In real estate, you have often heard the adage “Location, location, location”.
I find it more accurate to think about Location, lot & locale when picking a
property. When considering the general location, you are thinking about
commuting routes, distance to work, address, strength of the local economy etc.
In this respect, Northern Virginia is one of the strongest markets in the country at
this time. For the lot, you will be determining lot size; do you want a townhouse,
condo with a balcony, half acre or more to take care of? How much privacy
do you want; do you want the property to look out onto trees? Privacy can be
obtained with extra acreage, or with a well placed fence. For locale, you will be
reviewing school information, checking out the neighborhood shopping centers,
parks etc to see if this is the place you want to enjoy your life in.
Often when looking at homes, buyers focus too much on the actual property. You
need to remember to consider the neighborhood (locale) and location, as these
factors can contribute or take away from your general enjoyment of the home.
