Steve Caswell
Broker
Realty Executives of Sudbury Ltd.
We’ve all heard the saying “Location, Location, Location” when it comes to real estate. So, although this is just a short blog, I thought it was important commentary to consider when buying a house.
Throughout my career, I have worked with some buyers that have told me that they are flexible on where they live. They give me their list of needs and wants and, when I ask about location, they respond with “I don’t care”, “It doesn’t matter”, or “anywhere, as long as you find what I want”. As a buyer, you should absolutely care about where you live and location should be at the top of your list!!!
When I first moved to Sudbury in 1990, I lived in New Sudbury. When I moved out of my family home and into a home with Caz, it was in the South End. Five years later, we moved to Minnow Lake. In less than a year, we moved downtown. Again, in less than a year, off to Wanup where we lived for eight years. We are now back in the South End. We’ve always said the best house we’ll ever own was the house on Horseshoe Lake Road, but it was in the wrong location for our needs. So, speaking from experience, I can tell you that location is the most important thing when buying and should be at the top of your list.
Moving is expensive, time consuming and can be very stressful. Do you really want to have to move again because you are realizing that the commute to work is just too long, that there is nothing in walking distance for the kids, or you need an egg and the closest store is a 15 minute drive?
One of the most dangerous ones we see is “I want to live on such-and-such street because my friend/parents/siblings/etc. live there". What if they were to move, would you still be happy there? Buying a house based on the location of someone else's house can be devastating when you find out their lives have also changed and they're moving.
Location is also a huge factor on the resale of your home when it eventually comes time to sell, so it really should be a factor in your purchase. Most buyers will target the “right areas” so, if you’re buying in one of the wrong locations, buyers are thinking of those things when it comes time to consider your listing.
Almost anything can be done to a house except move it. So, if it is not ticking off all your needs and wants, try to have an open mind in knowing that you can make some adjustments inside the walls and on the property, but it's pretty expensive to pick it up and move it across town. Not to mention, banks aren't too keen on houses with mortgages on them being moved to a new location.....
It is imperative to make sure that that location is suitable for you and your family or, trust me, you will find yourself moving again. And this is advice coming from someone who makes a living off of you moving! Want to move every year and use the Caswell Team? That would be great for us but definitely not great for you and, at the end of the day, our clients ALWAYS come first! So, please, when looking for a house, narrow down that search by knowing where you want to live, be sure that you are selecting that location for the right reasons and wait for the right one within those boundaries to show up instead of dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars “Anywhere”!
We know the city, the areas and the neighbourhoods extremely well. We’re here to assist you when deciding what location is best for your needs. Never hesitate to contact us at caswellteam@realtyexecutives.com to see how we can help and, in the meantime, continue to check back on this blog for more great articles and our website for more information about buying and selling in Greater Sudbury!
Contributed by:
Michelle Caswell
Cell - 705.507.1229
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other salespersons, staff or affiliates of Realty Executives of Sudbury LTD. Brokerage, Realty Executives International, the Sudbury Real Estate Board, Ontario Real Estate Association, Canadian Real Estate Association or any of their subsidiaries. For any concerns pertaining to the content herein, please contact us immediately at caswellteam@realtyexecutives.com.
