Radon has become quite a hot button when it comes to buying or selling a home. I am not saying that radon doesn’t pose a danger, but with relatively new concerns, we don’t often have the persepctive to put the risk into context. Radon is something that is prevalent in WNY, but at relatively low levels. In fact, levels tend to be much higher in other parts of the country.  Erie County provides a map that displays the prevalence of Radon in particular areas throughout Western New York (Click image for large map).

Radon is a radioactive gas released from the normal decay of uranium in rocks and soil.  Radioactive particles from radon can damage cells that line the lungs and lead to lung cancer.  It is often confused with Mesothelioma, which is a form of cancer that is not linked to radon gas.

Erie County Radon Map - 2010

I have a home up for sale that tested slightly above the recommended level.  When you hear the numbers with regard to radon, you might not know how severe it is.  Anytime your house has an issue that poses a potential health risk, you should be concerned, but you should also put it into perspective.  The nice thing is radon is relatively low in most areas throughout Erie County.  A neighbor of mine tested at 4.1 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) when the acceptable level is 4.0 pCi/L.  The cost to mitigate was $1,300 (newer homes are a bit less than older homes).

Radon Map - USA

In my case, I have a home in the Village of Lancaster that has a reading of 5.8 pCi/L.  That might sound high when the accepted level is 4.0, but a high level in some areas is 400 – 500 pCi/L.  5.8 is relatively low, it just happens to be above the level that is recommended, and to sell a house a buyer will usually want this to be remediated.  Remediation is not difficult and most Radon contractors will be able to easily get the level below 2.0.  In fact, they will usually guarantee that number.  My cost: $1,500.

I am electing to use a Radon remediation company who appears to eat, sleep, and drink this stuff.  You have to love a contractor with a passion for his or her work. So much so, that I ended the phone call with him knowing that I could probably find someone who was $100-$200 cheaper, but who wouldn’t do the same job as this company. The company is Radonaire.  You can find them at www.radonaireinc.com.  Give Karl a call if you want a quick education on radon and radon remediation.

Wow!  I listed a property in the MLS via a flat fee listing service (housepad.com).  The flat fee services are a post on their own, for this post, I wanted to discuss the very active market that we are seeing.

The listing went into the ML on 3/24.  This project turned out very well and has a fantastic location.  The property for sale is at 30 Lombardy St, Lancaster, NY.  We have an asking price of $154,900 which compares favorably to other properties in Lancaster that are on the market.  There are couple of other renovations within a mile that are in the $169,000 – $180,000 range.  This is a complete renovation that we started last spring. We were going to try to knock it out quickly but decided to take our time and bring it to market in the spring once it was clear that we would miss an August / September date.

In the first 3 days of the listing we had 7 showings with 2 more scheduled.  The feedback has been terrific and we have received multiple offers (verbal at this point, paperwork in process).  What surprised me is the level of activity given my perception of the mortgage market.   I suppose that there is always a qualified buyer. Whether it be a cash buyer, or a well qualified buyer with a mortgage from one of the local banks.

In any case, we will be selling this terrific renovation at a fair price to someone who is looking to be in the Village of Lancaster.  More than half of the showings are from those who stated that they absolutely want to be in this part of the village.

Lancaster Duplex for Rent

Nice side by side duplex located in Lancaster NY. Built in 1992.
Close to all amenities:
Library
Shops
Restaurants

Private basement with laundry hook ups, covered front porch, nice yard that backs up to a pond.
3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths
Eat in kitchen that included stove, disposal, and dishwasher.
Available Jan 1st.

Non-smoker, NO PETS!

$895 per month

Contact Bob at 716-791-RENT (7368)

Who doesn’t love a before and after shot?  I sure do.  This isn’t a before and after since it is more of a during, but I wanted to post after an out of town relative asked about the progress on the home.  There is quite a difference in the photo.

Here is a rundown of some of the work done to the exterior to date:

• Removal of carport along with the shingle patching after removal
• Replaced a flat roof and tied into the pitched roof in rear of house
• New roof
• New soffits and fascia
• New paint (not complete, but close)
• New windows
• Removal of enclosed porch windows and wrapping of columns

30 Lombardy Before and After (actually, during)

30 Lombardy - before - mid - 3/4

To complete the outside we still need quite a bit including shingles on the dormer sides along with gutters, trim paint, and landscaping.  Not to mention many of the finishing paint touches, trim pieces, driveway sealer, etc.

I’ll continue to add to the new Before and After photos category over time. In fact, I might just add some items from the archive. Who doesn’t love a makeover?

If you are living in, or used to live in, Lancaster, you will appreciate this fantastic map from 1892.

Lancaster NY Map 1892

It is interesting to see the factories that dotted that town of Lancaster way back when.  The railroad, and the waterway allowed for transport of goods.  Take a look at the high resolution version.   You can view the high resolution image by clicking on the thumbnail below.

Lancaster NY Map from 1892

The following is a nice house in a quiet neighborhood on the south side of Broadway in the Village of Lancaster. There are clearly some updates needed in this home. I renovated a property about 2 blocks down the street and was able to exit that for about $130k. Based on the location, and size, there is no reason why this couldn’t fetch $100k+ with a nice renovation.

This is a nice single family home that would be a great starter home.  Certainly less expensive than renting.  With the $8k tax credit, this is a BIG discount in a nice area.  The home is walking distance from everything.  It isn’t large (3 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom) and only about 1200 square feet, but if they layout is right that is not bad.

Lancaster NY House for Sale

One thing that I like about this property is the garage behind the house that is accessed from the side road. It is close the the neighbor and on a small lot, but it has the nice village feel that so many subdivisions get away from.

Visit: Lancaster NY Home for Sale

Lancaster, NY revaluation. It stinks!

Well, if you live in Lancaster, NY, you probably received a lovely letter yesterday regarding your property taxes and your property assessment.  There were increases that appear across the board.  The equalization rate is no longer as we have moved to 100% valuation.  The increases are staggering in many cases.

The town of Lancaster continues to spend, and spend, and spend on projects that don’t benefit the town as a whole.

1. There is a pricey new addition to town hall (approximately $985,000).
2. There is a new police and courts facility in the works ($8,000,000 Plus).
3. There is the new use of a former library for an emergency management office (that’s right, Lancaster has one).
4. There is the proposed recreational facility that will certainly add long term costs.
5. etc. etc.

Let’s not forget that use of these properties suddenly pulls them off the tax rolls. And, in the case where a sale is possible, eliminates the funds from a sale (Depew Library is a prime example).

Many will be fighting the new assessment figures.  In a couple of cases, I will be one of them.  If you aren’t familiar with the tools available to you for searching property information here are a couple:

• Lancaster Online Assessment Review System (OARS) http://www.oarsystem.com/ny/lancaster/main.asp
• Erie County Real Property System http://www.erie.gov/ecrpts/webprop.asp
• Erie County Internet Mapping System http://gis1.erie.gov/website/Erie_help/help.htm

I know that there is quite a bit of state and/or federal funding drying up for Towns and Villages. How about cutting costs rather than continuing to spend. If a surplus builds, cut taxes!

Politics suck.

A lot of people ask me about the real estate market, home prices, how to find bargains, etc. I tell them that I am a real estate window shopper and by doing so, I am able to keep a handle on my local market. You can do the same. When I start my day, I generally do a search at my local MLS site for homes in my area that have been added to the real estate listing service in the past 7 days. This can be automated, but I usually head over to a site provided by one of the local real estate companies or the BNAR (Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors). Most people aren’t aware, but nearly every local real estate site is displaying their listings from the same database.

On to Lancaster. I have been saying this for a solid 6 months. If you have a decent home under $150k in Lancaster, it won’t last long. There are still qualified buyers and the $8k tax incentive is a nice bonus (discount).

Recently, prices in Lancaster have appeared a bit inflated to me. I am not saying that these properties are not going to sell, I am just taking notice of pricing trends in our town and village.

Here are a couple of examples of houses for sale in Lancaster that appear to be a bit inflated:

House 1:

Lancaster House for Sale

The number 1 thing that this house has going for it is location (Village of Lancaster). This illustrates that location trumps most other factors in real estate.

This is a ranch house that is built on a slab. A home in WNY built on a slab is a huge negative in my book. The loss of basement space is a big issue in this area where items need to be stored in the off months. The home itself is decent size, but looks like it is a double wide and could be located in a trailer park.  There aren’t too many updates to the interior of this house..

If you had asked me to price this home, I would have pegged it at about $119k. They have it listed at $142,900.

Look for yourself: Lancaster house for sale

House 2:

Lancaster NY House for Sale

The second home is something that I often see when someone has a home that is on the edge of rural and developed areas.  The people who own these homes often feel that having 2 acres on the edge of town should have the same value as having 2 acres in the middle of town. Not so.  Head 1 mile further outside of the heart of the town and you will find 5 acres with a property, in many cases.

This home is a good size, but seems like it is price above the market for homes in that area of that style.  It is a split level home which isn’t for everyone.  The asking price is $259,900

As with the first example, this home does not have many interior updates or upgrades.  A house in this price range is expected to have newer appliances, perhaps new countertops, fresh walls (not wallpaper everywhere). This home screams early 80′s update.  You would have to put $40k – $60k into this to do a decent update to flooring, walls and kitchen.  But, at that price, you will start saying to yourself “we might as well build”.

Take a look at the property for yourself: Lancaster NY home for sale

I guess I should hope that the real estate market in Lancaster continues moving up.  I live and work here and will benefit if that is the case.  However, these 2 examples seem a bit out of line to me.

If you are looking for an affordable office building for your company, look to Lancaster. Depending on your needs, there is space available for lease or purchase. If you are looking to lease an office, check out my Lancaster Office Space for rent.

If you are searching for a commercial office building to purchase for your business, take a look at 5522 Broadway, Lancaster, New York. This Lancaster office building for sale is an ideal space for an attorney or accounting practice. It is suited for shared offices or a sublease of part of the space. That was the use in the past. The building is currently unoccupied and is available for showing. View the listing flyer here: Lancaster Office Building for Sale (pdf).

Contact the Broker if you would like to learn more, or schedule a showing.
John Mikoley
716-852-7500 x:117

The asking price is $225,000

There aren’t too many true “online real estate auction” sites around. There is one that I keep coming across. The site is Williams & Williams Auctions. They offer a true auction format that allows you to place online bids in real time on properties. This isn’t the case for all properties, but it is designated when it is.

A friend picked up a house in Lockport last year on this site. I think he ended up paying $14,000 for a home in a decent neighborhood. It was obviously a gut job, but for the price, that was justified.

Check out the site for yourself. Buyer Beware!

NY Real Estate Auctions