Some tips when searching for real estate in the Buffalo and WNY area.

There are many buying and selling tools in the Erie County, NY region. Of course you can ask a realtor to do the work for you, but let’s assume you like shopping for real estate and want to do a lot of the leg work yourself. Besides, a realtor will never bring you a ‘for sale by owner’ (FSBO) deal.

When searching for a property in the WNY area, these are the tools that I use most.

1. MLS Search: First, I like a nice fast site that has access to the local MLS (multiple listing service). The MLS contains all of the properties that are listed by realtors in the region. For this service I use Hunt Real Estate.
2. FSBO Search: I also like to check out a couple of the FSBO (For Sale By Owner) sites in the area. For this is will search at America’s Choice Homes and WNY by Owner.

Once I locate a property, I like to do a little research regarding prior sales on the street. For this you can check out the prior sales data at Buffalo.com. This will give you a good indication of what homes on that street, and the adjacent streets, normally sell for and should give you a good indication of the price per square foot. Be careful not to compare apples and oranges. Do a drive by and check public records to be sure that you are comparing like properties (square footage of home, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, central air, condition of property, etc.).

You might be able to use a site like the NETR property data store to pull public record data from the comfort of your home. I tend to search in Lancaster, NY and Clarence, NY and it just so happens that the data is freely available at Erie.gov. There are even pictures of all properties in Clarence and Lancaster. I don’t even have to do a drive by because of these services. Take a look.

Town of Clarence Assessor’s Database
Town of Lancaster Assessor’s Database

Looking to get a map and aerial photo of the location? In my opinion, there is nothing better than Google Maps. You can download Google Earth if you want a terrific and fun application with better resolution than you will find online.

Hope this helps in your Western New York real estate search.

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Trees grow, be careful where you place them.

I am writing this article after doing some work with trees and tree roots. To be honest, Jeff did most of the work.

The project that we are working on has a number of trees on the property. A couple of the trees were place a bit too close to the structures on the property. As discussed in an earlier post, there was a large pine tree (50′) that did some damage at the front of the house. The tree was placed about 15′ from the house, but was only about 8′ from the sidewalk/front steps. The tree was probably placed too close to the home, or was allowed to grow too long. The root structure headed ran under the front sidewalk and steps and lifted it up about 1 foot. This caused quite a water problem in the basement due to all of the water pitching back toward the structure.

After working for quite some time to pull up the existing concrete and clear the roots underneath, we are ready to reset the front walkway and steps.

Another issue with a tree on the property was in the back yard. There was shed that was placed about 5′ from an existing tree. I am sure that it was fine when placed, however, 5 years later, the shed was raised up about 8′ on 1 side. This was a rather easy fix by elevating the oposite side of the she (it does not sit on a foundation). It would have made more sense to move the shed, but since there is electrical conduit running underground to the shed (which we didn’t want to move at this time), we opted for a fix that should last a couple of years. If we own the property for an extended period of time, we will move the shed away from the tree and run new electrical line.

Just wanted you to consider what that three will do over the next period of years before placing an outbuilding or planting a new tree close to a structure.

Don’t even get me started about the leaves and pine needles.

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Many homes between the 1920’s and the 1950’s were built with archways instead of a square opening as a room entry or transition. This is a nice architectural feature, but doesn’t always suit the new style of a project, or isn’t in the kind of condition that makes it an attractive feature. The plaster may have many cracks, or paneling might have been added in a way that doesn’t do a nice trim job justice.

Before

After

Here is a quick step by step guide to replace the arched opening.

- We are assuming that you are keeping the opening the same width as it is now. If you are not, you will have some structural issues to contend with. It isn’t all that difficult if you follow the correct steps, but that is for a different how-to.

A-1:

1) Cut the corner bead. The corner bead is very likely a metal bead that will be very tough. You will need to cut about an inch below the point where your arch meets the square section of your opening. A reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade is perfect for the job. You will do this at each side of your arch. (see diagram A-2). This will allow you to tear out the arched portion of the door.

A-2:

2) Score or cut a the new corners. Now that you have made these cuts, you can score the outline of your new opening. You are essentially looking to square off the opening. I prefer using a circular saw (assuming you have the clearance) for this project. If you make cuts in the existing plaster, you will give it a place to break away. I make a cut about 1/2″ deep (see the darker outline in image A-3. Cut about 1/2″ to the inside of your opening. You will be trimming this out with door jambs, so you should cut away a bit larger area. This will be covered with casing (molding) later.

3) Tear out the corners. Once you have made cuts in your corner beads, and scored your plaster, you can remove the arched portion of opening. This is the messy part. Find what works for you, but a hammer is probably best tool for the job. These corners were probably formed with a few pieces of lumber cut to the shape of the opening. The actual rough framing should be square. Remove everything above your first cuts. Tear out the corner bead and the plaster. Knock out the wood used to shape the arch.

A-3:

4) Attach the upper piece of your door jamb. Now that you have a clean slate, begin the process of building your new opening. Your jamb can be build out using a decent quality pine. You will attach the top piece first. Cut the piece to width and keep it about 1/4″-1/2″ short of your entire opening. Your jamb lumber needs to be ripped to the same with as the finished wall on each side. You might get lucky and have a 6″ piece of lumber that is the exact with of your walls. Attach the upper piece. Be sure that it is level. If it is not, shim to level the piece. This is important.

5) Attach the side Jamb Pieces. One the upper jamb is in place, measure and cut your 2 side pieces. Cut them about 1/8″ short so that you can fit them in well. Attach these side piece by making sure the are plumb, and that they are flush with each side of the wall. Since you cut away the upper section (where your arch used to be) you won’t fasten there first. You probably don’t need to at all. Nail these in with some finishing nails. Be sure that your nails are long enough to reach the lumber beyond the plaster.

6) Attach Your Trim/Molding. You are nearly finished, and it will really look that way once you have your trim attached. Measure and cut your upper trim piece first. Measure your opening and then add about 3/8″ to th inside length. This should be the total length of your trim measure from the shortest part of your 45″ miter cut. Attach the upper, making sure that it is square, leaving a reveal of about 3/16″. Once you have attached this upper piece on both sides of your opening, you can measure and cut your pieces for the side trim.

All that is left is some paint and/or stain. Please feel free to post a comment or a question in the comment section following this how to. We will be happy to elaborate on any part and provide better images to explain any steps along the way.

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Pavers were replaced with contcrete that was graded correctly and maintenance free. The pavers had a flower bed that ran along the side of the house. The problem was that the condition of the bed would have required quite a bit of work to get it looking nice and the grade needed to be addressed. Concrete was an easy answer.

There was also a 3′ x 20′ section of concrete that was part of a coverred patio on the side of the garage. This had some cracking and heaving since the original pour was only 2″ thick.

To address all of the issues in this area, we had concrete poured up to the house, elimating the flower bed, and tied it together with the coverred patio. This leaves a large area that is functional, graded correctly, and low maintenance.

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The property that we purchased has a 2 car garage with a covered patio on the side. The total width of the garage is 28 feet. The back half of the garage had a new roof put on 6 or 7 years ago. The front half was not done and was in pretty bad shape. The roof had three layers already so we stripped it to the wood surface. A new roof was put on with a shingle that matched the shingles on the house.

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This basement was a complete mess before we started. There were water issues and years of neglect. Now, it is a useable space for a kids playroom, a workshop, or storage.

Take a look at some of the before and after photos from this project. Basement mold removal.

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