Choosing the Right Town by Piper Nichole
Location will make a difference in the size of your property-tax bill, the quality of schools, and probably how long you will stay in that house. It will certainly make a difference in whether you profit from its sale.
No other factor equals the importance of location, and nothing else should be considered as carefully when choosing your home — or, for that matter, in deciding to buy property of any kind. In real estate, location means more than the piece of earth described in your deed or the area staked out by a surveyor's red-flagged stocks. That is just a lot. Location is that lot, the neighborhood around it, and the town in which the neighborhood lies. You may not be able to afford the top-of-the-line house and location, but understanding why one location is more valuable than another will help you get the most for the money you can afford to spend. The quality of the neighborhood is the most important factor to buyers in terms of upkeep and appeal. Its convenience to work is second most important to buyers, and affordability and convenience to family and friends follows.
Table 11.1 Factors Influencing Neighborhood Choice, by Location
|
Percent of Respondents |
Quality of the neighborhood |
65 |
Convenient to job |
50 |
Overall affordability of homes |
42 |
Quality of the school district |
28 |
Convenient to schools |
20 |
Convenient to entertainments/leisure activities |
10 |
Convenient to parks/recreational facilities |
16 |
Availability of larger lots or acreage |
15 |
Convenient to health facilities |
10 |
Home in a planned community |
8 |
Convenient to public transportation |
7 |
Convenient to airport |
7 |
Other |
5 |
Source: National Association of Realtors Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers, 2007
<emphasis>Services</emphasis>
<p>Learn about the services available in the community you are looking at. Here are some you should consider:</p>
<itemizedlist spacing="compact" mark="bullet">
<li><p><B>Refuse collection.</B> Some towns provide it; others do not. If yours is the latter, you will either have to make regular trips to the town dump or pay a private company for garbage collection. The cost can be anywhere from $10–$40 a month.</p></li>
<li><p><B>Sewers.</B> Large cities use sewers, and rural areas use septic tanks. In the suburbs, you may find both in the same town. Is there a sewer use fee? If so, add it to your list of costs.</p></li>
<li><p><B>Water.</B> Is city water free (included in your property-tax bill), or do you pay the city separately for the water you use? Do you pay a private water company? If your property uses well water, is the water pure and plentiful? Don't forget that the pump on a well draws electricity, so that water is not really “free.”</p></li>
<li><p><B>Road service.</B> How well will your streets be plowed in winter? Sometimes you can get an indication by how well they are maintained during the fall pick-up-leaves season. How quickly do potholes get repaired?</p></li>
<li><p><B>Police protection.</B> What is the crime rate like? Can you go out safely at night? Are break-ins common? Does the town maintain rescue vehicles, or must you pay for private ambulance services? How large is the police force in relation to the population? How does this compare with other areas? You can learn all this from a phone call to the community-relations department of the local police force.</p></li>
<li><p><B>Fire department.</B> Is the fire department full time or volunteer? Most cities have full-time personnel; most suburbs and rural areas use volunteers or a combination of full-time, part-time, and volunteer firefighters. How well are they equipped? Is equipment paid for by taxes or by contributions? If your real-estate agent cannot help you with answers to these questions, you should call the local fire department.</p></li>
<li><p><B>Library services.</B> A town's main library and its branches are a good clue to its character. How large is the library system in relation to the town? Does it belong to an interlibrary exchange group so books can be borrowed from other branches? Does it feature any special collections? Is there a solid children's department? Are there many library activities, or is the building limited to books and quiet reading? Call the library and ask, or better yet, stop in and pose your questions. That will give you an opportunity to look around. Is the place busy? Check bulletin boards. What is going on in the library and around town? A bulletin board chock full of notices indicates a lively community. Look on the library counters as well, for brochures about activities and programs.</p></li>
<li><p><B>Social services.</B> Does the town sponsor programs for senior citizens, teenagers, and children? Are family counseling services available? (They may be — on a countywide basis.)</p></li>
<li><p><B>Recreation.</B> This is a subjective area, which may be less important to you since recreational facilities might be available in a nearby town or even close by across the state line. If recreation and cultural facilities are high on your list of must-haves, you would be wise to look into what your town has to offer. Even if you don't expect to take advantage of them, keep resale value in mind. Your town should offer some amenities, such as parks, clubs, community groups, and similar activities to draw residents.</p></li>
<li><p><B>Accessibility to work.</B> Commuting time for you (and your spouse) is likely to be of major interest in your choice of a new town. How far are you willing to travel twice a day, five days a week, in order to get to and from work? For most folks, a one-hour commute each way is about the limit they are willing to spend getting to work.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Access to workplaces is also a major factor in determining property value. Overall, city residents expect to have public transportation available, and suburban dwellers are generally resigned to driving a car to work or to facing a train commute each day. Towns surrounding major corporate headquarters usually rank high in desirability. Second are towns along major interstate highways or on rail commuter lines that provide access to many workplaces. Transportation within the residential community has less effect on property value, even if that may be very important to you.</p>
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<li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/homebuying/shopping-the-neighborhood/a-communitys-character.htm">A Community's Character</a></li>
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<li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/homebuying/shopping-the-neighborhood/schools.htm">Schools</a></li>
</ul><ul class="col2"><li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/homebuying/shopping-the-neighborhood/is-it-the-right-neighborhood-for-you.htm">Is It the Right Neighborhood for You?</a></li>
<li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/homebuying/shopping-the-neighborhood/a-look-at-the-lot.htm">A Look at the Lot</a></li>
<li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/homebuying/shopping-the-neighborhood/be-prepared-to-expand-your-search.htm">Be Prepared to Expand Your Search</a></li>
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