Valuing Your Conveniently Located Home

When preparing your home for a sale, there are three things that move any house: location, location, location! Yes, location is so important that it is worthy of three mentions. Truly, if you home is in the right place, you could and should receive a premium price over a similar home in a less desirable location. Other factors play into location and you need to know what they are before listing your home for sale, otherwise you could be selling your home for too little.

Close In - With fuel prices in the $3 per gallon range commuters who once adored their one hour trip to their bargain country estate are rethinking their choice of living arrangement. The appeal of more house for less money evaporates when the $32 per week gas charge surges to $100 or more. Although they may not be the ones to make the move closer in, others will be more willing to live where you live if you are in an area where everything is conveniently and accessible.

Highway Access - Neighbors groan when a highway access ramp is placed in a once quiet neighborhood. If you are several blocks removed from the ramp, you house value may jump as you are suddenly much more accessible to the highway that leads to the city where everyone works.

New Schools - A recent school expansion or all new school building has a big appeal to homebuyers especially if the kids had previously been bussed clear across town. Neighborhood schools are extremely popular and favored by parents who want to have easy access to their child's school.

Malls, Stores - Mall traffic can bring down a neighborhood's home values or it could raise them instead. If traffic flows directly through your neighborhood, then that is bad. If your neighborhood isn't affected by mall traffic then the convenience to stores will be considered a plus.

Town Centers - Downtowns are seeing a resurgence across the US as homeowners want what they had when they were kids. There is something about a downtown area that draws residents together: parades, art shows, street fairs, and the like are popular; if you live in the vicinity of a thriving downtown filled with shops, restaurants, and other cultural amenities you can profit from the accessibility.

Truly, there is a lot more that goes into a home's price than what sometimes meets the eyes. Study your neighborhood closely and price your home to reflect the neighborhood's overall appeal.