I also am waiting to close on my first property in Buffalo, NY area (thats where I grew up, lived down south for 8 years now).  

Possible contenders were Philadelphia, Harrisburg (quickly x'ed out because I heard it's just not safe though I looooove the old housing stock), Albany, Buffalo, Troy, Rochester, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

My area of Western NY does not license general contractors other than in the actual city of Buffalo. 

I own three multi-unit properties around the Buffalo Area and I am committed to expanding my business.

Returns in cities like Buffalo and Detroit can be MUCH higher, but these also don't have the same levels of appreciation we've generally experienced in the past.  

We have it at a Buffalo Wild Wings so they do like it when we buy food there :)There's also @Brandon Krieg who is the other wholesaling and flipping rockstar in the area.

My husband and I bid on a foreclosure in auction terms for 25k in buffalo area.

hi robert. sounds like you have the typical government agency going on there. if you ever want something totally screwed up, get the government involved. the best thing you can do is go where they are not. that government doesn't cover every area around you. invest in some place where they are not at. check out the local government for another area and see how they are to deal with. here in buffalo, the inner city is a pain in the ***, as well as some of the burbs, but some are not. i simply do not invest in areas where the government is going to be a problem. my advice to you is to sell all of your properties where this government can have a hold on you and buy elsewhere

I was born and raised in Pendleton, NY a small agricultural town of about 4500, 30 minutes north of Buffalo, in Niagara County.

So not only would I need to find a motivated seller, but also obviously where the numbers make sense and they owe close to what I need to pay to be able to flip it, I believe...Inventory is very low here in Buffalo and I've been looking since mid-January for a flip house.