NY
Lancaster NY Real Estate, From Someone Who Lives Here
Where I have lived for the last 18 years, in the town that divides the Northtowns and the Southtowns.
What kinds of homes are in Lancaster
On a map, Lancaster looks like one town. Drive it and it turns out to be several places stacked together, and the part of town a home sits in tells me more about it than the town name does.
- The village and the older streets. This is where the oldest homes are: smaller capes and ranches on streets laid out long before anyone planned a subdivision. It is the most approachable way into Lancaster, and the easiest to walk around.
- The old farm roads. Follow the main roads out of the village and the houses change character. Farmhouses, colonials and Victorians sit one at a time where the land used to be worked, and no two are quite alike.
- The subdivisions that replaced the farms. When the farmland sold, it became the neighborhoods off Aurora and in both directions off Central on the north end of town, mostly mid-sized homes. Off William Street, between Bowen and Lake, there is another band of homes built in the 1990s and early 2000s. Ranches are sprinkled through these subdivisions too.
- East of Bowen. The newest communities in Lancaster are all east of Bowen Road.
- Less maintenance. Patio homes, townhomes and condos in several communities, some owner-occupied and some rental only. Owning and renting are two different searches, so that is the first thing I sort out.
The oldest homes in the village and along the main roads come from the 1800s, and the biggest burst of growth came in the early 1990s, mostly to the south and east.
Map out your next move before you need to make it.
One detail surprises almost everyone: the schools
The Lancaster Central School District is arranged differently from most towns. Four elementary schools cover kindergarten through third grade. Every student then goes to William Street for grades 4 through 6, the middle school for grades 7 and 8, and the high school for grades 9 through 12. People who grew up in other districts are usually surprised to find several elementary schools feeding one intermediate school.
Lancaster Central serves most of the town, but parts of Lancaster fall in the Depew, Alden, Clarence and Iroquois districts. Depew sits partly inside Lancaster, so one street can hold homes in Lancaster Central and homes in Depew Union Free. The district follows the address, so I check it first on every property.
Where you live changes your day
Lancaster is wide, and nearly every road in it is one lane each way. School hours and the morning and evening commutes set the pace. If you live closer to Transit Road, or closer to Genesee or Walden on the north end, you are quickest to the main roads. From most other places in town, count on at least 15 minutes just to reach a major throughway.
If you are heading to the Northtowns or the Southtowns, you will most likely travel via Transit Road or the back roads, depending on which part of Lancaster you start from. Broadway and Central are the center of both the town and the village.
How I price and plan a Lancaster home
Because Lancaster is built in layers, I do not price a home against the town. I price it against the homes a buyer would line up next to it: the same part of town, a similar age and size, the same school district. Two houses five minutes apart can have different buyers and different answers.
Start with strategy before you make a move. The questions are the same in every chapter: timing, money, and the order things happen in. If you are ready for less maintenance, ready for more space, handling a parent's home or thinking about building new, begin with the page that matches your chapter. You do not need to be ready to list. When you want to talk about your own address, contact me, and you and I will start with where you are trying to go.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of homes are in Lancaster?
Smaller capes and ranches in the village, farmhouses, colonials and Victorians along the older roads, established subdivisions off Aurora and Central, homes from the 1990s and early 2000s off William Street, and the newest, larger communities east of Bowen. There are also owner-occupied patio homes, townhomes and condos, and separate rental-only communities.
Which school district is a Lancaster home in?
Most of Lancaster is in the Lancaster Central School District, but some addresses are in the Depew, Alden, Clarence or Iroquois districts. It follows the address, so I check it for each property.
Is there new construction in Lancaster?
Right now the choices are limited, because most of the newer communities in Lancaster are sold out or close to it. The newest are east of Bowen Road. New communities come up from time to time, in Lancaster and in the towns around it, and I keep an eye out for them, so if you are thinking about building, tell me what you are looking for and I will tell you what is available.
How long does it take to get around from Lancaster?
Most roads are one lane each way, and school hours and commute times are the busy ones. From most of town, count on at least 15 minutes to reach a major throughway. Living closer to Transit Road, Genesee or Walden is quicker.
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