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Well, I am probably in the minority in this, but I WOULD love to move back to the Buffalo region or even Western New York but the sad reality is that my husband cannot find a job. I have come to the conclusion that you need to have a relative or major connection to find a job. And the truth is since we have been away for almost a decade we do not have any major connections in the fields or companies that matter. But yes, I do agree with these Forbes lists of most affordable and best places to relocate to. The only caveat is you need a job first, and that is the trickier piece of the puzzle.
Has this been the case even in nearby areas like Rochester and Syracuse?
Well, I am probably in the minority in this, but I WOULD love to move back to the Buffalo region or even Western New York but the sad reality is that my husband cannot find a job. I have come to the conclusion that you need to have a relative or major connection to find a job. .
We moved here from Virginia without knowing a soul - we found the job first but it was not too difficult. I would think even today it would be easier to find a job here where the unemployment rate is 7.5% than the rest of the country where the rate is 33% higher at 10%.
Has this been the case even in nearby areas like Rochester and Syracuse?
Check out the topic in the Rochester forum where an OP asked about financial firms and the best schools in that area. If he could find work there, you could find an area in Genesee County so you could be closer to Buffalo. Some make the drive back and forth between the 2 cities daily too.
Has this been the case even in nearby areas like Rochester and Syracuse?
Well, yes he unfortunately has not found anything in these areas. We have looked at Syracuse, Rochester, and although not as extensively Pittsburgh, Erie, and Cleveland OH...nothing! One thing to mention is that my husband is in Finance, not an accountant, but I do know that he has said he would be able to find jobs easy in places like NYC. Which I would not want to move there--too busy and too far from WNY. I am currently a stay at home mom, but have plans to go back to work in the near future in healthcare.
Also, he interviewed (phone interview) at M&T but never made it to a face to face interview. He was told he needed to know someone on the inside. Which unfortunately he doesn't. And the job he interviewed for is still posted, and has been for the past year or so.
Buffalo may have cheap housing prices but the taxes are foolish and huge. I once wanted to buy a building in Buffalo where Busti meets Niagara. I think I could have had it for $370k and it was a good deal at that price. Then i looked up the taxes $23,078 per year. FORGET IT.
The building didn't sell and later it was vandalized and the copper removed. Now the taxes are a bit lower BIG Deal
In Texas my house was appraised that year about about $600k and probably worth $750k the taxes were $5600. Utilities are higher in Buffalo and of course NY has a state income tax.
Last edited by bellafinzi; 11-03-2010 at 08:37 PM..
Reason: Please discuss the topic, not each other.
Well, yes he unfortunately has not found anything in these areas. We have looked at Syracuse, Rochester, and although not as extensively Pittsburgh, Erie, and Cleveland OH...nothing! One thing to mention is that my husband is in Finance, not an accountant, but I do know that he has said he would be able to find jobs easy in places like NYC. Which I would not want to move there--too busy and too far from WNY. I am currently a stay at home mom, but have plans to go back to work in the near future in healthcare.
Buffalo may have cheap housing prices but the taxes are foolish and huge. I once wanted to buy a building in Buffalo where Busti meets Niagara. I think I could have had it for $370k and it was a good deal at that price. Then i looked up the taxes $23,078 per year. FORGET IT.
The building didn't sell and later it was vandalized and the copper removed. Now the taxes are a bit lower BIG Deal
In Texas my house was appraised that year about about $600k and probably worth $750k the taxes were $5600. Utilities are higher in Buffalo and of course NY has a state income tax.
Was that building zoned for commercial because property tax within the city of Buffalo for a residential building worth about $370K is a little under $11K/year (the rate is $29.44 per $1000). Not saying $23K isnt outrageous, even for commercial property but if you are comparing it to your residential home its basically apples to oranges.
My property taxes in Hamburg are only slightly higher than my property taxes in Austin (my house in Austin is valued a good bit higher than my home in Hamburg yet its nowhere near as nice & only about 2/3rds as big). In fact the money I save by being able to send my girls to a very good public school in WNY rather than having to send them to a private school in Texas (because the public schools in Texas are awful) more than makes up for the property tax difference. While the rates in Texas were lower my actual utility bills are basically a wash as here my heat rarely turns on from late April through late October while in Austin my A/C never shuts off from April 1 through the end of October. Gas is obviously much more here but since my commute is usually under 10 minutes I tend to use a lot less. In Central Texas my 15 mile commute took an hour. I went through 2 tanks a gas /week in Austin, here a tank of gas usually lasts me 10-14 days.
Last edited by bellafinzi; 11-03-2010 at 08:38 PM..
Reason: edited out personal attack in quote
Looks like our well kept secret is slowly being revealed.
I'm afraid you can't accept the accolades. Everytime I read that Buffalo is listed in the top 10 for something negative posters on this board berate it as a joke, unsupported, not worth the ink it's written with.
Well if the negative comments have no credibility then I am afraid the same must apply for a list that is positive.
Sorry....
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