Timothy Wanamaker
Executive Director
Office of Strategic Planning

Kathleen Lynch, Esq.
Coordinator
Western NY Law Center

Senator William Stachowski
Co-Chair

Assemblymember Sam Hoyt
Co-Chair
 

 
WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE MAYOR'S ANTI FLIPPING TASK FORCE?

The Mayor's Anti-Flipping Task Force (AFTF) combats the negative real estate practices of unethical and fraudulent property flipping that contribute to neighborhood destabilization and community disinvestment.

WHAT IS THE MAYOR'S ANTI-FLIPPING TASK FORCE?
The AFTF was established in response to residents' complaints regarding property flipping of homes in distressed neighborhoods. On December 16, 2004, at the request of Assemblymember Sam Hoyt, a NYS Assembly hearing took place to address community complaints regarding the practice of repeatedly selling vacant properties without regard to condition or actual value. City officials, federal HUD representatives, community activists, attorneys, and realtors all testified as to the devastating effects of unethical property flipping in Buffalo. As a result of the hearing, as well as meetings with residents and other interested parties, Mayor Masiello formally established the Anti-Flipping Task Force in June 2005, an initiative which continues to be fully supported by Buffalo's current Mayor, Byron Brown. Assemblymember Sam Hoyt and Senator William Stachowski were appointed as Co-Chairs of this important effort and the Western New York Law Center, a not-for profit law firm, was chosen to lead the AFTF.

The AFTF is modeled after a similar effort in Baltimore, MD, the Baltimore City Property Flipping and Predatory Lending Task Force. Due to the efforts of the task force, unethical flipping dropped 77 percent between 1999 and 2006 and over 70 defendants were found guilty of criminal offenses linked to flipping property.

The AFTF has developed an extensive public-private partnership since its inception a year ago. Private partners are actively involved, such as the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors, Upstate NY Chapter of the Appraisal Institute, Bar Association of Erie County, Hilbert College, Erie Community College and Buffalo State College. The AFTF has encouraged and fostered collaboration in order to achieve long term solutions to the multidimensional problem of property flipping.

ANTI-FLIPPING TASK FORCE STRUCTURE