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 acreage — 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.
important to you, look for something closer to your work, even if it's a little smaller.Other considerations:
Of course, one of the biggest reasons to consider location is the future sale of your home. No matter how lovely your home is, or how perfect in every other way, its location can make or break a future sale.
But, if you're concerned about the environment, the location of your home can leave a larger or smaller carbon footprint. An EPA study points out that a home's location relative to public transportation, energy sources and the actual housing type significantly affect energy consumption. While living and working in Southern California, my husband and I put around 60,000 miles (combined) on our vehicles every year. Now that we live and work in Sedona, our combined mileage has been reduced by 66% to 75%. Everything is within 1 to 10 miles on average. In Sedona, there are many green homes and more being built. As a past-president of the Sedona Luxury Real Estate Professionals, we invite many builders and environment friendly home specialists to present their products and services. I can help you find the solutions that best fit your needs.
Before beginning your property search, take time to reflect on what is most important to you. Then, let your real estate professional in on the secret. He or She will narrow the search to those locations that fit your needs, wants and desires best.
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