Most of our clients are pretty savvy. (If you’re wondering if you’re “savvy,” you’re reading our blog, so we think you’re pretty savvy!)
Anyway, most of you use many resources when searching for homes. Some start their search at Zillow or Realtor.com. Some find the home search on our blog first. No matter how your home search begins, the following is a list of what we would recommend you consider when looking for a home.
1. Neighborhood – what makes a “good neighborhood” to you? How far is the local grocery and gas station? DO you like other shopping and restaurants or seclusion? How close to the interstate do you want to be?
2. Amenities – An HOA may have swimming, basketball, a gym, or even a restaurant on the premises. Do you like walking trails? Do you mind paying additional fees for those amenities or would the neighborhood activities work just as well?
3. Topography – Do you need a water source? Do you like trees? Do you need flat land for animals?
4. Floor Plan – Do you need a main level bedroom? Would a basement help with storage or space for kids? Do stairs hurt your knees? Is a garage a “must?”
5. External obsolescence – That’s a fancy word for the things you cannot control that may make the value of your property go up or down. Dogs in the neighborhood, dirt roads, trains, waterways, nearby neighborhoods,… They may work, but you or others may not want them.
6. Location Compared to regular your job/church/community activity – Some people are glad to live far away from work. Others wish they lived next door. Some participate in community services on a regular basis and would like to live nearby. Others don’t mind driving into town once a week for that event. What about you? What about the school you want your kids to attend? Even if the bus does not pick up your kids, how far do you want to drive to take them to school?
7. Utilities – Some homes have have water bills and sewer bills every month. Some don’t. But if you’re in town high speed internet might cost a lot less than having satellite internet (which is not as reliable). Electric, natural gas, and propane are all used throughout the area – as is wood burning stoves if you want to save. Consider the cost of all your utilities.
8. Main roadways – In the Fredericksburg Region, we’re talking about I95! How far would you need to travel on 95? Can you get to places without having to drive on 95? Are others going to use that same route? You may want to try diving that route during the normal hours you would be traveling.
9. Usability – Each piece of property is zoned with rules and regs that apply for that zone. If you want chickens, check your zoning. Also, your neighborhood may also have rules for how close you can build to the border of your property. That’s zoning as well.
10. Cost of Ownership – How much are the current taxes? Annual maintenance fees to paint/gravel/power wash? How old is that heat pump or roof and how long might it last?
Now how do we help you find out about all these issues and more that you need to consider? Some of the place we check include:
- Tax Maps
- Plats
- Tax Records
- Property History
- Photos – current and past listings
- Google Maps
- Property Disclosures
- HOA Documents
- Utility Companies
- County Web pages
- Visitor’s Center
- Graph paper
- Chatting with neighbors
- MLS system
Now you could do all this on your own, or we could help you. Each of you know what you want to research and want you need us to do for you. We also try to share some of these issues that you may not have taken into consideration. Working together to find you the perfect place is what it’s all about!
And if we don’t serve your area, we will try to hook you up with an agent we trust from another area of the state/country that thinks like we do.
