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Southtowns for the win. But your commute might be tricky a few days a year. Spend the money and get 4x4 or AWD at least and live South, lots of outdoors, hiking, etc.
My work vehicle is 4x4 so we should be good to go. I’m used to snow, just not the amount that Buffalo continually sees. Thanks for all suggestions & info everyone
Another point on your budget...a 225k home in Buffalo is a very nice suburban house even in the best school districts. Across much of the Southtowns, the average sales price is between 150k and 225k, except for parts of Orchard Park (which can range into an average of 300-400k).
Since you can do a 30-45 minute commute, consider neighboring counties where taxes will be lower: Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, maybe Niagara. Rentals may be tougher to find, but plenty of outdoor activities in those areas.
Another point on your budget...a 225k home in Buffalo is a very nice suburban house even in the best school districts. Across much of the Southtowns, the average sales price is between 150k and 225k, except for parts of Orchard Park (which can range into an average of 300-400k).
I've brought this up before, I'll bring it up again. "Good school district" is basically code for "relatively wealthy students and parents". The measures of "good schools" correspond directly to socioeconomics. The wealthiest, whitest communities have the "good schools", the poorest, minority communities subsequently do not have "good schools". This brings into question how, exactly, do you measure "good schools". So I'd suggest, especially if you are in real estate, to desist in using the term "good schools" because it's anachronistic, provincial and frankly a meaningless notion (especially in an era of hyper-connectivity and access to information).
Maybe it is today, not when I went to school. I went to school out in the second ring of suburbs
The "top" four in no particular order, Clarence, Orchard Park, East Aurora, Williamsville (Lancaster is moving up and consequently Cheektowaga is moving down b/c white flight)...
"Bottom" three, no particular order,
Buffalo, Lackawanna, Cheektowaga
it's mostly about race, economics and class. That being said, America has tried to win the war on poverty by concentrating the problems and creating exclusivity via tax bases and real-estate prices. First ring suburbs are now seeing the effect of trying to contain poverty, essentially, you cannot. That is why there is growth in housing in second ring suburbs in a county where population is declining.
I tell my own children, you should capitalize on this and buy houses where wealthy people are afraid to move. Get a cheaper house in a "borderline" neighborhood and if you really give a crap about the "schools" then send your kid to private schools with the money you'd save on mortgage and taxes. There are super cheap homes in areas that were nearly abandoned just a few years ago and are now largely occupied by immigrants. For 200K you can practically buy some abandoned whole city block and tear down the houses you don't want. Live cheap, save money, etc. You just have to be willing to think outside the box. Now clearly, as a result of concentrating poverty, crime has also been concentrated so there are some areas that are just dangerous, but if you're clever (and many people aren't) you can distinguish b/w the two and come out *way* ahead.
The "top" four in no particular order, Clarence, Orchard Park, East Aurora, Williamsville (Lancaster is moving up and consequently Cheektowaga is moving down b/c white flight)...
"Bottom" three, no particular order,
Buffalo, Lackawanna, Cheektowaga
it's mostly about race, economics and class. That being said, America has tried to win the war on poverty by concentrating the problems and creating exclusivity via tax bases and real-estate prices. First ring suburbs are now seeing the effect of trying to contain poverty, essentially, you cannot. That is why there is growth in housing in second ring suburbs in a county where population is declining.
I tell my own children, you should capitalize on this and buy houses where wealthy people are afraid to move. Get a cheaper house in a "borderline" neighborhood and if you really give a crap about the "schools" then send your kid to private schools with the money you'd save on mortgage and taxes. There are super cheap homes in areas that were nearly abandoned just a few years ago and are now largely occupied by immigrants. For 200K you can practically buy some abandoned whole city block and tear down the houses you don't want. Live cheap, save money, etc. You just have to be willing to think outside the box. Now clearly, as a result of concentrating poverty, crime has also been concentrated so there are some areas that are just dangerous, but if you're clever (and many people aren't) you can distinguish b/w the two and come out *way* ahead.
Even with this, there are now so many charter options that are popping up within the city/cities in general, that people may not even realize that they have more school options than they think they do. That includes even programs/school options even within the public district.
When looking at the population of 5-18 age range within the city according to 2017 census estimates(41,895) and the BPS enrollment according to the most recent NYSED School Report Card(31,398), about roughly 25%, give or take due to age(some may be 4 or 19, etc.)/those that may not be in school, etc., of children in the city of Buffalo use other forms of schooling outside of BPS. So, there are people already doing this...
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 07-26-2018 at 08:11 AM..
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