Guide to Location

Location, the most overused term in real estate, is best looked at from the perspective of what is valued by the buyer in terms of cost and lifestyle issues at their particular stage in life. Someone who needs to be close to public transportation and is a single parent (Schools and availability of day care) has a whole different set of location priorities than a retiree looking for a wide array of social activities or nearby health care facilities, favorable taxes and year-round weather. That said, the list of pluses below are generally considered as positives things to have nearby for different individuals. Additionally, you will also find a list of things that tend to make a property less appealing to the average buyer. Off course you won’t find them all in one place but the more pluses the better value for your purchase.   

Plus +

•  Major resort destinations; seasonal or year round

• Beach, boardwalks, lakes, mountains, national parks etc.

• Proximity to major employment centers/employers

• Good primary and secondary schools, nearby universities, trade schools, charter schools

• Shopping malls, outlet stores

• City centers, main streets

• Restaurants, sports bars, entertainment and major tourist attractions

• Sports venues/stadiums.

• Leisure activities i.e.: walking and bike paths, tennis, skiing, boating, gulf, etc.

• Public Transportation

Minus –

• High Crime area of cities or towns

• Airport arrival and departure paths of airports

• Noisy trains, bus, truck terminals or warehouses and private vehicle traffic

• Traffic jams, rush hours, special events. Noise from nearby, stadiums or raceways

•   Smells and birds from nearby municipal dumps, sewage plants, industry or farming operations

• Weekly farmers Markets etc.  Noisy Playgrounds and basketball courts. Swim clubs

• Noisy outdoor bars or other attractions

• Flood zones, periodic flooding during weather events, moon tides or river crests, or rainstorms

• Annual special events that have a negative impact on access or egress to a property

• Nearby power lines, pending construction of nearby commercial or industrial projects

• Nuclear power plants, heavy industry, industrial farming, etc. anything that is unsightly and that produces questionable emissions