Finding the Right Neighborhood In Your Home Search

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If you’re a home-buyer searching for your perfect home, you probably have a checklist of criteria that you are looking for: certain number of bedrooms, bathrooms, a modern kitchen maybe, or open floor plan.  One thing that should be high on your list too (and can be overlooked) is the community and neighborhood.  Factors like walkability, HOA (Home Owners Associations), access to walking trails, schools, even neighbors’ upkeep of their homes should all be something to consider too.  Trulia words it perfectly in a recent article I read:

“You can knock down walls and repaint your new home all you want, but when it comes to your neighborhood, you take it as it is. But if you choose the right one, that can be great news.” 

Here are five tips to help you choose a home in a community that is right for you.

  1. Overall ask yourself about the type of scene you are looking for in a neighborhood – a quiet one or a more lively scene.  You may love hanging out in a particular part of town, but when it actually comes to living there, you may find that all the other people hanging out there too & making noise isn’t exactly what you had in mind.
  2. How did you feel on your first impression of the neighborhood?  Did you mind that there were RVs and cars parked all around on the road and in driveways? Did you see many houses that are run down or yards that need work?  Neighborhood associations often have rules around parking on the roads, general upkeep, and even aesthetics of the houses.  If you are concerned about the appearance of your neighborhood as a whole, maybe a one with a HOA is the right for you.  If you didn’t have a good feeling at first of a particular neighborhood, you may want to stick to your gut.
  3.  Decide if walkability is important to you and if so – make sure you understand what is defined as within walking distance.  For example – if you see a house listed as highly walkable, you may have an image of walking to cute “Mom & Pop” shops and cafés only to realize, it is walking distance to a strip mall with only fast food chains and a gas station.  Go visit the house and park the car… walk around and get a feel for the neighborhood & the walks you will go on.
  4. While you are out walking, talk to the neighbors.  What better way to really hear the ins and outs of an area than from a neighbor that already lives there.  There may be complaints or positive features that aren’t obvious from you quick visits.
  5. Check the surrounding features such as whether there are parks or walking trails close to the house.  Also look for elements that may affect the day-to-day living like being near a loud, active train or even a tourist attraction that will bring heavy traffic.  It is also good to look at the school ratings in the area even if you don’t have children as higher rating schools will be better for resale.

In the end, you want to get into a home you love in an area that is right for you.  Taking the extra steps to really study the area as much as the home will pay off in the end.

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If you or anyone you know needs help on their Boulder-Denver home buying search, I’d love to help!  Please reach out through the contact form below or emailing me at beth@goodacreproperties.com.

 

 

 

 

The Home Buying Process

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As a follow-up to my last blog about the home selling process, here is a guide for the other side of a real estate transaction – the home-buying process.  As with selling your home, the process to buy a house can seem complex and confusing at times.  Luckily, you can get help from a real estate professional who will guide you through the process every step of the way.  One thing some first-time home buyers don’t realize is that in most circumstances, the agent’s commission is paid for by the seller of the home, not the buyer.  So this means your representation should cost you nothing!

When you meet with a real estate professional, you will want to discuss what you are looking for in a home & ideal location so they know the parameters of your home search.  Your realtor will likely ask you pretty early on if you will be requiring a loan or paying cash.  If you are getting a loan, you will want to get pre-approved by a lender right away. This helps ensure you are searching for homes in an accurate price-range and when it is time to put an offer on a house, you can quickly have a pre-approval letter to give with your offer showing you can afford a house of that amount.  Having this pre-approval completed at the start will make the process move a lot more smoothly.  If you aren’t sure where to start with finding a lender, your broker may be able to provide recommendations.

The fun part is searching for a home!  Your realtor will search for homes in your criteria & schedule showings as appropriate.  When you are looking at homes, it is important to think beyond just the obvious like number of rooms, size of kitchen, and age of the roof.  You may want to visit my blog post about important things to consider when buying a house.  There is no magic number on the amount of homes you should see before you make an offer.  I always tell my buyers you need to have the right feeling with a house – you should feel at home in it to know it is right for you.  Once you find the right home, your agent will prepare the offer based on the price and terms you choose.  Often there will be some form of negotiation on both sides and once the parties come to an agreement, you are under contract!

The contract will dictate the dates, deadlines, & terms that must be met before closing & possession – these include items like the inspection, appraisal, due diligence documents, record & off-record title, property insurance, loan deadlines, and more.  Your broker should keep you up to speed on all upcoming deadlines and what to expect.  If you are getting a loan, you will also be getting a lot of requests from the lender on information you need to provide.  Staying on top of both of these will help make the process as smooth as possible and not risk delaying close (or worst case, terminating the contract).

The last deadlines will be the closing date & possession (not always the same date).  Closing is the transfer of funds and ownership & the day we are all looking forward to!  A title company or an attorney typically acts as an independent third-party to facilitate the closing.  Post closing & at the time of possession you can celebrate your new home and the new title of being a home owner!  Congratulations!!

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I would love to help you find your next home!  Please contact me below if you have any questions on the home buying process or would like to discuss how I can help you with you real estate needs.  Visit my testimonials page to see what others have to say about working with me.

Learning to Love Gardening

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When we bought our home a few years ago, we moved from a condo to a house with gardens completely surrounding the whole house.  Plus, three additional free-standing gardens around the property.  When I lived in the condo, I could barely keep a plant alive for a month, let alone a massive garden framing the whole house. Here I was with zero gardening experience, poor luck keeping plants alive, and a lot of worries with what the future would bring.

I made it my mission to get our gardens into tip-top shape.  The second that things were starting to warm up that first year, I jumped right in and started to attack the overgrowth & get to planting.  I ripped out anything that was ugly, ignoring my mom’s advice of: “Don’t pull out something that you think is a weed too early – it could be a plant!”  And planted some nice herbs, ignoring my neighbors advice of:  “You have to wait until Mother’s Day to plant anything.”  Well, guess what – they were right and I made my first of many mistakes in my attempt to learn to garden.

And you know what, I discovered that mistakes were okay because that was how I was going to learn.  I was going to plant things that didn’t survive and then I will try to figure out what went wrong – maybe it was too much or too little sun, too much clay in the soil, or even being too tempting for the bunnies to eat.   I learned to listen to other’s people’s advice because I didn’t know what I was doing and they probably learned from their own mistakes.  And I learned to not give up and to keep at it.  Gardens aren’t permanent and you can keep playing & modifying as you learn what works, what doesn’t, and what you like.

I’ve now have had my gardens for three summer seasons and if a new homeowner was to ask me my advice for handling a garden you inherit, here would be my top tips:

  • If you can restrain yourself, I’d suggest waiting a full year before ripping things out. You may prematurely pull out a plant that may not look pretty in spring but have a glorious late summer or fall bloom.  Also my mom was right, some things that look like weeds really are just plantings starting to sprout up.  Some general clean-up once things have sprouted is fine, but I’d wait before removing any plants completely.
  • If you do not know the names or caring tips for the plants & flowers in your garden, I’d suggest you go to a nursery and walk around.  Try to find & identify the plants in your garden and then read the care instructions they have inserted in the plant to learn what to expect for that plant & how to care for it.  I went to the Flower Bin earlier this summer and did just that for a few plants I couldn’t figure out.
  • If your budget allows, hire a professional gardener the second summer to help clean-up & care for the garden.  I am suggesting the second summer because by they you have had time to see your garden in full bloom and what the problem areas may be.  Once you have the professional gardener at your house – ask questions!  Find out why a certain plant isn’t looking so good or how to trim back a plant that is past prime with the blooms.  Learning from an expert will help you know what to do moving forward.
  • If you do plant something yourself, first of all, wait until Mother’s Day to plant. Secondly, make sure you buy the right plant for the space.  Does it have enough room to grow to its full size?  Does it have the right amount of light or shade?  If its edible, will it be protected from critters?  Do you want an annual or a perennial? Planting the right plant in the right spot will give you a huge leg up for success.

Lastly – enjoy!  Give your garden some love but don’t beat yourself up over the mistakes. The mistakes will just make you a better gardener in the end.