What is the most important thing to consider when buying a home in Seattle or any other city in the world? All real estate agents will tell you that it is the location. But how crucial is location when buying a home?
Just think about it – you may find a home of your dreams that has a beautiful yard, just the right number of rooms, and all the amenities you ever wanted and needed. Still, if that home is in an undesirable neighborhood, you will certainly not buy it, right?
On the other hand, if you find a home that is entirely out of shape but is located in your desired neighborhood, you will probably buy it.
This is all because you can change pretty much anything in a home via renovations and upgrades – but you can never change its location. The location is static! Location is one thing you can never change once you buy a home. Because of that reason (and others that we will mention soon), location is the most crucial thing when purchasing a home.
The Schools
If you are moving to Seattle with your family and have school-aged children, you must be looking for neighborhoods with good-quality primary, secondary, and high schools. After all, the education of your children is your top priority! Thus, it would be best to choose a Seattle neighborhood according to this feature first.
However, you should consider schools even if you do not have children. Owning a home located in a neighborhood with good schools is the best way to retain the value of your home and increase it.
Good schools also mean low crime rates, well-developed transportation systems, etc. so, a neighborhood with good schools will always be desirable (and well priced).
Moreover, you do not have to be family and children-oriented to look for neighborhoods with good schools. Many business people and retirees, for example, will always be interested in these kinds of areas because they are safe and practical.
Crime Rates
The safety of a specific neighborhood should be another crucial point to consider when trying to evaluate a home’s location. After all, no one wants to live in an area that is dangerous and troubling.
Luckily, it is effortless to find out on your own whether a home you are interested in buying is located in a neighborhood with high crime rates or not. Thus, before you call your movers to arrange your long-distance relocation in Washington and let them get your belongings to Seattle, make sure to check online crime reports about the neighborhood you are moving to.
You can find those reports on various websites such as Neighborhood Scout, Family Watch Dog, etc.
Moreover, most of Seattle’s neighborhoods have their own websites where they post about everything going on, including local crime reports, so be sure to check them out too.
Transportation
Even though we live in the 21st century, some neighborhoods in Seattle do not have well-developed transportation systems. This includes the subway, trains, buses, etc.
Of course, everybody relies on public transport in cities as big as Seattle, where traffic jams are crazy. Rare are the people who drive there. Thus, transportation plays a significant role when it comes to choosing the location of your new home.
Just think about it – would you move to a home that does not have an option for commuting to work except for driving yourself? Or, would you move to a home that would require you to drive your kids to and from school each day? Probably not.
It does not matter whether you are renting a home in Washington or buying one; always think about its location and its most essential amenities, such as transportation.
Amenities
Just as good schools and well-developed transportation systems, each neighborhood needs amenities. Those are places like restaurants, coffee shops, supermarkets, various stores, banks, dry cleaners, pet shops, clinics, and pretty much everything you would need for a normal life.
Imagine having to live somewhere where there are no amenities, just houses, and buildings. Would you start your car once or twice a day just to buy bread or pay a bill? Nobody would! We live in a fast-paced world, and almost everybody wants to have all the amenities on hand – they make our lives easier.
A neighborhood ‘equipped’ with all the necessary amenities is more desirable for living, and thus, more valuable. The only time you should not be looking at the neighborhoods’ amenities is when you are buying a home on a deserted island!
The Neighbors
For better or for worse, you are stuck with your neighbors. Whether they are your best friends or your worse enemies, you cannot change them.
Thus, when buying a home in Seattle, or anywhere else for that matter, meet your potential neighbors first! See the way they talk, walk, etc. See the condition of their home and yard.
Some may be playing loud music; some may have dangerous dogs; some may even be criminals.
When living close to people who are, let’s say, unbearable, you will have many difficulties. They may make your life painful, and they may cause problems selling your home later on.
Thus, open your eyes and ears widely when buying a home. Even if you find the most fantastic home with the most exceptional amenities, your bad neighbors will ruin it.
So, how crucial is location when buying a home? Very!
As you can see, picking the right location when buying a home will affect a lot of things. The most notable ones will be your quality of life and the value of your property. So, pick wisely!