Are buyers super tired of hearing about the importance of “location, location, location” every single time they work with a real estate agent like myself? Do we agents sound like a broken record, or is there more to these three repetitive nouns?
I have to be honest and tell you that when my husband and I bought our home in Carmichael, CA, I was not much into exercise and I was definitely not a runner. All my husband and I knew was that we wanted to live in Carmichael – the rural feel and yet the central location of Carmichael appealed to us. We loved playing tennis and we did notice that the house we bought was within walking distance from Carmichael Park, which made us happy. Good location!
IMPORTANCE OF LOCATION
I have been in real estate for 17 years and I always try to educate my buyers about the importance of location for two reasons:
- Buying a house on a cul-de-sac, one of the most desirable locations, because of reduced traffic, next to a beautiful park, golf course, bike trail, etc. can enhance the property value of a home and the well-being of its occupants, as it is convenient to exercise.
- Buying a house next to railroad tracks, close to an airport, or on a busy street can decrease the property value of one’s home by as much as 20 percent. http://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/slideshows/8-types-of-roads-that-can-have-a-big-impact-on-home-sales
Therefore, buyers who are more nature, outdoor, and fitness enthusiasts might want to work with an agent who understands the importance of location when it comes to easy access to the bike trail, a public track, close proximity to a fitness club, nature parks, and so on.
FITNESS CHECKLIST
As a real estate broker and fitness fanatic (I am an avid runner and tennis player), I recommend buyers the following checklist to make sure their new home will enhance their easy access to exercising whether it is biking, running, playing golf, tennis, etc.
- Use Google maps to determine the walking distance from your new home to the above-mentioned locations.
- Create your walking/biking/running routes and see how conveniently located you are from your new gym, for instance. I am 1 mile away from two of the gyms I belong to. I love to run or ride my bike there, which makes me feel that I kill two birds with one stone, because I get my run in and do strength training, or take various classes there.
- Rate all the homes you visit based on the exercise convenience factor. For instance, five stars rating means extremely easy access to parks, nature preserve areas, golf courses, tennis courts, and fitness clubs.
- Be realistic about the importance of your fitness goals and the convenience of achieving them based on the location of your home and decide if you can settle for anything less than three stars. Let’s say your new home is close to fitness club, tennis courts, and parks. That is a pretty good location, but as you go lower in stars, you need to decide if you need to keep looking for that three stars or higher fitness house.
- Be very clear and specific with your agent about your fitness goals and the location of your new home and make sure that you do not waste time looking at homes that are far from your desired criteria.
- After having your offer accepted and while in escrow, try some of your routes to make sure that your new neighborhood has a high walking score. Additionally, use this website to find the walking score of your new home https://www.walkscore.com/
To sum things up, I believe buyers should take the fitness factor seriously when buying a home. Analyzing a home’s curb appeal and all the remodeling should be done in connection with your ability to walk many places around your new home/neighborhood. Happy house hunting! Happy feet and happy to help you find that perfect FIT home of your dreams.
For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Running for real estate with joy!