Want More Happiness? Take Charge Of Your Life. Project Happiness Teaches Proven Habits To Increase Happiness

Want more Happiness? Take charge of your life. Project Happiness teaches proven habits to increase happiness in individuals and communities worldwide. Join us.

Joly House by Stu/D/O Architects

3 Questions You Should Ask Before Buying That Home

You’ve finally made the decision to purchase either your first home or another home! This means that it’s time to start the homebuying process. You’ve either experienced this for yourself or heard it from others, but purchasing a home is both a time and financial commitment. 

The last thing any homebuyer wants to feel is that they’ve made the wrong decision. There are lists of questions that you could ask, but here are 3 questions you should ask yourself before deciding which home to purchase:

Have you explored every area of the home?

Do you know what the neighborhood is like?

Do you know the house’s past?

Learn more by reading the full article on David Taran’s website.

Lataliana Villas in Bali, Indonesia

A Desired Commodity: How Real Estate Prices Are Affected By School Districts

When searching for a new home, what attributes are potential homebuyers prioritizing over others? Obviously the details of the home are important: the square footage of the home, the number of bedrooms, the age of the home, etc. But there are other factors that will influence whether a home is purchased or sold. In addition to considerations like the neighborhood crime rate and the home’s closeness to important amenities, the quality of the school districts in the area also takes top priority and can actually affect the surrounding real estate properties.

More Money For Better Schools

Some families are so particular about the type of school district they enroll their children in that it will single-handedly influence whether or not they look at a home in a certain neighborhood. The home could match every quality they are looking for but, if it is outside of an esteemed school district, they may not even bother scheduling a showing.

The standard for a good school district is so high that buyers are even willing to make sacrifices if it means they can live in an area with a better school. A study done by realtor.com found that one in every five buyers would sacrifice something like an extra bedroom to be in a good district, with one out of every three buyers willing to downsize to a much smaller house.

It doesn’t stop at a spatial downsize, either. That same study found that one person out of every five homebuyers would pay between 6-10% over their original budget, while one out of ten buyers would be willing to pay 20% over budget. Depending on the market, that could be a substantial difference in what a home could ultimately sell for.

Better Schools Can Determine The Price Of A Home

Because homebuyers are so particular about the surrounding school districts, homeowners who live in one of these desired areas can sell their homes at a higher cost – the data clearly shows that people are willing to pay for it. There are two main reasons why a better district has become such a sought-after commodity:

A Focus On Education

The primary – and perhaps most obvious – reason is that individuals who either have a family or who are planning to start a family in the near future want to make sure their children are receiving the best education possible. If a better education means spending more on a home, it’s evident that people are willing to pay more out of concern for their children’s futures.

A More Desirable Property

Some individuals who don’t have children, or whose children have grown and moved on, look to buy a home in one of these areas simply because they will have a better chance at not only selling their homes in the future, but making more of a profit when they do.

This is definitely something to keep in mind whether you will soon be looking for a new home for your family or if you already live in an area with a good school district and are planning to eventually sell your home.

Originally published on David Taran’s website.

The swing is a nice touch

Blog here: http://markskeen.net/menlo-gateway-gets-the-green-light/