Buffalo Housing (real estate, rent, crime)

[RobertMann]

Buffalo. How I love you so. After spending the last couple years out of the city, it was nice to come back. The waterfront by the Marina is built up, the Aud is coming down, and we are somewhat in the process of construction of a casino, or if that gets put on hold, those steel beams rising high will make a lovely piece of art.

The County and City are fixing their financial problems, as well as a city that is moving forward. I always felt like Buffalo was stuck in 1975 until recently.

Progress is being made.

There is an issue with absentee landlords or neglectful managers. It's an issue for me as a Property Manager. I turn down clients who are neglectful of their properties. Driving around the East/West Side, you don't have to look far to see the neglect that has occurred. It's sad.

What steps and measures do you think the city should take beyond what they already have to lessen this issue?

[accbqjx]

Realtors may want to reconsider selling real estate to Europeans looking at Buffalo as a cash cow.

[CAugust]

Originally Posted by accbqjx

Realtors may want to reconsider selling real estate to Europeans looking at Buffalo as a cash cow.

There are not as many out there as you think - we hear about it all the time, but it's really not that big of a glut of Europeans purchasing property and it's not that easy to do.

Everyone thinks = I'll buy ten properties, rent them out and make some money - rarely can people "buy" ten properties and do this, it's a dream, or more appropriately a nightmare.

If I had a "true" client that was interested in putting together a portolio, the last place I would take them would be the east side - any realtor that portrays that area as a cash cow - is in my opinion, unethical.

NOW.... getting back to the original question..

Originally Posted by RobertMann

There is an issue with absentee landlords or neglectful managers. It's an issue for me as a Property Manager. I turn down clients who are neglectful of their properties. Driving around the East/West Side, you don't have to look far to see the neglect that has occurred. It's sad.

What steps and measures do you think the city should take beyond what they already have to lessen this issue?

They need to get stern about this - one chance and one chance only with a date that the work needs to be completed by then followed up on and then repossessed and resold if need be - perhaps until the property is resold the city can manage it, collecting their own rents which can go back into the properties - just thinking out loud.

These owners that you speak of - they are given too many chances to clean up or repair the property - it's not re-sellable or many times repairable at all and then it sits and sits - pipes stolen, drug houses are made out of them, squatters, crime etc etc

just my two cents - which apparently isn't worth much right now

[Doggz3]

Make evictions cheaper and easier - that's the real solution to this "problem."

Rental properties in borderline neighborhoods go to seed almost always because of deadbeat tenants who do not pay rent and yet refuse to leave peacefully. The liberal courts coddle these deadbeats and stretch the eviction process to the point where it's cheaper to simply abandon the house rather than pay for the privilege of having it inhabited by a deadbeat.

A rational businessman/landlord is not going to throw good money after bad.