moving to buffalo area (New York, Amherst: middle-class, high crime, how much)

[jodemes1]

My family will be moving to buffalo area in June of 2008 we need info on good neighbor hoods/cities we are looking to purchase a house in the 130,000 range. We would like someone who lives there to explain how your utillites work. are water and gas a combined bill and how much is an average bill with forced air heating. Also I am a little confused on your water and sewage is it a monthy or yearly and about how much is it. Garbage -- we are just trying to estimate how much house we can afford. My husbands job will be in amhurst don't want more than 30 min drive would like a home with acre lot though
is that possible.

Thanks

[BuffaloTransplant]

Hi. Amherst is one of the biggest towns. What part of Amherst is he working in? A 30 minute commute here is for 20+ miles one way on a bad weather day -- did it for over 30 years. You could easlily get a house for $130K here in many locations.[My one kid is actually looking for one under $90K and her sister got one under & 75K] Our house is worth about that; but it is a ranch (1000 sq. feet/ depend on if you count porches - then it is more) on acreage ( we are farther out) -- with poor insulation, we pay gas about $1200.00/year (National Fuel); electric(NYSEG - ours or National Grid - Amherst may have that) about the same cost and water (either a town water district or Erie County Water Authority) about $120.00 (we are ECWA). Total for us on utilities is maybe $2600, tops. My taxes are less than that. However, I am, according to most posters, a rarity.... on taxes anyway -- we are actually located in 2 towns, and have the house on land we pay more in tax (as developed) for and our acreage is taxed different. We have also lived her over 35 years and have no mortgage.

What you need to know is who the utility company is; as you can see, there are several. Gas is generally the same(National Fuel); the water and electric service is different where you live.

Also, you are talking forced air heating. Many older places, should you consider one, still have radiatiors and some even have older furnaces -- we have several friends who never converted from fuel oil. Others heat solely with wood or pellet stoves and I know lots of people in outlying areas (3rd ring and beyond suburbs) who are on all electric and propane for hot water.

If you head for living in Amherst, It is centered among many towns....to its west it Tonawanda, to its south is the city of Buffalo and Cheektowaga, to its east is Clarence and to its north is a mix of towns. There is an actual W. Amherst (14228) [only no one calls it that, it used to be Tonawanda zip 14150 in Amherst and it was changed], Amherst proper 14226 and East Amherst.... and University of Buffalo is right in the middle with its own zip code.

Lots of people will give you opinions on where to live and all that.

[UpstaterInBklyn]

Hi - and welcome.

Although I've lived in NYC for the last 16 months, I lived in Buffalo all my life and still own a home there.

Here is some info:

Utilities: In most locations, gas and electric are provided by separate companies. Gas is handled by a company called National Fuel and Electric by National Grid. In some suburban locales, New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) provides those services. The overwhelming majority of homes are heated with gas. It's hard to estimate costs because the amount you pay is going to largely based on the size of the home, the quality of insulation, whether or not you have central air, etc. It is a fact, however, that on a per kilowatt-hour and per cubic foot basis, gas and electric rates are higher than the national average.

As an example of costs, the gas bill for our small two-bedroom home in Buffalo was about $125/mo on balanced billing (thermostat at 68). Electric was typically about $75/mo, higher in summer when we ran the air conditioner.

Water is provided by a governmental entity called the Erie County Water Authority. It is billed quarterly and the amount for a typical family would range from $50-$150 per quarter. Sewer fees are billed annually with your property taxes and usually run about the same as your water bill (yep, you pay for it coming in and going out)

Most muncipalities pick up the garbage for free, but some, notably Clarence and Hamburg, do not. In those locations, the town contracts with a private company that will bill you directly. I don't know what the fees are.

Regarding your concern about a 30-minute commute. One of the best aspects of living in Buffalo is that just about everything is 30 minutes or less away. You could pretty much live anywhere in the metro area and be less than 30 minutes from Amherst (except maybe the distant southern suburbs like East Aurora)

I'm going to overgeneralize a bit here. You'll probably have more specific questions later, but here is the "nice neighborhood" answer in a nutshell:

All suburban locations are generally safe and have good schools. The differences are primarily what type of housing you prefer and the overall character of the community. Amherst, Clarence and Orchard Park the upper and upper-middle-class communities, while Tonawanda, Cheektowaga, West Seneca and Hamburg are more "middle class". It might be harder finding a home for $130K in the higher-end communities, but you can get a nice 3BR home in many of the other locations for that price. A full acre lot may be difficult at that price range, unless you choose to live further out in the country.

In the city, there are some good neighborhoods, primarly on the north side (north of Hertel Ave). There also many "sketchy" areas and some very bad ghettos.

[FedupWNY]

jodemes1, I lived in Buffalo all my life. Shopping around for a fair price on housing might be tricky depending on where you look in the City. I know of a well-maintained two-family house that sold in South Buffalo for $55,000. The neighborhood is pretty great (outside of a few minor problems, which of course, what city doesn't have them? lol). The McKinley Park area of South Buffalo is a little more up-scale, but still fairly affordable (but to have an acre lot would be out, however.... there are plenty of great parks throughout). The same with North Buffalo. Housing on the East side you could pick up for a bargain, but the neighborhoods aren't all that great; high crime, etc.

But from what you said, you're looking more into a suburan area for living.

West Seneca, a little out of the way, taxes are pretty high, but they have a lot of town services to make up for it.

UpstaterInBklyn was pretty accurate with the utilities, but if you are considering Buffalo, there is a "user fee" in the City for garbage pick up. That would be is in addition to your property taxes. Hope this helps.

Wish you luck

[jodemes1]

Thank you everyone the info was helpful

Does any one no any thing about Newfayne?

[BuffaloTransplant]

Originally Posted by jodemes1

Thank you everyone the info was helpful

Does any one no any thing about Newfayne?

Newfane is somewhat rural, beyond the far burbs and beyond the 30 minute commute you want.

[warm heatherette]

Newfane is closer to Lockport, and wouldn't be much more than 30 minute, low traffic, country commute.

[jodemes1]

By a country commute would it be hard to get to Getzville/amherst after a snow storm do they clear roads. are we talking two lane country roads?

[CAugust]

nah, once the roads are clear you can get to Getzvile and Amherst, not problem
Colleen

[Futcha]

Try North Buffalo and Kenmore/Tonawanda. Stay away from the East Side, by far the worst neighborhood in the city. For '07, Buffalo jumped from not even 30th, to the 24th most dangerous city in America (up there with Atlanta, Philly, Compton, Newark, etc.). But I can assure you that N. Buffalo is not bad at all. Elmwood is a younger, hip area of the North Side due to the proximity to Canisius College and UB along with maybe a couple others. And I know from experience, DO NOT GET OFF THE BAILEY AVE. (on the East Side) EXIT AFTER DARK. We accidentally did that and ended up smack in the middle of drug dealing and gangbanging central. But don't let it scare you away, all you have to do is stay away from the East Side at night. Nothing is really there anyway, other than the Broadway Market (go there for Easter! You'll be fine during the day, there are hundreds, probably even thousands of people around the Broadway Market during Easter) and the Old Central Terminal (run down, but great architecture).

Get used to Mighty Taco. At first I thought it was okay, the meat maybe a little mushy, but it grew on me and now I can't go to Buffalo without going to Mighty Taco. Get used to hockey and football. Get used to chicken wings and pizza with spicy pepperoni. Get used to using a shovel or snowblower or plow (depending on size of driveway).

If you like to bike and/or run Delaware Park is great for that (the Buffalo Zoo is located in Delaware Park). Elmwood Ave. (North Side) has a bunch of cool little sidewalk shops and cafes. Delaware Ave. (also on the North Side) is loaded with beautiful mansions.

Best part of the city is the North Side. Worst part of the city is the East Side. The South Side and the West Side can be bad in spots and good in spots. Downtown is dead at night unless there's a Sabres game.

Good luck!