Like this Blog? 
Here are some tips to help prevent buyer’s remorse! |
|
| Think you’ve found your perfect new home and ready to make an offer? Before you do, here are some tips to help prevent buyer’s remorse.
|
|
| 1. Drive through the neighborhood in the morning, afternoon, and in the evening. Drive through on a weekday, weekend and holiday if you can. Each time gives you an idea how busy the area is with traffic, how quiet or noisy it is and how active or empty it is. I know a fellow (not one of my clients) that looked at what he thought was his perfect condo, bought it with out checking it out at different times of the day. What he didn’t tell his agent was that he worked several nights a week and slept during the day. What the agent did not disclose that there was a glass-recycling container in a shopping center right near his unit… |
 It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood! |
|
2. Visit the schools your kids may be attending and speak with the principal to get a tour during the school day if possible. That will give you and idea of class size, facilities and how the student body behaves.
3. Drive to and from your workplace during your regular commute. What may be a quick fifteen minutes during non rush hour can be a nightmare when everybody is going to work or home. |
|
 Any Cat Burglers in the Hood?
|
4. Talk with the neighbors. Take this with a grain of salt; you may get truth or nasty gossip. But you may want to know Mr. Smith mows his lawn in a Speedo, and it is not a pretty sight…
5. Check with your state sex offender registry and your local sex offender site. In Hawaii you can find this information here, each state has their own list. |
| 6. Visit SpotCrime or local online crime reports such as the Oahu Statistics by District Sector to see the activity in the area. Your agent is prohibited by Federal law to disclose types of people and crime information, but you can research for yourself.
7. What’s going on in the surrounding area? Is there a busy street or highway, major long-term construction, or other issues close by? Are there major sports arenas near your neighborhood? When there is a football game people here on Oahu plan their commute around it, because traffic in that area turns into a parking lot. I learned this the hard way. I had forgotten about a Big Game and decided to go home via Aloha Stadium area. What normally took me forty-five minutes turned into a three-hour stint. Good thing I am mellow and love my Jazz radio, but there was some nasty road rage going on around me.  Chill, People! Remember, you are not just buying a house; you are buying a lifestyle and a neighborhood. Remember Mr. Smith and his Speedo?
Aloha,
|
|