Schools? Walkability? What's Important to Buyers?

Identifying your preferences for the type of home and neighborhood you want to live in are typically among the first things I want to get you to look at when we first start working together. For every client, there is a different motivation for what they are looking for and where it is.

Debating between the convenience of a short commute versus the spaciousness of suburban living can be challenging when deciding upon the right home. Understanding the preferred characteristics of a neighborhood can be as important as those of a home. Whether it’s a suburban single-family home with more schooling options for children or a townhouse in the city with better access to public transit, it is important that homebuyers identify the communities that best serve their preferences and needs.

The National Association of Realtors® 2017 National Community and Transportation Preferences Survey polled adults from across the U.S. about what they are looking for in a community and found the following:

• Young buyers continue to view their dream neighborhood as a walkable, mixed-use community.
• 6 out of 10 millennials prefer walkable communities and short commutes, even if it means sacrificing living in a larger home with space to stretch their legs.
• Millennials are not the only generation of homebuyers, however, that prefer walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods. Members of the silent generation, those born before 1944, also prefer smaller homes in neighborhoods with easy walks to shops and restaurants.
• Over 50 percent of the silent generation prefer walkable communities and short commutes, even if it means living in an apartment or townhouse.
• Gen-Xers and baby boomers show a preference toward suburban living, with 55 percent of both groups saying that they are comfortable with a longer commute and driving to amenities if it means living in a single-family, detached home.
• Homebuyers with children tend to shift their priorities when their kids get older. According to the report, six out of 10 millennials with kids in school characterize the ideal neighborhood as more of a conventional suburban area with homes containing more square feet and larger backyards.  

There are many things we'll discuss to get to the heart of what you are looking for, and where. By discussing the above and much more, it will give me the information I need to set up a search that will bet meet your needs and desires and get us up and running quickly. And in this market, that's imperative!