My question is, how many "abandoned" homes are there in Leroy? And how does that number compare to other WNY communities?
My first guess is mortgage crisis, and my second is people are fed up with high taxes. I don't think I paid as much attention to the occupancy, but there are an awful lot of for sale signs out there. That, I believe, is because of the high taxes in Leroy.
I talked to The Zoning Officer and he said the number that the Daily News wrote about in their article was not completely true. Really there are only about 4 or 5 houses in LeRoy that are truly "abandoned" the rest are owned by banks and other entities who are difficult to get in touch with.
The mortgage crisis was created because people who should never have received a home loan were approved. When you can include food stamps, un-employment, welfare benefits, and their credit score was irrelevent, maybe we shouldn't be surprised this is happening? We have a good friend who was involved with local development company, and qualified for a mortgage at a great rate; then the built-in increase in the interest rate tripled her payment, and now she's in danger of losing her home. She is trying to sell it, but that could prove to be difficult also. Again, our politicians, under the idea of putting everyone into their own home, have only made things worse.
Speaking in generalities is dangerous; the opinions may be accurate but not applicable in individual cases. I agree that mortgage liberalities and taxes are contributing factors. They are not the only factors. Don't overlook the state of rental properties. So many of these old houses are bought up by landlords as rentals. They are purchased cheap and divided into multi-family apartments. Often they are not in the best of shape. The landlords invest minimally toward making them pass code, then rent them. The houses typically slide into further disrepair and end up unrentable and unoccupied.
I have been shocked by the shoddy condition of these places when called in to do some maintenance by landlords. I was repairing an electrical panel in a Rochester rental, and had to stand in four inches of basement water to work. I've had to climb over trash to make my way down cellar stairways. I've seen jury-rigged electrical work that makes me cringe. Slap-dash repairs are pervasive. Landlords often hire part-time handimen to oversee their rentals. These jack-of-all-trades (master of none) have neither the time, skills or budget to properly address the problems they encounter.
Typical mortgage failures involve properties that are beyond the means of the buyers- not the rat-traps that end up abandoned.
C.M.- unfortunately, in my case, on my street in Leroy, there are 3 abandoned homes. I do not no if the bank is in possession of either, but the houses are in fairly good shape. I agree that it may have been folks who shouldn't have been approved in the first place. The problem is, as time rolls on, these homes become unsightly do to neglect. They certainly aren't rat traps. They are 100 year old homes that are in reasonably good condition, yet sit vacant. This does nothing positive for the property values of neighboring properties. They were not rentals, and I pray to God that they don't become rentals.
There are 35 empty houses in LeRoy, 34 when the article Mary Margaret referenced was written, but another has been added that was occupied until recently condemned. It really doesn't matter who owns or doesn't own them, they are empty. Empty houses decay faster than occupied houses. They also attract unwanted guests and traffic. They negatively affect neighborhoods, villages, cities and Towns. I know how hard it is to deal with banks owning empty properties, or even getting the bank to take over an abandonned home. There was one 2 doors down from us in Rochester. It took the bank over a year to foreclose on it and put it on the market. In the meantime the copper was stolen out of it and it was being lived in by squatters despite the city constantly securing it. It would seem that 35 is only the beginning. Since moving to LeRoy almost 2 1/2 years ago we have gone from one vacant house in a 1 mile radius of my East Main Street home to 6. I know that 2 of them were recently purchased by a reputable landlord who takes care of his properties and who has already rented one and is updating the other. I don't know what is going on with the others, but the original one is still vacant.
So, what do we do about it?
C. M. Barons if you find a home within the Rochester City Limits that is not being taken care of appropriately you can report it to the local NET (Neighborhood Empowerment Team). They will check it out and work with the owner to get it taken care of. NET A (Dewey area) 428-7610, NET B (Lyell are-over by Murray) 428-7620, NET C (Genesee Ave area) 428-7630, NET D (S. Clinton-Meigs, Highland, Field St., Goodman) 428-7640, NET E (Webster Ave are) 428-7650. Tell them who you are and what property you are calling about. If you have the wrong one they will tell you which one to call. I used to call C all of the time about the house mentioned above and various ones based on where the families I worked with lived.
Does anyone have an idea how many vacant homes there are currently in Corfu, Attica, and Albion? These villages are close in size to Leroy, and it would be interesting if this is specific to 1 town, or if it is better/worse somewhere comparable.
Jennifer, where did your numbers come from? Can that source also provide stats about other villages? I appreciate your original question.
As to what to do with them, I don't think one answer can apply. I think each scenario is different, and needs to be addressed accordingly.
In the 50s through 70s, city residents were gaga, leaving the urban setting for quaint old homes in the country. They found wonderful properties in picturesque settings that sold for a song. Rural taxes were low, the villages still had grocery stores, hardware stores and pharmacies. Gas prices were under a dollar, heating oil was likewise cheap, sewers systems, public water, and the manufacturing jobs paid well enough to support a lengthy commute. If one didn't drive, there was Blue Bus, Greyhound and Trailways bus service. There was even commuter train service at one time.
Enter the post-oil embargo days with soaring costs, full value assessment and factories heading south or closing. The haydays are gone and rural life is nolonger idyllic. Taking on the financial demands of modifying even a well-tended older home, making it energy efficient and paying the bills is a challenge. I know. I live in a home built in the 1880s and it is a struggle to keep up with expenses.
It used to be that one took a job for a lifetime, built up equity and a nest egg. There was money enough to accommodate discretionary spending. The new plan offers regular shifts in employment; studies indicate that employment tenure for males, 45 - 54, dropped from 13 years in 1983 to 8 years in 2006. Recent studies indicate that the labor force can anticipate from 5 - 15 job changes depending on age, sex and type of employment. This kind of flux does not bode well for stability or developing credit. It also has implications on home ownership, not merely financial, but interrupted employment does not encourage homesteading.
Maybe municipalities should value new home owners in a more practical manner. A new business qualifies for graduated property tax- why not the same for new homeowners. In fact, why not end property taxes all together? They discourage home buyers; they are punitive toward those who make improvements.
While on the subject... What ever happened to the welcome wagon?
While I'm really not sure how many abandoned houses there are in LeRoy, I think the solution is the same regardless - be a good neighbor. If you live next to an abandoned house, mow their front lawn - it will make your house look a lot better. Keep an eye out for any trespassers - call the police if you see anything suspicious. The housing market will correct itself, and young families will buy these houses as fixer-uppers and the neighborhood will return to 'normal.' Some of the houses will become rentals, and that's perfectly ok.
We need to refrain from enacting more local ordinances that will create a short term fix to the problem, but hinder long-term growth. Ultimately, these laws will discourage purchasers from buying in LeRoy, opting instead for home-owner friendly areas.
I had a college professor tell me once that "You're not special. You're situation isn't special and you're problems aren't special." I think LeRoy is in the same boat as most communities. The houses that I know that are abandoned are larger homes that were purchased by people who can't afford to live in a larger home. That's the same countywide, statewide and nationwide.
Posted by bud prevost on November 20, 2009 - 7:38pm
While on the subject... What ever happened to the welcome wagon?
The home visits stopped in 1998 as an increase in two-income families meant fewer people were home to accept visits. Welcome Wagon began greeting new homebuyers through the mail with a gift of an attractive, customized gift book.
In 2001, Welcome Wagon became part of Move- the leading online network for real estate and everything related to the home.
Although the day of door-to-door neighborly visits are a thing of the past, Welcome Wagon is still committed to connecting with new homebuyers through their mailboxes and the internet. Our mode of delivery may be different than before, but Their mission is still the same today as in 1928
As a side note, I was a Welcome Wagon hostess for a while and loved it.
We bought an old house(1873) two years ago for less than $2 a square foot, and we have been re-doing it since. It had been on the market for quite awhile and the seller was highly motivated. Our situation is one that we will never move, and the only way I'm leaving is feet first with a toe tag on, lol! But we were lucky, and I agree, lets all keep an eye out for each other, ie: the meth lab incident!!!
The Daily ran an article earlier this month that outlined the number of vacant homes in LeRoy. I do not know if they have statistics on the rest of the county. I would imagine that they are similar in percentage. I would that the percentages of empty homes across rural New York State are very simlilar.
As previously stated in my little corner of the world (1 mile square radius of East Main, South, Main, North, Lathrop and the other side streets) there are 6 empty houses, only two of them are large older homes and one of those has been previously broken up into apartments that were filled as late as last spring. The other homes are much smaller. Owning and maintaining a home is expensive and time consuming, period. I would imagine that is the reason most, if not all, of the homes are empty.
I don't want to grow government, but I do want to find solutions to our problems. I hope that people take Sean's advice and look out for the empty homes near them and do contact the police if they see anything suspicious. My experience living in Rochester was that the vast majority of people didn't do that they ignored the problems or complained to each other.
In addition, a good neighbor might be someone who knocks on your door when you are moving in with something as simply, but wonderful, as a plate of cookies and an introduction. Neighbors know when you're home, making it easier for them to do such things than for the welcome wagon. A good neighbor or even a good seller might put together a care packet of information that one needs when moving into a new place...such as take out menus, important phone numbers, where to go for what, their own e-mail address in case the new neighbor comes up with a question in the middle of the night. :)
I believe in being proactive. I don't know what the solutions are, but I think that when you get intelligent, passionate, invested people together to discuss problems such as this that sollutions and actions abound.
In addition, as if it weren't long enough to begin with, everyone has had excellent points and contributions to this conversation. I very much appreciate the discussion and hope that it will continue.
In response to the post about "abandoned houses" I have a few comments from the perspective of both a Realtor and Executor of an Estate.
Yes, taxes in the Village of LeRoy seem to be higher than most other areas in and around Rochester, so it is harder to get out-of-towners to buy here. There are also many apartments available for under $700 a month for rent. Let's say a house is priced at $80,000 and being that inexpensive, it needs some work: 20+ year old roof, older furnace,old drafty windows,chipping paint...Here are the problems that brings up: banks want to see at least 2 years of life on a roof, chipping paint on a house built before 1978 has to be scraped and painted (lead paint hazard) and closing costs. Closing costs are now about 10%. So a young couple is looking to move out of their nice $650 a month apartment and into their first home. That $80,000 Village home is going to cost them $850 a month ($333 of it taxes) and they need to come to the Closing with more than $10,164! That is one year of taxes and homeowners insurance held in escrow, bank fees, attorney fees...Now what 20-30 year old has $10,000 lying around and another $10-$15K to put on a new roof and replace the furnace in the next 2 years?
Banks have also cracked down on credit scores. They want to see 720 or higher and they want to see W2's. It is a real problem for anyone self-employed or working for tips. Also, that second job our young buyer is working to increase his/her income isn't counted as income unless they have had it for 2 years. Same with our Veterans. VA loans want to see 2 years at the same job before they will give the vet a loan. Not many job openings for snipers in Rochester these days. I can go on and on here so let's move on to foreclosures and estates.
As Executor of an estate for a woman who died in May 2008, I can attest to the fact that the banks are really not with the program. The mortgage company has known since Aug. 2008 that there were no funds to pay off the mortgage and that the bank could have it back to sell, no one to evict, the house was ready to go on the market as a foreclosure. I have been on the phone repeatedly with the bank, but they are still mired in their rules and proceedures. There are steps they have to follow in order to foreclose. 19 months since the last mortgage payment was paid and the bank still has not tried to sell it. They changed the locks after a year, but that house sits and rots while the bank "follows proceedure." I can guarantee that sitting vacant for 19 months has dropped the value by $30,000. That's just absurd. So, as to the vacant houses in Leroy, yes, some are foreclosures, some are homes that are taking 6 months to 2 years to sell and the sellers have moved on, some may be "abandoned." I do see more vacant homes in LeRoy than in Caledonia and those in Caledonia are usually on the market or are estates in probate. I can't think of any that I would call "abandoned." And the First Time Home Buyer Credit and the new Moving Up credit are wonderful ideas. The problem is that the buyers don't get the money until 2-5 months after they close. That doesn't help them BUY the house. It can help with paying off some debts, loans, etc. But it doesn't help them get into a house. Any thoughts?
This is very interesting and useful information. I know it's more difficult to buy a house now than it was when we bought our first house and our current house. I think, though, that many people who buy in LeRoy do so because they get more house for less money and a really good school district. It seems to me that if we had a few more conveniences (businesses closer by to offer what we need on a daily basis) that we could attract more buyers who maybe don't have the difficulties you outline above.
Having said that, I do think that taxes are an issue, but I think that there are many people who don't mind paying their taxes if they have something tangible to show for it in return. Sometimes it is not always easy to see what we get for the amount we pay and that could be a deterrent.
We do need to do something about the banks, though, I don't know why the rules are the way they are, but I do see them as being detrimental to the bigger picture and to the needs of a community.
It's a problem that needs solutions. You have an excellent perspective and access to resources to explain this problem that most of us don't have.
Cenna-thanks for the info. Hope business gets a little easier for you. Glad to see 33 Gilbert off the market, I hope you were able to sell it. Happy holidays
My question is, how many
My question is, how many "abandoned" homes are there in Leroy? And how does that number compare to other WNY communities?
My first guess is mortgage crisis, and my second is people are fed up with high taxes. I don't think I paid as much attention to the occupancy, but there are an awful lot of for sale signs out there. That, I believe, is because of the high taxes in Leroy.
taxes not only Leroy but NYS
taxes not only Leroy but NYS taxes are out of line.people just cant stand any more taxes, people are leaving NYS and i cant blame them
I talked to The Zoning
I talked to The Zoning Officer and he said the number that the Daily News wrote about in their article was not completely true. Really there are only about 4 or 5 houses in LeRoy that are truly "abandoned" the rest are owned by banks and other entities who are difficult to get in touch with.
The mortgage crisis was
The mortgage crisis was created because people who should never have received a home loan were approved. When you can include food stamps, un-employment, welfare benefits, and their credit score was irrelevent, maybe we shouldn't be surprised this is happening? We have a good friend who was involved with local development company, and qualified for a mortgage at a great rate; then the built-in increase in the interest rate tripled her payment, and now she's in danger of losing her home. She is trying to sell it, but that could prove to be difficult also. Again, our politicians, under the idea of putting everyone into their own home, have only made things worse.
Speaking in generalities is
Speaking in generalities is dangerous; the opinions may be accurate but not applicable in individual cases. I agree that mortgage liberalities and taxes are contributing factors. They are not the only factors. Don't overlook the state of rental properties. So many of these old houses are bought up by landlords as rentals. They are purchased cheap and divided into multi-family apartments. Often they are not in the best of shape. The landlords invest minimally toward making them pass code, then rent them. The houses typically slide into further disrepair and end up unrentable and unoccupied.
I have been shocked by the shoddy condition of these places when called in to do some maintenance by landlords. I was repairing an electrical panel in a Rochester rental, and had to stand in four inches of basement water to work. I've had to climb over trash to make my way down cellar stairways. I've seen jury-rigged electrical work that makes me cringe. Slap-dash repairs are pervasive. Landlords often hire part-time handimen to oversee their rentals. These jack-of-all-trades (master of none) have neither the time, skills or budget to properly address the problems they encounter.
Typical mortgage failures involve properties that are beyond the means of the buyers- not the rat-traps that end up abandoned.
C.M.- unfortunately, in my
C.M.- unfortunately, in my case, on my street in Leroy, there are 3 abandoned homes. I do not no if the bank is in possession of either, but the houses are in fairly good shape. I agree that it may have been folks who shouldn't have been approved in the first place. The problem is, as time rolls on, these homes become unsightly do to neglect. They certainly aren't rat traps. They are 100 year old homes that are in reasonably good condition, yet sit vacant. This does nothing positive for the property values of neighboring properties. They were not rentals, and I pray to God that they don't become rentals.
There are 35 empty houses in
There are 35 empty houses in LeRoy, 34 when the article Mary Margaret referenced was written, but another has been added that was occupied until recently condemned. It really doesn't matter who owns or doesn't own them, they are empty. Empty houses decay faster than occupied houses. They also attract unwanted guests and traffic. They negatively affect neighborhoods, villages, cities and Towns. I know how hard it is to deal with banks owning empty properties, or even getting the bank to take over an abandonned home. There was one 2 doors down from us in Rochester. It took the bank over a year to foreclose on it and put it on the market. In the meantime the copper was stolen out of it and it was being lived in by squatters despite the city constantly securing it. It would seem that 35 is only the beginning. Since moving to LeRoy almost 2 1/2 years ago we have gone from one vacant house in a 1 mile radius of my East Main Street home to 6. I know that 2 of them were recently purchased by a reputable landlord who takes care of his properties and who has already rented one and is updating the other. I don't know what is going on with the others, but the original one is still vacant.
So, what do we do about it?
C. M. Barons if you find a home within the Rochester City Limits that is not being taken care of appropriately you can report it to the local NET (Neighborhood Empowerment Team). They will check it out and work with the owner to get it taken care of. NET A (Dewey area) 428-7610, NET B (Lyell are-over by Murray) 428-7620, NET C (Genesee Ave area) 428-7630, NET D (S. Clinton-Meigs, Highland, Field St., Goodman) 428-7640, NET E (Webster Ave are) 428-7650. Tell them who you are and what property you are calling about. If you have the wrong one they will tell you which one to call. I used to call C all of the time about the house mentioned above and various ones based on where the families I worked with lived.
Does anyone have an idea how
Does anyone have an idea how many vacant homes there are currently in Corfu, Attica, and Albion? These villages are close in size to Leroy, and it would be interesting if this is specific to 1 town, or if it is better/worse somewhere comparable.
Jennifer, where did your numbers come from? Can that source also provide stats about other villages? I appreciate your original question.
As to what to do with them, I don't think one answer can apply. I think each scenario is different, and needs to be addressed accordingly.
In the 50s through 70s, city
In the 50s through 70s, city residents were gaga, leaving the urban setting for quaint old homes in the country. They found wonderful properties in picturesque settings that sold for a song. Rural taxes were low, the villages still had grocery stores, hardware stores and pharmacies. Gas prices were under a dollar, heating oil was likewise cheap, sewers systems, public water, and the manufacturing jobs paid well enough to support a lengthy commute. If one didn't drive, there was Blue Bus, Greyhound and Trailways bus service. There was even commuter train service at one time.
Enter the post-oil embargo days with soaring costs, full value assessment and factories heading south or closing. The haydays are gone and rural life is nolonger idyllic. Taking on the financial demands of modifying even a well-tended older home, making it energy efficient and paying the bills is a challenge. I know. I live in a home built in the 1880s and it is a struggle to keep up with expenses.
It used to be that one took a job for a lifetime, built up equity and a nest egg. There was money enough to accommodate discretionary spending. The new plan offers regular shifts in employment; studies indicate that employment tenure for males, 45 - 54, dropped from 13 years in 1983 to 8 years in 2006. Recent studies indicate that the labor force can anticipate from 5 - 15 job changes depending on age, sex and type of employment. This kind of flux does not bode well for stability or developing credit. It also has implications on home ownership, not merely financial, but interrupted employment does not encourage homesteading.
Maybe municipalities should value new home owners in a more practical manner. A new business qualifies for graduated property tax- why not the same for new homeowners. In fact, why not end property taxes all together? They discourage home buyers; they are punitive toward those who make improvements.
While on the subject... What ever happened to the welcome wagon?
While on the subject... What
While on the subject... What ever happened to the welcome wagon?
I'm sure it's demise had something to do with a lawyer. They usually do a good job of phucking things up
While I'm really not sure how
While I'm really not sure how many abandoned houses there are in LeRoy, I think the solution is the same regardless - be a good neighbor. If you live next to an abandoned house, mow their front lawn - it will make your house look a lot better. Keep an eye out for any trespassers - call the police if you see anything suspicious. The housing market will correct itself, and young families will buy these houses as fixer-uppers and the neighborhood will return to 'normal.' Some of the houses will become rentals, and that's perfectly ok.
We need to refrain from enacting more local ordinances that will create a short term fix to the problem, but hinder long-term growth. Ultimately, these laws will discourage purchasers from buying in LeRoy, opting instead for home-owner friendly areas.
I had a college professor tell me once that "You're not special. You're situation isn't special and you're problems aren't special." I think LeRoy is in the same boat as most communities. The houses that I know that are abandoned are larger homes that were purchased by people who can't afford to live in a larger home. That's the same countywide, statewide and nationwide.
Posted by bud prevost on
Posted by bud prevost on November 20, 2009 - 7:38pm
While on the subject... What ever happened to the welcome wagon?
The home visits stopped in 1998 as an increase in two-income families meant fewer people were home to accept visits. Welcome Wagon began greeting new homebuyers through the mail with a gift of an attractive, customized gift book.
In 2001, Welcome Wagon became part of Move- the leading online network for real estate and everything related to the home.
Although the day of door-to-door neighborly visits are a thing of the past, Welcome Wagon is still committed to connecting with new homebuyers through their mailboxes and the internet. Our mode of delivery may be different than before, but Their mission is still the same today as in 1928
As a side note, I was a Welcome Wagon hostess for a while and loved it.
We bought an old house(1873)
We bought an old house(1873) two years ago for less than $2 a square foot, and we have been re-doing it since. It had been on the market for quite awhile and the seller was highly motivated. Our situation is one that we will never move, and the only way I'm leaving is feet first with a toe tag on, lol! But we were lucky, and I agree, lets all keep an eye out for each other, ie: the meth lab incident!!!
The Daily ran an article
The Daily ran an article earlier this month that outlined the number of vacant homes in LeRoy. I do not know if they have statistics on the rest of the county. I would imagine that they are similar in percentage. I would that the percentages of empty homes across rural New York State are very simlilar.
As previously stated in my little corner of the world (1 mile square radius of East Main, South, Main, North, Lathrop and the other side streets) there are 6 empty houses, only two of them are large older homes and one of those has been previously broken up into apartments that were filled as late as last spring. The other homes are much smaller. Owning and maintaining a home is expensive and time consuming, period. I would imagine that is the reason most, if not all, of the homes are empty.
I don't want to grow government, but I do want to find solutions to our problems. I hope that people take Sean's advice and look out for the empty homes near them and do contact the police if they see anything suspicious. My experience living in Rochester was that the vast majority of people didn't do that they ignored the problems or complained to each other.
In addition, a good neighbor might be someone who knocks on your door when you are moving in with something as simply, but wonderful, as a plate of cookies and an introduction. Neighbors know when you're home, making it easier for them to do such things than for the welcome wagon. A good neighbor or even a good seller might put together a care packet of information that one needs when moving into a new place...such as take out menus, important phone numbers, where to go for what, their own e-mail address in case the new neighbor comes up with a question in the middle of the night. :)
I believe in being proactive. I don't know what the solutions are, but I think that when you get intelligent, passionate, invested people together to discuss problems such as this that sollutions and actions abound.
In addition, as if it weren't
In addition, as if it weren't long enough to begin with, everyone has had excellent points and contributions to this conversation. I very much appreciate the discussion and hope that it will continue.
Thank you.
In response to the post about
In response to the post about "abandoned houses" I have a few comments from the perspective of both a Realtor and Executor of an Estate.
Yes, taxes in the Village of LeRoy seem to be higher than most other areas in and around Rochester, so it is harder to get out-of-towners to buy here. There are also many apartments available for under $700 a month for rent. Let's say a house is priced at $80,000 and being that inexpensive, it needs some work: 20+ year old roof, older furnace,old drafty windows,chipping paint...Here are the problems that brings up: banks want to see at least 2 years of life on a roof, chipping paint on a house built before 1978 has to be scraped and painted (lead paint hazard) and closing costs. Closing costs are now about 10%. So a young couple is looking to move out of their nice $650 a month apartment and into their first home. That $80,000 Village home is going to cost them $850 a month ($333 of it taxes) and they need to come to the Closing with more than $10,164! That is one year of taxes and homeowners insurance held in escrow, bank fees, attorney fees...Now what 20-30 year old has $10,000 lying around and another $10-$15K to put on a new roof and replace the furnace in the next 2 years?
Banks have also cracked down on credit scores. They want to see 720 or higher and they want to see W2's. It is a real problem for anyone self-employed or working for tips. Also, that second job our young buyer is working to increase his/her income isn't counted as income unless they have had it for 2 years. Same with our Veterans. VA loans want to see 2 years at the same job before they will give the vet a loan. Not many job openings for snipers in Rochester these days. I can go on and on here so let's move on to foreclosures and estates.
As Executor of an estate for a woman who died in May 2008, I can attest to the fact that the banks are really not with the program. The mortgage company has known since Aug. 2008 that there were no funds to pay off the mortgage and that the bank could have it back to sell, no one to evict, the house was ready to go on the market as a foreclosure. I have been on the phone repeatedly with the bank, but they are still mired in their rules and proceedures. There are steps they have to follow in order to foreclose. 19 months since the last mortgage payment was paid and the bank still has not tried to sell it. They changed the locks after a year, but that house sits and rots while the bank "follows proceedure." I can guarantee that sitting vacant for 19 months has dropped the value by $30,000. That's just absurd. So, as to the vacant houses in Leroy, yes, some are foreclosures, some are homes that are taking 6 months to 2 years to sell and the sellers have moved on, some may be "abandoned." I do see more vacant homes in LeRoy than in Caledonia and those in Caledonia are usually on the market or are estates in probate. I can't think of any that I would call "abandoned." And the First Time Home Buyer Credit and the new Moving Up credit are wonderful ideas. The problem is that the buyers don't get the money until 2-5 months after they close. That doesn't help them BUY the house. It can help with paying off some debts, loans, etc. But it doesn't help them get into a house. Any thoughts?
This is very interesting and
This is very interesting and useful information. I know it's more difficult to buy a house now than it was when we bought our first house and our current house. I think, though, that many people who buy in LeRoy do so because they get more house for less money and a really good school district. It seems to me that if we had a few more conveniences (businesses closer by to offer what we need on a daily basis) that we could attract more buyers who maybe don't have the difficulties you outline above.
Having said that, I do think that taxes are an issue, but I think that there are many people who don't mind paying their taxes if they have something tangible to show for it in return. Sometimes it is not always easy to see what we get for the amount we pay and that could be a deterrent.
We do need to do something about the banks, though, I don't know why the rules are the way they are, but I do see them as being detrimental to the bigger picture and to the needs of a community.
It's a problem that needs solutions. You have an excellent perspective and access to resources to explain this problem that most of us don't have.
Cenna-thanks for the info.
Cenna-thanks for the info. Hope business gets a little easier for you. Glad to see 33 Gilbert off the market, I hope you were able to sell it. Happy holidays