finding your dream neighborhood
what homebuyers look for while searching for the right community
THE MANY DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS THAT COMPRISE THE GREATER ALBUQUER
QUE METRO AREA are varied with their own advantages and disadvantages. Choosing just the right one can take a lot of research, legwork and some computer time. There are many great neighborhoods that speak to different homebuyers.
location, location, location
Some people may be enchanted by the unparalleled views of the middle Rio Grande Valley and the mountains snuggled against the west bank of the river. Others may enjoy the shopping amenities and at-hand mountain trails of living in the Northeast Heights. The nearby, nightlife possibilities of the Nob Hill or Downtown area may also appeal to some of the younger homebuyers, while the rural nature and winding avenues of the South Valley could be a draw for others. Those seeking the same thing and don’t mind a bit of a drive may opt for the farther south area in Valencia County.Young families may be attracted to the highly rated school districts in Rio Rancho.
A Realtor can help prospective homebuyers investigate different neighborhoods that meet certain criteria, but the onus has to be on the buyer. “We can ask what things about the location might be important,”said Joe Gilmore, Coldwell Banker Legacy. “We can ask whether people might want to bike to work or if they want kids to walk to their elementary school or be close to parks or close to freeways. Those kinds of questions can help us help people in terms of where they might want to live.”
understanding clients
It really comes down to getting to understand the buyer, said Helen Jackson of Q Realty. “I usually try to get to know the clients,” she said.“I have a little questionnaire I ask them to fill out. I ask them about their personalities, their family members living in the area, what their families like to do, work, if school is important, or being close to schools and drive time to work or schools. What do they like to do for fun? Sometimes that comes into play in guiding them.”
Gleaning that all-important information, coupled with a pre-qualification budget, Jackson will suggest several possibilities for buyers to consider.“I’m a native of Albuquerque so I know my way around. I think I have a good background for different neighborhoods. Based on what they prequalify for we find out what they can buy in different areas,”Jackson said.“We’ll see what they can get in their price range and show them different areas of town that they may not have thought about. If they commute to work how is the drive time. Some people come from the northeast and don’t think anything about an hour and a half commute,”she added.
tight or spacious neighborhoods
It’s very different, depending on whether or not they have kids. If they don’t have kids, it can be their work. Again, it’s often a matter of trying to combine as many factors as possible, Gilmore said.“Some people want to be in neighborhoods that are spread out,”he said. “They’ll say, ‘I don’t want my house to be five feet from the neighbor’s house and be able to have a conversation without leaving the house.’ Others don’t want that much yard.” The proliferation of tight neighborhoods with restrictive covenants is another area that can either attract or repel a buyer, Gilmore said.
“Some may say, ‘I want to be in a close community with community pools, parks, community recreation,’and things of that nature,”he said.“They want the tighter restrictive covenants with homeowners’rules and regulations.There are neighborhoods that have things like that and then there are others that don’t.”
internet guides
Many prospective homebuyers these days, however, have already done a significant amount of research along these lines, Gilmore said.“What we find is that because people will do a lot of research online, they often times will have a pretty good idea of areas that they are interested in,”he said.“While there is a lot of time talking about location, we spend as much time or more time on amenities that the house has. Its features, layouts, number of bedrooms, garage bays, that sort of thing.”
Some buyers, however, don’t have that luxury as they are being recruited to the city for a job and looking into neighborhoods somewhat on the fly. “I’ll take them to different parts of town, depending on their lifestyle,”said Jackson, who is often contacted by employers to help potential employees.“I can’t steer them to a certain neighborhood,”she said.“I can guide them to different web sites, demographics and stats as far as crime stats. I try to guide them, by giving them websites so they satisfy their needs.”For instance, when buyers want information about schools, Jackson will give them information about the local school districts’ websites. Likewise, for crime information, she will give buyers websites for the local police and sheriff’s departments.
In her years on the job helping buyers find the right home and the right neighborhood, Jackson said there has really only been one question that really stumped her.“One of the request I haven’t been able to put my finger on, somebody wanted to know if there was a Thai community,”she said.“We’re tri-cultural, but that was a little bit outside of my experience.”