Every time people think about a tenant screening report, their minds quickly jump to the fact that one is carrying out an exercise meant to identify and expose all negative material about a tenant. What people forget is that this exercise is solely designed to help identify tenants whose profiles fit right with what you want. Consequently, you should not be too obsessed with the negative information you can dig about the past life of the prospective tenant. If you come across positive information, this should not cause you to despair and think that the tenant screening process has been less effective than what you had in mind.  Results On Tenant Screening Reports Although the information can differ as much as possible, all the information you are able to dig out through undertaking a t... 08/20/2013

If you want to get the best tenant, this process has to start from tenant screening.  Start by asking the right questions first. Examples of the right questions to ask include: What is contained on their background check? How do I choose which tenant screening company to hire? Tenant Background Checks What is the goal of such an exercise? The goal is to obtain as much information on the tenant as you can. This is something which you can do on your own, or alternatively, you may decide to hire the services of a firm which specializes on tenant screening. There are many reasons why I would recommend hiring a firm instead of making this a Do-It-Yourself activity. This is a process which can be quite time consuming if you were to do it on your own.  Benefits to Using a Screening Company Yo... 08/19/2013

Did you miss the Spring 2013 Bulk Trash Schedule? Here are the dates for the Fall 2013 Pick-up Ellicott District- July 28th North District- August 4th Niagara District- August 11th Masten District- August 18th Lovejoy District- August 25th South District- September 8th Delaware District- September 15th Fillmore District- September 22nd University District- September 29th *NOTE- Trash must be put out the Sunday before each City of Buffalo bulk trash week.  Each property is limited to a pile of trash that is 12 feet long, 3 feet high and 3 feet wide.  Excessive amounts of trash are subject to a fine.  If you do not know your Council District, or have questions, call the City of Buffalo Hotline at 311   Looking to BUY or Sell your home in the City of Buffalo? Visit me at http://www.buffal... 08/08/2013

  Welcome to this month is real estate Elmwood Village Homes for Sale- July 2013     Curious what your Elmwood Village home is worth in our current market conditions? Fill out this simple form and have a free Market Analysis delivered to you via email within 24 hours. STOP looking at that Zestimate- IT IS ALWAYS WRONG! No obligation to sell your home and no harassing phone calls. Fill out this form TODAY! Looking to buy a home in Elmwood Village?   It is no surprise that homes for sale in Elmwood Village are HOT right now. Elmwood Village has so much to offer with many local shops, restaurants, and Art Galleries, all within walking distance.   Elmwood Village offers an Urban lifestyle with a sense of small town community to top it all off.   So if you are looking to buy a home for sale ... 08/04/2013

Grab a blanket and get ready for the 2013 Parkside Community Association, Movies in the Meadow. Every Friday evening throughout the month of August, the PCA will present a free selection of outdoor classic films located by the Lodge in Delaware Park near the corner of Parkside and Florence Avenues. This series would not be possible without the support of Olmsted Conservancy, Councilman Michael LoCurto, Councilman Demone Smith and various local sponsors. Friday August 2 Raiders of the Lost Ark The year is 1936. A professor who studies archeology named Indiana Jones is venturing in the jungles in South America searching for a golden statue. Unfortunately, he sets off a deadly trap doing so, miraculously, he escapes. Then, Jones hears from a museum curator named Marcus Brody about a biblic... 07/28/2013

Driving past Downtown Buffalo on the I190 today, I saw two more cranes located in front of the First Niagara Center. The Canal side Development is on! This is quite an undertaking, since any development in Downtown Buffalo was slow to come by about 5 years ago. Since 2008, the Av-ant Building, Robert H. Jackson Federal Courthouse, Pierce Arrow Museum, and now the Canal side Project, and Harbor center Projects. This is by far the most economic developmental undertaking that this city has ever seen, with a price tag of over 200 Million Dollars. When it is complete the plan includes the erection of a Marriott Hotel with over 200 rooms, 2 NHL sized Hockey Rinks, Retail Shopping area, and a 23 Million Dollar State Funded reconstruction of the Historic Canals on the Former site of The Aud. Th... 07/22/2013

Are you looking to purchase or sell a home in Elmwood Village, Buffalo, NY? NOW IS THE TIME! Prices are rising and so are interest rates.  We are seeing a huge shortage of homes for sale in Elmwood Village and an increase in buyer activity.  Just look at the statistics!    The median list price is below the median sold price which means we are seeing multiple offers on most Elmwood Village homes for sale.  Click HERE for more market information WIVB News ran a story this week about how the new Medical Campus is increasing the property values for the surrounding neighborhoods, including homes for sale in Elmwood Village.  You can view the full story below.       07/18/2013

Looking for something to do this weekend? Do you like to eat food? Really who doesn't. Well this weekend is the 30th annual Taste of Buffalo. This annual tradition dates back to 1983, and has included some of Buffalo's best fare yearly. The Taste is one of the largest Food Festivals in America and it attracts annually almost 450,000 people over the 2 day event. Starting this Saturday at 11am till 9pm, and Sunday from 11am till 7pm @ Niagara Square in front of City Hall. Tickets are available for purchase of food, or 2 dollars will get you a bite sized sample from any of the stands. Some of this years fare includes Manhattans  Dinosaur BBQ - A Rochester Fave Merge Nette's Fried Chicken Llyod's Taco Truck Louies Red Hots Fat Bob's Smokehouse The weather should be great this weekend, so co... 07/11/2013

The facts are that Buffalo has lost a lot of manufacturing jobs as well as its population over the last 80 years. What was once a booming city at the turn of the 20th Century has slowly dwindled down to more than a few hundred thousand residents now. (http://www2.erie.gov/index.php?q=erie-county-overview) Erie County in contrast had grown quite large as its population has swelled, and the city's has obviously dwindled. This was the trend until after the 90's when as the cities population dwindled so did Erie Counties? What give's when you have a city andf county that sits on a lake?(ie:Chicago/Cook Co.) Well part of the answer starts with the fact that Buffalo's Industrial losses, lack of Enviromental concerns for the lake, and decrease in tax revenues due to the loss of those jobs. It ... 07/06/2013

It's that time of year again!  The Elmwood Village Association has just announced the 2013 Summer Concert Series at Bidwell Parkway. If you have never been to one of the great summer shows in Bidwell Parkway, make sure to add it to your calendar this year. Grab a chair, a bottle of wine and enjoy all that Elmwood Village has to offer. Bidwell Parkway Concert Series is every Tuesday from 7:00pm- 9:00pm and this year the Elmwood Village Association is kicking off the summer with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on June 25th, 2013. The Elmwood Village Association has also added an extra date this year for a little more summer fun. June 25th- The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra http://www.bpo.org/ July 2nd- The Willies July 9th- John & Mary and the Valkyries http://www.myspace.com/johnmary... 06/10/2013

Cleaning out the basement this summer?  Need to get rid of some junk before it is time to sell your home in Buffalo, NY? MARK YOUR CALENDAR!  Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Day- Buffalo, NY June 22nd, 2013 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Honeywell Specialty Materials 20 Peabody Street, Buffalo, NY (off Elk Street near Smith Street)   Items which can be brought to the site for free, proper disposal include: Pesticides, Fertilizers, Pool and Household Cleaners- Limit 2 Gallons Oil-based paints and Spray Cans- Limit 10 Gallons Batteries- Lead acid and rechargeable Paint Thinner, Strippers and Solvents- Limit 2 Gallons Mercury- Thermometers, Thermostats, Metal Propane Tanks and Cylinders- Full or Empty Tires- Remove the Rims Electronic Waste- Computers, Printers, Scanners   ITEMS NOT INCLUDED ON DROP... 06/05/2013

What’s happening in Elmwood Village this weekend   May 31st-June 2nd 2013     Vera Pizzeria on Lexington now has outdoor seating!   One of my favorite restaurants in Elmwood Village, Vera offers Neapolitan- style pizza and Italian Cuisine, topped with some killer pre-prohabition style drinks. Vera is a great place to catch up with friends while enjoying some good eats.   Vera will be open this Friday and Saturday from 5:00pm- 2:00am   Check out the menu http://www.verapizzeria.com/   D’Avolio has a new location! They didn’t go far but D’Avolio has moved to 814 Elmwood Ave.   If you are planning a weekend get together make sure to stop by for your last minute supplies. I recently purchased the Truffle Oil and it is amazing! Just a little bit goes a long way. This store is a great additio... 05/31/2013

To anyone that has been an agent for awhile you can tell a flip just be looking at the photographs. They all look exactly the same.  Same paint colors, same new kitchen cabinets and counters.  Just bland and boring.  But with the promise that everything is updated. What I try to tell my buyers is that it may say "everything is updated and new" but did the flipper know what they are doing.  Anybody can buy a foreclosure, throw in some paint and have their Uncle Charlie put up some cabinets.  It doesn't mean it was done right.  More often than not, when we get to the property I immediately seen problems and signs that armatures worked on this home.  Poorly done finish work is a good sign that it was not done right.  Unless you are a professional those little details are hard to complete w... 05/30/2012

In a previous blog I spoke about a very nice gentleman I recenlty visited regarding listing his home.  We discussed some minor updates that should be done to freshen up his home to show better and attract a larger group of buyers. This home was built in 1987 with orginal carpet from that time. Mauve I think is the correct term.  Fortunately, it is only in the bedrooms.  The livingroom and dining have a neutral cream colored carpet.  We discussed possibily putting in new rugs.  He was advised by his previous agent to just give a carpet allowance at closing. In my opinion, unless you don't have the money to make this repair, it would be better to replace the worn outdated carpet with something up to date and neutral.  He was surprised by my advise until I explaced why.  I explained to him... 05/29/2012

I recently went on a listing call on an expired listing.  The seller is a very nice gentleman going through a tough time. His home was on the market for quite some time. Although a very nice home, a little dated.  Just some new carpets and some light fixtures would be needed.  As we were discussing some marketing strategies he told me about everything his last agent told him to do to help sell his home.  One of those marketing tools was offering a free home warranty.  I do not work for a real estate company that requires you to push all the extras such as home warranties.  The seller was quite surpised when I told him that I have never sold a home because it offered a home warranty nor has any of my past clients ever bought a home because there was a home warranty.  His last agent told ... 05/25/2012

I recently wrote a post about House Stalkers and was reminded by my fellow posters of another kind of stalker, I call them the YARD INVADERS Yard invaders are people that not only drive by your house over and over, but when they think you are not home, walk all around your yard.  Now not just in the front yard or up the driveway, but in the backyard too. These same yard invaders open up gates and climb fences. YES, your heard me right, climb fences (and yes the neighbors see you). The yard invaders look in your windows, try out your lawn furniture, pick your flowers and wiggle their toes in your pool.  How do I know, because when you thought the owners weren't home, guess what, they were and they were watching you make a fool out of yourself in their yard.  I always tell my sellers that... 05/24/2012

I have been away from Activerain for about 8 months.  I just couldn't get a feel for blogging and struggled for something to write about.  On all of my marketing materials I list my blog, but alas I have not written a blog for quite some time. I worried what that said about me if someone went to my blog to look me up. I recently received an e-mail to come back to Activerain at a reduced rate.  I know that is a stupid reason to come back, but it worked on me.  For some reason this time the ideas have just been flowing in.  And yesterday after only writing 2 new blog posts my latest blog was featured.  Thank you to whoever pushed the suggest button. I was so excited. I was like gettinga suprise gift. I even received a phone call from an Activerain member who asked if she could repost my b... 05/23/2012

Some time back I was scanning Activerain for some ideas to help get more listings.  I came across a blog post by our favorite blogger Broker Bryant and he said something that I try to tell myself everyday and that is to pick something, whatever it is, and do it every day.  It may take a week or a month or a couple of months, but eventually it will pan out.  And I have found it to be true.  I always sent out post cards to expired listings, but would do it one day and then not again for a few weeks, and then send out a couple more, but with no success. I made a goal to send something to expired listings every day no matter what and it paid off.  Received my first listing call for all of my hard work.  The surpising thing is that he received my letter early on in April and did not call me ... 05/23/2012

Short Sales in the Buffalo/WNY Area Short sales are not as common in the Buffalo and WNY area they are in other areas of the country, they still do occur . Here are some helpful hints to help you get your offer accepted on a short sale. A short sale is a long process in the Buffalo/WNY area. They can take anywhere from 4-12 months to close. If you are planning on making an offer on a short sale, you need to be prepared that this can be a long road before you take ownership…that is if the bank approves the deal. Agents who are not versed in making short sale offers often write purchase offers in such a way that they inadvertently cause their buyers to lose the deal. The list below will hopefully help purchasers get their offers accepted. Make a Short Sale Offer With a Strong Earnest Mon... 05/22/2012

  Many times I go to a listing appointment and I have to have the dreaded conversation with the seller regarding repairs that should be made before putting the home on the market.  It can be anything from small cosmetic changes to major repairs.          As you can imagine, this is not always a favorable topic.  I am usually met with two kinds of challenges.   It’s hard for sellers to see the value in making cosmetic changes since “they love that color” or “those gold fixtures were expensive (20 years ago)”.  But sellers, you must remember once you put your house on the market its not your home any more it’s a product you are selling and the best way to appeal to a wide variety of buyers is to update your home even with something as inexpensive as new paint and a couple of new light fix... 05/22/2012