 Home Buyers
Tips Archive
Location, Location,
Location
Before you are very far into your house-hunting, someone
will tell you the oldest real estate joke (almost the only real estate joke) that the
three most important factors in the value of a house are (1) location, (2) location and
(3) location.
It’s true, too. A house costing $600,000
in Beverly Hills might sell, on a comparable lot in the suburbs of Peoria, for $100,000.
Never in the history of this country have location differences been so marked. Closer to
home, you know yourself that a modest home in the most expensive suburb is worth much more
than the identical house in an inner-city neighborhood.
From a buyer’s point of view, there are
two ways of looking at this location preference, which appraisers call situs. The
classic advice is to buy the modest house on a more expensive street. Such a house is easy
to resell, and it’s value will hold up well, for there are always buyers eager for
the prestige of that particular neighborhood. And remodeling or adding to it is possible
because alterations won’t push it out of the price range for that area.
On the other hand, the most luxurious house on
the street won’t ever repay the owner for the money invested. No matter how elegant
it may be, buyers with money to spend will aim at another, fancier neighborhood.
In one way, then, an over improved house
represents an opportunity for the buyer who wants lots of space and luxury features and
isn’t worried about resale value. If you think you will live in the house for a long
time and you like the area, you may be able to pick up a great deal for your money.
Where, then, are the bargains?
- Sloppy houses, otherwise well maintained
- Family situations of stress: divorce, death, illness
- Property over improved for it’s neighborhood
- The modest house on a prestigious street
The last is, perhaps, not so much a bargain as
it is a classic good investment.
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