Helpful Links for Buyers
Helpful Links After You Buy
Helpful Links before you Buy
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Search the MLS
If you’d like to do a search in the Multiple Listing System yourself, click the link below. *Be sure to click on the “Sign up with Gretchen Oubre” on upper right of search form. Please tell me if you see any properties that you have questions about or find listings that you are interested in touring with me.
I am happy to enter a search for you that will send you notifications when any new listings come on the market that match your criteria. This allows you to know immediately when a new possibility becomes available. Just drop me a line & let’s talk about your wish list (see Wish List page)
Aerial Views With Lot Lines
There is a cool website where you can access aerial views of properties & see who your neighbors will be.
Click on Button below & Launch the Erie County Interactive Mapping Viewer. You can search for a parcel by address, owner name or SBL. You can view layers (at bottom) & select 2017 Aerials for a bird’s eye view. Click on identify & view adjoining parcels to see their owners & lot dimensions.
Register to Vote!
NOTE: You must be registered for at least 25 days before you can vote in an election.
It’s more important than ever to cast your vote!
Register to vote or apply for an absentee ballot.
Need to Update Your License or Registration?
New York State law requires that you to report a change of residence address on a driver license, permit, non-driver ID, or registration to the DMV within 10 days.
You should know that an address change with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) does not update your address on DMV records. Complete Form MV-232 to change your address and bring into the closest Auto Bureau. This link will allow you to make a reservation & skip the line at the local DMV.
Recycle or Dispose?
Here is a link to find where to take your old appliances, motor oil, old cell phones, building materials, medications, cars, electronics, rugs, clothes & so much more!
Awesome source for where to take things your garbage collector won’t.
Walk Score
Walk Score is available for any address in the United States and Canada. They’ve also ranked more than 2,800 cities and over 10,000 neighborhoods so you can find a walkable home or apartment.
We believe that walkable neighborhoods with access to public transit, better commutes, and proximity to the people and places you love are the key to a happier, healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.
Apply for STAR Credit
The School Tax Relief (STAR) program offers property tax relief to eligible New York State homeowners.
(GET HUNDREDS OF $$$ BACK TO PAY YOUR SCHOOL TAX!)
If you are eligible and enrolled in the STAR program, you’ll receive your benefit each year in one of two ways:
STAR credit check. If you are registered for the STAR credit, the Tax Department will send you a STAR check in the mail each year. You can use the check to pay your school taxes. You can receive the STAR credit if you own your home and it's your primary residence and the combined income of the owners and the owners’ spouses is $500,000 or less.
STAR exemption: a reduction on your school tax bill. If you’ve been receiving the STAR exemption since 2015, you can continue to receive it for the same primary residence. As long as you remain eligible, you’ll see a reduction on your school tax bill for the amount of your STAR exemption. Note: The STAR exemption is no longer available to new homeowners. If you currently receive your STAR benefit as a reduction on your school tax bill (the STAR exemption), you may receive a greater benefit if you switch to the STAR credit to receive a check instead.
Beginning in 2019, the value of the STAR credit savings may increase by as much as 2% each year, but the value of the STAR exemption savings cannot increase. The STAR exemption savings can never be higher than the STAR credit savings.
