Location, Location, Location
The first thing you learn in Real Estate school is location, location, location. After 20 years in the business, nothing is more true to me than this. Developers in big cities buy multimillion dollar buildings and spend millions of dollars blowing up those buildings just for that specific location. We have spoken with thousands of customers beginning their search for a new home and most are not starting with this in mind. The masses go online, start looking at houses and get hit with advertisement after advertisement, looking at pictures of homes with no real idea of where they are located.
The best advice I can offer is to start by making a list of what is most important to you in a location. It could be proximity to the beach, airport, grocery stores, hospitals, schools, friends, family, work, mall, theaters, golf courses, day to day conveniences, lakes, parks, gym and the list goes on. The internet makes it real easy to go down the rabbit hole looking at one house after another, sucking you in and distracting you on what is most important. This is one of 1,000 reasons to use a local realtor that knows the area, will help look after your interests, limit your regrets, and guide you to making the best possible choice on your new home. Stay tuned for more on this topic, this is just the beginning!