Growing up, I remember vividly the manner in which my parents gave directions … and not the north-south-east-
way we were all taught. No, our cars followed our stomachs: You’ll go 5 minutes down Main and you’ll see Taco
Bell on your left and Chik-Fil-A on the opposite right corner, turn there. Go another 2 or 3 blocks and there will be
a Starbucks as you come over the hill, that’s just before your next left turn so slow down. After the left, drive past
the picnic gazebo and drive past the Alberton’s, the neighborhood you want will be just ahead …
What I didn’t realize as kid has become the key ingredient to my success as a Realtor … Location, Location,
Location!
“Where you are going to spend your time and your energy is one of the most important decisions you get to make
in life,” encourages Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Not everyone is going to salivate over the same perks inside a home much less on what the local amenities are, I
get it! It’s important for each buyer to consider what is important to them, not just what’s the new hot spot on
Yelp.
Schools: One of the biggest decisions parents face is selecting a school district. After all, the right one has a
massive effect on kid’s social health, education and overall academic career. Some factors to consider and research
include state test score averages, technology, class size, district diversity, extracurricular and after school
programs, awards or accreditations. Many of these answers can be found nationally using GreatSchools.org.
Active Lifestyle: By definition, an active lifestyle is integrating physical activities like exercise, walking the dog,
aerobics, and playing to your daily life. Identifying how you live-work and PLAY helps to narrow the field and find
the slice of the pie that fits. Ask questions about local greenbelts and walking paths, map out where there’s a golf
course. If you’re eager to join an adult soccer league or be part of the local pee-wee football association, know if
it’s a reasonable distance [per your threshold] to make it to the practice field. Often the local Chamber of
Commerce has information on community organization and plat plans for where fields and courses lie.
Church and Work: Each of these are easy to measure on an app yet knowing how that translates to time can only
be factored by taking a drive. If getting to and from the office or your religion small-group meeting is a
consideration, plan opportunities to start from the neighborhood that grabs your eye and commute to each of
these points [at times you would travel if living there] and do the same in reverse. Nothing sours faster than a poor
choice that was easily avoided.
Family Friendly: Of all the items on the shopping list, this is the most difficult to figure out. One, a Realtor can not
legally provide demographic information related to ages, genders, denominations, etc. Also, every person is going
to think of this criteria differently! Do you mean a subdivision with primarily with parents pushing strollers? Or are
you wanting a community with multi-generations living on the same block? Two methods I recommend for feeling
out the neighborhood are driving thru after work and on the weekends to see who’s walking around and go to the
local market (not Target or Walmart) to see who’s shopping … in each case, those could be your future neighbors.
Finding a house is more than drooling over wood floors and gas cooktops, it’s the whole package!