Posts Tagged ‘Dream Home’

Location, location, location. Half of buying a home is all about finding where you want to live. You might’ve found your dream house, but it’s not in your dream neighborhood. So, what should you be watching out for? Here’s how you can find the perfect neighborhood:

Check It Out Online

Ah—the internet. It provides an immense amount of information. It’s easy and entirely accessible for everyone, so you don’t have any excuses not to take advantage of it. Look up what everyone is saying about a neighborhood you’re interested in. Do people actually enjoy living there? What do they like and dislike about it?

Google the crime statistics for the area; safety should be top of mind. You don’t want to get stuck in a neighborhood with a high break-in rate—take your safety and security seriously. At the same time, if you have kids, look up schools in the area. What are they rated? Most school systems have a rating scale based off mostly academics. Find out if they’re good options for your children.

Scout It Out

Literally. Do drive-bys, and do them at different times of the day. Get a feel for a certain neighborhood. Is there a soccer field or baseball diamond close by? You’ll want to know before it’s too late whether or not cars will be lined up on your street. Make sure you’re in the know. You don’t want things like that to come up as a surprise after you’ve moved in. Furthermore, check out the traffic patterns in the area. What’s that intersection near the home you’re interested in really like during rush hour?

How Far Is Your Potential Home From Your Job?

This might not matter to some—if you’re near retirement, it might not matter at all!—but a long commute has the potential to become an everyday stressor, one that you don’t need or want. If you take the bus, look up the route and times. If you drive, check out the route during your normal commute times on Google Maps.

Do Your Research on Property Taxes

This could majorly impact your cost of living. Property taxes greatly differ from one region to the next. Do your research and find out what to expect. Don’t let this come as a shock. You want to make sure you can afford the area you want to live in. Be sure to do your due diligence with some good research! Also, take this a step further, and look at other costs of living—think utilities and food prices.

Ensure your perfect home is in your ideal neighborhood. It’s worth taking the time to do research and be sure it’s really what you want.

David, Hakimi. “How to Find the Perfect Neighborhood”. RISMedia’shousecall.com, 11 Dec. 2018, http://blog.rismedia.com/2018/find-perfect-neighborhood/.

Looking for your dream neighborhood? Check out Sold Buy the Sea Realty’s preferred neighborhoods!

Filed under: Blog by Callie Smith
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If you had $1,000,000, what would you do with it? Would you buy a house? If so, where would you buy?

Depending on where you are looking, one million dollars could buy you the dream home you have always wanted or a small 1 bedroom home. Areas like San Francisco or Boston have extremely expensive Real Estate Markets, where this amount of money would just get you started, but for other locations, you could own the mansion you’ve dreamed about. The Wilmington Real Estate Market has been strong for many years, however homes for a million dollars and up are still exclusive and luxurious. So you might ask yourself, what affects the value of a home? Why can I purchase a mansion for 1 million dollars in Wilmington, NC, but only get a small 1 bedroom home in San Francisco? Let’s break down the main factors that affect a home’s value.

1. Location: One of the most influential factors in value. Most of the time, homes that are in popular/dense cities, waterfront/beachfront, or located in historical areas, will generally have a higher asking price.
2. Land: When you buy a home, you are not only buying the home but also the land it sits on. A general rule of thumb is that the property itself usually makes up about a fourth of the total value of a particular home. In essence, if you buy a home for $1,000,000, then the value of the land should be around $250,000.
3. Size: There is a definite relation between the size of a home and the value. Typically you will see two different sizes, the living area and the total area. The living area is considering the interior of the home that is heated. The total area is the total square footage of the home, which includes a garage or porch or portion of the property that isn’t considering living area.
4. Age: This factor can affect the value both directly and indirectly. An older home doesn’t necessarily mean that the home isn’t worth as much. Many homes are actually purchased specifically because of their age.
5. Home features: Believe it or not, but the layout and design of a home’s kitchen plays a key role in the desirability of a home. In most million-dollar properties, you will see high-end appliances with custom cabinetry and granite counters. However, other features like a large master suite with a custom bathroom create attraction.

This is only a shortened list of the factors that affect home value, but if you would like to know more about valuation or Wilmington’s Real Estate Market, give us a call today at (910) 367-2965!

View All Million Dollar Homes in Wilmington NC

Filed under: Blog, Wilmington NC Real Estate by Sold Buy the Sea Realty
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