The Importance of Location in the Homebuying Process
Where your new home is located is probably more important than the home itself since the structures can be changed but the location and its surroundings – cannot. Start from the top down during your selection process, looking first at the city or town, then at the communities, the neighborhoods and subdivisions and ultimately the specific locations of the homes within those neighborhoods or subdivisions. Where your home is located can be just as important as its appearance and size. If you ignore location issues like proximity to a particular school district, a job or a bus line then even the nicest home will lose its luster when you become dissatisfied with the surrounding neighborhood. Once you have finally determined which city, town or suburb you would like to live then you will want to identify one or more neighborhoods that suits your tastes. Look at factors like crime rates, school quality, commuting time to and from work and the amenities offered by the neighborhood. If you have a family with young children then you will also want to make sure that there are other children in the neighborhood. Create a list of criteria that are important to you and focus only on neighborhoods that meet those criteria.
As a new home buyer you will want to integrate these famous saying in the real estate profession: “location, location, location.” Integrate these into your search process because location will play an integral role in your selection. Going beyond the home itself, factors like area schools, neighborhoods, quality of life, surrounding developments and businesses as well as roadways will also play an important part in your ultimate decision. Don’t make the mistake of falling in love with a home that’s built twenty feet away from a proposed power line or a beautifully kept home in a neighborhood where the rest of the properties are a run-down. Do your research, check out the specifics on location before making any buying decisions and you won’t be sorry.