By Barbara Lehrer
Real Talk
Barbara Lehrer
The elections are over, and interest rates are stable with lenders carefully competing against each other. The cold weather is also coming in. Hurrah for the change in temperature, the season of holidays and the time to celebrate with family. Family is what it is all about, and while we get wrapped up in shopping and budgeting for all those gifts, let’s not forget why we come together.
The home, the center of your universe, is exactly what surrounds almost every memory you have. The size, shape and location of this most important place needs to pull together all of your needs as a family. From privacy to group study, from entertaining to grandparent visits, this universe you create is specialized to you and yours. Make sure it warrants the trouble you go through to achieve every morsel of happiness.
If it means searching out the perfect property, then think to yourself, when am I going to do it? Is now the time? Can I make a goal, with a list of reasons, to put some effort into the future of the family and all the space it requires to function to its fullest?
This is the perfect time to reflect on the opportunities right in front of you. Interest rates are stable and inventory is up – a far cry from where it has been the last year. This means that both buying and selling has options. Don’t distance yourself from the commitment to move and the work you will do with your realtor to find that special place for you and yours.
I find that clients put off the commitment to change their property only to later complain about the opportunities that they missed. That perfect home is always out there, as my 40 years in business can attest to. The wish list you put together can help define the goal, and even if you only achieve 80 percent of what you imagined could be, you are already giving your family more joy, new memories and a greater place to grow than what was.
The definition of upgrading in real estate is to use the knowledge of your current lifestyle to help prepare the next house as one more customized to you. Use life’s opportune moments to make it happen for yourself and your loved ones.
Keep in mind that your help, the realtor you employ, researches styles, renovation ideas and many other versatile solutions to whet your appetite. Options are crucial to your decision; why not get them all listed? What is important to you in a relocation scenario can include education, for example. Your agent has all the information you need.
The current statistics on new construction or hot new listings, are all part of what an active agent can help you find, even before that information becomes available to the broader public. From construction loans to remodeling budgets, a study on your current property can initiate a conversation about whether you are staying or selling. You will decide yourself on what to do, but with a balanced idea about what kind of possibilities there are and a realistic commitment that is important for you.
If you need more information on these issues, email Barbara.Lehrer@cbmoves.com.