting the Right Real Estate Agent to Represent YOU!
• Should I stage my Western New York home?
• Open Houses don’t sell houses!
• Before you consider being your own Real Estate Agent, consider these questions!
• Can Burying a St. Joseph ensure a home Sale?
• Get Out of Buyer’s Way!
• You Need to Get Serious to Get Your Home SOLD!
• Overcoming WNY Buyer objections to your home
• What Should WNY Sellers Disclose to Home Buyers?
• Why pricing is so important in the sale of your Buffalo home!
• Five Reasons Your Home is For Sale and not SOLD!
• Questions to answer before you put your home up for sale by yourself…

The process of purchasing a home doesn’t have to be diffcult!

Congratulations!

You want to purchase your but there are so many decisions and you have a few questions. First off, realize that if you are purchasing your first home or your 10th home you are going to have questions. No question is a dumb question!

The process of purchasing a home can be frightening but it does not have to be. It does not have to be overwhelming either. That is why you enlist the assistance of a Realtor®.

Before you even start dreaming of owning your home, you must apply for your mortgage if you are not paying cash for your home. You will need to work with a bank, Mortgage Banker, or Mortgage Broker to start your Mortgage Application; they in turn can share with us the amount you are qualified for. This will tell you exactly how much money you can spend on your new home.

The first decision you are going to make is where you are going to live. Questions to ask when you are selecting location include:

• Do you want a more country life with farms all around?
• Do you prefer living in a place that all the houses look the same?
• Do you want a brand new home or would you consider a home that needs a kitchen remodel?
• Does your taste run to the city lifestyle?

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You have to admit it is a fair question…   In today’s competitive market the price you have your Buffalo home listed at is very important to getting sold. Why is it that some homes sit on the market for others and yet others sell quickly with multiple offers?

It has everything to do with Pricing your home correctly.

You are thinking to yourself, “but if I lower my price I am loosing money.”   If you haven’t had an offer in the past 30 days …

Seller Resources

Before our appointment to list your home…

Listing of your Buffalo Home The team at Best Buffalo Homes is really excited about listing your home and our upcoming meeting to get all the paperwork completed.  To ensure that this meeting goes quickly and that we have all the information we need to list your home for sale we will need the following: All parties on the deed to sign the [...]

Need Inspiration to get your home ready for a showing?

Motivation to Keep Your Home Spotless Are you too busy to clean your Buffalo home? Or are you procrastinate doing chores around your home? Sometimes you may feel exhausted or perhaps a little lazy.   This is not the time to ignore your household chores! Motivation in keeping your Buffalo home in showing condition can be an issue for many home [...]

Your home’s job interview — the Home Showing!

Home Showing is like a job interview. You would not dare show up to your job interview without wearing a freshly pressed suit, your hair done nicely, polished shoes, and a well written resume.  So why is it that you let your home go to an interview with a stained suit, looking like it rolled out of bed, bringing the kids, and no resume? Selling [...]

Additional Articles of Interest:

And this is just a selection of articles we have written to assist you in selling your home!

• How to get your home sold in today’s Real Estate Market!
• Real Estate and your pending divorce…
• Western New York Home Improvements Worth Doing…
• Don’t Let Last Minute Showing of Your Buffalo Home Catch You Off Guard!
• Adventures on the MLS — and not the fun kind either!
• How can I get my home SOLD faster?
• Does your Handyman Special have a stunning renovated price tag?
• My Buffalo home is about to expire!
• How your Showing Instructions can affect the showings on your Buffalo area home for sale!
• How to make glass sparkle before your home showing
• I just want my Western New York Home SOLD!
• Bad Real Estate Photos
• Ways to Sabotage Your Home Sale
• Western New York Showing Advice for Sellers
• For Sale By Owner many times means frustration for homesellers.
• How to Avoid the Real Estate Listing Black Hole in Western New York.
• Your Buffalo Home – Selecting the Right Real Estate Agent to Represent YOU!
• Should I stage my Western New York home?
• Open Houses don’t sell houses!
• Before you consider being your own Real Estate Agent, consider these questions!
• Can Burying a St. Joseph ensure a home Sale?
• Get Out of Buyer’s Way!
• You Need to Get Serious to Get Your Home SOLD!
• Overcoming WNY Buyer objections to your home
• What Should WNY Sellers Disclose to Home Buyers?
• Why pricing is so important in the sale of your Buffalo home!
• Five Reasons Your Home is For Sale and not SOLD!
• Questions to answer before you put your home up for sale by yourself…

Buffalo’s Making Houses Homes Program

The Housing Division will implement the Mayor’s Livable Communities in Buffalo Initiative. Leading the efforts is the Buffalo Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation (BNRC). The Housing Division will manage programs and projects that are based on increasing home ownership in the City of Buffalo. The Making Houses Homes program is a [...]

Waterfront Homes of Downtown Buffalo NY Real Estate Market Report – February 2010

The city of Buffalo is a Waterfront City with a rich history.  The city is dedicated to creating a waterfront that is publicly accessible resulting in a focal point for recreational activity and social opportunity.  Downtown Buffalo has some spectacular waterfront homes to call home!   The waterfront community in Buffalo is full of [...]

Downtown Waterfront Living at The Breakwaters

The Breakwaters – Buffalo Waterfront Living The Breakwaters in the Waterfront Village of Downtown Buffalo NY is a community of 48 townhouses in the heart of the Erie Basin Marina District.  Just minutes from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the Central Business District in Downtown Buffalo, the Theater District, HSBC Arena and Coca-Cola Field [...]

Buyers Remorse – Do you have it?

What did we just do?   It is a question that many 1st time home buyers and even people that are moving from one home to another ask themselves.   They suddenly find themselves very worried about the future that it is going to take 30 years to pay off their mortgage and really own the home that they just purchased.   Suddenly the thoughts of the roof, basement and household systems come to mind and what did the home inspector not find.

Read Also: How to get a great Real Estate Deal in Western New York!

Read how with a little preparation you can buy with confidence »

Thank you for visiting our Buffalo Real Estate website. If you enjoyed this Best Buffalo Homes post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed to get the latest Buffalo Real Estate News from Colleen Kulikowski & the Best Buffalo Homes Team! Need help right away? Call us at (716) 650-0051 to speak with us. Search all homes for sale at www.SearchBuffaloHomes.com in the Greater Buffalo region.

Budgets are being stretched to their limits for residents in Buffalo New York. With the reports of predicted energy costs increasing this winter, many savvy Western New Yorkers are beginning to look for way to save on their utility bills. There are many ways to save on your utility bills and it sometimes it is the simplest things we do that can add up to big savings.

Ways to save money on your utility bills in Western New York:

1. Energy star appliances
2. Consider replacing your toilets with lower water use models to save on water
3. Consider having a home energy audit
4. When taking a shower in the winter, don’t let that water drain out. If you leave the water in your tub it adds heat and humidity to the house.
5. Calk your windows and consider adding additional insulation if needed
6. Use energy-efficient lighting throughout your Buffalo home
7. Install a low-flow shower head

Read more ways to save »

A lot more people than you think are relocating to Buffalo, and for many varied reasons.  Buffalo NY takes a lot of jokes about the snow and a lot of negative press with it being one of the fastest dying cities.  Yes people do leave Western New York, but people leave for many reasons.   Remember negative press sells newspapers and magazines.

So it is really wonderful to see an incredible article this week in the New York Magazine, entitled  Where the Urban Dream Life is Going Cheap by Adam Sternbergh.   Adam asks a very interesting question “What could possibly make someone want to leave New York and move to Buffalo?“

Read the rest of the story:  Buffalo NY and the “Who knew” effect…

Sellsisus Real Estate posted:

1. Colleen Kulikowski. BuffaloRealEstateNews.  I love Colleen’s blogging style. Her blog reads like a newspaper/magazine.  Her posts are easy on the eyes, extremely relevant to her market,  and display her sense of humor .  She writes appealing headlines and uses catchy images.  Colleen is a force on Active Rain.  She is very tech savvy. She is using her SEO skills to rule the Buffalo market— her blog is on page 1 of Google for “Buffalo homes for sale”— ahead of Zillow and Realtor.com.  Now that’s how Colleen rocks blogging.   For those who think blogging has little ROI, talk to Colleen and learn a thing or twenty-two.

The other women named were:

2. Mary Pope-Handy. Mary authors 3 blogs: The Valley of Heart’s Delight; Live in Los Gatos; and the quite deadly Haunted Real Estate Blog.

3. Dru Bloomfield. AtHomeInScottsdale.

4. Diane Guercio. a/k/a HeyAmaretto.

5. Amy Chorew. The  TechByte;  TheDigitalRealtor/ActiveRain.  Amy also writes for AgentGenius.

6. Kaye Thomas. ManhattanBeachRealty. Beach City Real Estate. Move2Manhattan Beach.

7. Jessica Riffle Edwards. CarolinasFinest/HotPropertyBlog .

8. Susie Blackmon.  Bucking The Real Estate Trend.

9.  Elaine Reese. Central Ohio Real Estate News.

10. Genea (Gena) Riede. Sacramento Real Estate Voice.

11. Kim Wood. West of Philly Burbs.  ActiveRain blog. Part of the TechByte team.

12. Monika McGillicuddy.   New Hampshire Real Estate Blog. Monica also has a delightful photo blog, The New Hampshire View Finder.

Ladies Congratulations on being named on this incredible list of women!   Past winners can be found here

• 2006
• 2007
• 2008