With gas being at an average price of $4.040 in Buffalo, NY and as high as $4.328 in Chicago, IL it is becoming a burden for people to have to drive their cars. When looking as Gasbuddy.com, a Website that shows the average gas prices per state and city, New York is currently 7th with the highest gas prices out of all 50 states.
According to a new Coldwell Banker survey this spike in gas prices is impacting where people are deciding to move. “Among its network of real estate professionals, 75 percent said that the recent spike in gas prices has influenced their clients’ decisions on where to live, and 93 percent said if gas prices continue to rise, more home buyers will choose to live somewhere that allows for a closer commute to their work.”
Many people are finding that with the gas prices continuing to go up their wallets are starting to become a lot lighter causing this problem is becoming a serious concern. With this thought many people are looking at the option of moving closer to work or even working from home.
Of the people surveyed who said gas prices were affecting their choice of where to live, 89 percent said the driving time and racking up miles on their way to work was the main reason for their decision. 45 percent are looking for homes that are closer to shops and stores hoping to reduce the amount of gas they use. A high percentage of buyers, 77 percent, are also looking for a place that can have an office in their home. There is also a 56 percent increase in the amount of people looking to live in an urban area as compared to five years ago.
When trying to buy a house understanding what closing costs are can be difficult to comprehend. To help with this difficultly we have prepared a video that explains the terminology. Click the link below to watch.
The Beacon Hill Movement is sweeping across the country. It began 10 years ago in Boston. Seniors assist each other and received subsidized services to remain independent in their homes for longer periods of time. There are 50 such programs in the US at this time with 600 more under development.
Buffalo’s very own product of the movement has opened its doors recently under the name “Canopy of Neighbors”. Their mission is, “To give our subscribers practical means and confidence to remain in their own homes as they grow older, and to link them with resources to help them age in place.”
This “Beacon Hill” concept’s fundamental value is that seniors will be happier and healthier as they age if they are allowed to remain in their homes with supportive services. The program also allows people to not only maintain, but also add to their social networks. In addition, the social fabric of the neighborhood benefits through important social, political, and cultural contributions as seniors in the program are also recruited as caregivers and volunteers in the wider community.
Canopy of Neighbors’ array of services include transportation, home maintenance, group dining, personal care services and shopping assistants. These are either free or discounted. It officially opened its doors in late February and at that time had 28 subscribers. There are also 50 volunteers and 40 vendors involved.
Subscribers can be as young as 62 years of age. The service area is bounded by Main Street, Richmond Avenue, North Street, and Delaware Park. The cost per year is $400 for a single person household and $600 for a two-person household. A similar program called “Flint Hill“ is now also being organized in the Parkside area; it’s likely that we will see this concept replicated throughout our community.
Canopy staff also told me that it’s important to note that “the program is suitable for those in good health as well as those who have greater needs.” Many of those who have are immediately finding tremendous convenience as well as substantial discounts. Funding for the program has been provided from a grant by the Community Health Foundation of WNY.
For additional information, please visit CanopyofNeighbors.org or call 716 332-6143.
Throughout April the housing industry celebrated, New Homes Month; with this they wanted to show awareness for the economic prosperity that building new homes generates.
Historically, generating economic activity, which would include items such as new housing and new jobs, has accounted fro 17 percent of the GDP. This 17 percent puts Americans back to work.
According to economists at the National Association of Home Builders, it is estimated “that the one-year local impacts of building 100 single-family homes in a typical metro area include $21.1 million in local income, $2.2 million in taxes and other local government revenue, and 324 local jobs. Those 100 new homes also provide the community with additional, annually-recurring impacts of $3.1 million in local income, $743,000 in taxes and other revenue for local governments, and 53 local jobs.”
New home constructions create jobs far beyond just the regular home building jobs. Sure, 50 percent of the jobs are related to construction but, in addition, opportunities are created for attorneys, home furnishing providers, landscapers, moving services, and even home production services.
The money that is generated from this construction ends up getting recycled back into the local economy through the purchase of products and services. However, as of Feb. 2011 the annual projection for new houses stood at 500,000, when a desired 17,000,000 is needed to accommodate long running average and the current population growth.
Facing the question “what retirement community suits me best?” can carry with it tremendous stress for people who are in their later years. Deciding on the best community for you is made more complicated by the seemingly endless number of options that are available. With the right amount of research and knowledge it can be less stressful. Here are some tips to help ease the process.
First, make sure the geography is right for you. Are you near the things and places that are important to you, whether it is your friends or family or activities you engage yourself with in the community? Your location is critical as proximity to what you love to do will make a big difference in how satisfied you will be with your choice.
Second, choose a community that offers services and amenities that you will need and utilize. When examining this aspect, it’s important to think ahead about what your changing needs will be over the next five years. If general transportation for shopping and recreation as well as medical visits are critical for you then be sure to choose a place that offers both instead of just one. Housekeeping and an errand service might be appealing if it is offered. I think it makes tremendous sense to make a written list of the communities you are considering and what they offer so that it is much easier to look at. Otherwise the variables float around in your mind and it seems impossible to make a decision.
Third, look to see what kinds of social and recreational activities they offer. It is important to see what they offer to see how your time will be spent over the next couple of years. Social activities with other residents may seem to be of no interest to some or of great importance to others. Taking an honest look at this aspect is important and it’s a fact that isolation is the number one debilitating factor for people as they age. Engagement with others keeps you sharp.
“Asking the right questions is the first step to finding the right residence for you,” says Sylvia Watts, national director at Revera, the leading North American provider of living situations for people 50 and above.
There are a tremendous number of choices when it comes to retirement living from simply apartments that cater to seniors to communities that over the full gamut of services from meals to personal care. Starting out with a clear idea of what you need over the next five years or so is the best way to begin your search. After you know what you want, the choice becomes a whole lot easier.
