Helpful Links for Buyers
Before You Buy-
Here is a list of links that are useful before you buy your new home. CLICK on list below or SCROLL down this page for more info.
After You Buy-
Here is a list of links that are useful after you buy your new home. CLICK on list below or SCROLL down this page for more info.
It’s Vital you Have a Pre-Approval Letter
preferably from a local bank, when you submit an offer for your new home.
This should happen BEFORE you start shopping!
Also, in conferring with a mortgage broker you’ll want to know:
+ Not only how much do you qualify for, but what amount is a comfortable monthly payment for you? You may be qualified for more than your monthly budget allows. Remember, you will need to pay PITI- Principal, Interest, Taxes & Insurance monthly.
+ What will you need to put down on the loan & how much will you need to bring to closing? It’s always more than you think!
+ Do you qualify for a conventional, FHA or VA loan & what is the best option for you?
I know a number of trusted mortgage brokers
that I can recommend- ask me!
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.
Aerial Views With Lot Lines
This 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.
Walk Score
Walk Score is available for any address in the United States & Canada. They’ve also ranked more than 2,800 cities & over 10,000 neighborhoods so you can find a walkable home or apartment.
They believe that walkable neighborhoods with access to public transit, better commutes, & proximity to the people & places you love are the key to a happier, healthier & more sustainable lifestyle.
Actual photo of camera footage showing tree roots growing into the sewer line.
Traces of toilet paper near the drain are tale-tell signs there have been sewer back-ups in the past.
Sewer Line Inspection
Consider having the sewer lines inspected with a video camera as part of your home inspection. In fact, getting a sewer inspection is one of the most important home inspection tips for first-time buyers. Sewer line inspections are cheap-approximately $200. , but sewer repairs can be extremely expensive. Why spend the money on a repair you could have avoided with a simple inspection?
There’s no such thing as a typical cost for repairing your sewer lines. It can start at a few hundred dollars to snake out a blockage. Or, it could be tens of thousands of dollars to excavate your yard & replace the pipes. The repair bills depend on the sewer line condition, the problem’s location & the root cause.
Tree roots are the biggest offender for blocking sewer lines. That's because sewer lines are the perfect environment for tree roots, which love the constant source of water in pipes & the nutrients sewage provides. Tree roots have immense invasive power & will find the smallest crack in a line to force their way through. Tree roots grow quickly, & can soon block a line. Fortunately, roots are easy to find with a closed-circuit television inspection. Unfortunately, they can be very expensive to dig up & clear out. Having the sewer line scoped should be on your house-buying inspection checklist.
Average Gas Bill
Want to know what the average gas bill will be for a certain address? Call National Fuel Gas & they will tell you the average gas bill for 6 or 12 months, to give you an idea of what is the balanced billing amount.
Utilities to Call
Once we have a confirmed closing date & “are clear to close”, you’ll need to call the utility companies to have them start new service on the closing date. (The sellers will need to call utilities as well to change service)
Electric:
NYSEG: (800) 572-1111
National Grid: (800) 642-4272
Cable:
Spectrum: (833) 267-6094
Gas:
National Fuel: (716) 686-6123
Water:
Erie Co.: (716) 849-8444
City of Buffalo: (716) 847-1065
Village of East Aurora: (716) 652-6000
Phone:
Verizon: (800) 922-0204
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 & bring into the closest Auto Bureau.
This link will allow you to make a reservation & skip the line at the local DMV.
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.
I am now a certified consultant for Common Energy!
Let me help you learn how you can save money & help the planet!
It's easy, saves you money (Guaranteed 10% savings for 20 years) & helps out Mother Earth!
Join Community Solar with Common Energy!
Community solar gives everyone the opportunity to share in the benefits of clean solar energy without rooftop installations.
Community solar is ideal for homeowners with shaded rooftops, renters, and businesses that don’t own their own buildings.
Here’s how it works:
Solar arrays are built on rural land; typically, non-producing farmland and other “brown fields” like quarries. The electricity produced on the solar farm goes into the local utility grid.
Customers do not receive solar electricity directly from the solar farm. Rather, they benefit indirectly by increasing the amount of renewable energy the utility uses each month to supply all of its customers.
Enrollment is free. No Monthly fees. And no cancellation fees. Our Guaranteed 10% Savings Plan has no monthly fee!
Our discount plan guarantees 10% savings on solar credits applied to your utility bill. If you receive $100 in solar credits, you pay Common Energy $90 – it’s that simple.
Each month you will see a credit on your utility bill for solar credits. The amount of your credit will be reflected at your discount on your monthly Common Energy bill. Your utility deducts the value of these solar credits from your bill, up to 100% of your annual electricity usage.
Your electricity supplier will stay the same. If you are supplied by the utility, you will continue to receive your electricity from the utility. If you are supplied by a third-party energy service company or ESCO, you will continue to receive your electricity from the ESCO.
If you are not 100% satisfied, cancel any time without penalty.
Here are some benefits of being part of Common Energy:
Preventing (literally) tons of emissions from finding its way to your community.
Guaranteed 10% savings on your electricity bill costs for 20 years.
No rooftop panels needed.
Simply put… clean energy generated with 100% New York sunshine!
Ready to join? Start here.
Here is a great video by NYSERDA that shows how Community Solar works
& another video explaining Common Energy.
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.
To register online, you will need:
NYS driver license, permit, or non-driver ID card
ZIP Code currently on record with the DMV
Social security number
College bound or don’t want to wait in line at the polls??
For Erie County, New York friends, here is a link to the updated absentee ballot application with the COVID-19 reason for absentee voting. COVID-19 only became a valid reason for absentee voting in NY in the past couple of weeks, so apply as soon as possible.
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.
Elemental Green Website & Database
How many times have you seen a green claim on a product & wondered if it was legit? If you’re like most consumers, it’s been too often to count. Luckily, green product databases – developed by credible institutions – are becoming increasingly common. Still, they’re not all created equal, so it’s important to understand the standards and criteria each one assesses.
To save you the trouble of comparing each & every one, they’ve compiled this list.
