Take a lesson from that old real estate adage, ‘location, location, location.’ Many seasoned homeowners will tell you that the size of your home and the amount of space you have—including extra living rooms, game rooms, or even lot size — becomes far less important to you in short order if the location is wrong.
Ask yourself these questions:
- How long is my commute to work? At first blush, the thrill of ownership may overshadow a long commute. Eventually, however, many commuters begin to feel that their families get to live in the home and they just visit for a few hours in the evening and on weekends. If being part of family life is important to you, look for something closer to your work, even if it’s a little smaller.
- Is it near to my children’s schools? As children progress through school, the number of activities for them to be involved in increases dramatically. If the commute to their school for ball games, drama club, band practice and the like is too long, either you’ll spend all of your family life on the road or your children may miss out on things that could be important to them.
- How far away is shopping? Living on rural property or in a newer housing development may seem like the perfect opportunity, but if you run short on milk for breakfast, is it an hour round trip to the nearest market? Or, if you choose an urban condo for its great walk score to restaurants and nightlife, do you have to have a vehicle to drive just to find groceries? The inconvenience of far-away shopping affects the enjoyment of your new home.
- Do I enjoy activities in the nearest community? Whether urban, suburban or rural, your connection to your community affects your satisfaction and contentment with your location. If you prefer the theatre, but live in a community that only celebrates agriculture, your quality of life may suffer. Conversely, if you love the great outdoors, but your city only offers indoor activities, you may need to rethink the location of your home.
Other considerations:
Many things in any home can be changed to best suit a new home owner, however, the one thing that can never be changed is the location! Keep in mind, no matter how lovely your home is, or how perfect in every other way, its location can make or break a future sale.
Before beginning your home search, take time to reflect on what is most important to you. Then, be sure to discuss your top priorities with your real estate professional. She’ll narrow her search to the location that best fit your needs and desires.
