Real Estate Appraisal Blog

 Finding a home that fits your dream list can be difficult. Add in a child (or two), and the criteria can get even tighter.

Take the McGinnis family, which was on the hunt for a more spacious home that could accommodate two home offices in the Dallas area.

“Working with Opendoor, my wife and I were able to buy a new home, sell our current house and skip the hassle of preparing for open houses with two small kids,” Billy McGinnis said. “The entire process was quick and easy, and allowed us to stay in our preferred location and school district for our kids.”

With schools across the country in session, the experts at Opendoor are helping parents and guardians find their perfect homes with this list of top cities and towns for families based on family-friendly features, including parks, picnic sites, swimming pools and proximity to schools.

The top 15 family-friendly cities and towns:

1. Cambridge, Massachusetts
2. Cliffside Park, New Jersey
3. Arlington, Virginia
4. Chandler, Arizona
5. Tracy, California
6. North Richland Hills, Texas
7. Denver, Colorado
8. Portland, Oregon
9. Boulder, Colorado
10. Anaheim, California
11. Coral Gables, Florida
12. Kent, Ohio
13. Ann Arbor, Michigan
14. Mission, Kansas
15. Avondale Estates, Georgia

Other key criteria for family-friendly places to live include:

Academic Excellence
According to a real estate trends report, among the most common reasons homeowners cite for selling their homes is to seek a better school district.

The Great Outdoors
Research from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services shows children who play outdoors have lower stress levels, develop stronger immune systems and play more creatively. If you’re looking to maximize outdoor experiences, you can feel right at home in Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; or Ann Arbor, Michigan. Each of these areas offers wide open spaces where children can learn and explore.

Small-Town Feel
If you’re seeking a small-town feel with big city amenities nearby, look no further than Arlington, Virginia or Avondale Estates, Georgia. Both locations offer areas for outdoor play, neighborhoods with strong community feel and a wide selection of restaurants and coffee shops the entire family can enjoy.

“Deciding where to settle down and buy a home is a difficult decision, especially for families with children,” Opendoor’s Consumer Trend Expert Beatrice de Jong said. “We found that most family-friendly cities on our list have quite a few common features – whether that’s a small-town feel or plenty of outdoor spaces to explore. With Opendoor, families can buy, sell and move at the tap of a button. Buyers can take advantage of virtual tours to view properties without leaving home, and sellers can receive preliminary offers in minutes while skipping the hassle of stagings and open houses.”

Whether you are buying or selling your home, visit opendoor.com for a streamlined experience.

Methodology: Opendoor’s family-friendly cities and towns are identified by analyzing and averaging the number of OpenStreetMap ‘family friendly’ tags that are within 3 miles of all addresses in a city where Opendoor Brokerage operates. These indicators include such phrases as: community center, garden, museums, park, picnic site, playground, school, swimming pool and supermarket.

 

 

 SOURCE:
Opendoor

 

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Write down what you want, why you want it, and how you can achieve it. 
The importance of writing down goals is often overlooked.

It's one thing to have a goal in your head, but it's another thing entirely to have it down on paper (or digitally, as the case may be).

There are a few key reasons why writing your goals down is so important. For one, it makes them more concrete and real. It's one thing to think about what you want to achieve, but it's another thing to actually see it in front of you.

Writing your goals down also allows you to track your progress. When you have a goal that's just floating around in your head, it's hard to tell how far you've come or how close you are to achieving it. But when you write it down, you can physically see your progress and how close you are to your goal.

Basic Tips for Beginners Investing in Real Estate

 

Investing in real estate can be a challenging process for beginners. However, there are basic tips that make it easier. Real estate is a major investment, so ensure you approach it with care and consideration. Following these tips will help you get started.

 

Which Investment Method is Right for You?

 

Most real estate investors choose one of these methods:

 

1. Buying shares of a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)
2. Purchasing actual real estate to rent out or flip

 

The differences between the two are huge, so this is a big decision.

 

Investing in a Real Estate Investment Trust

 

If you select the REIT method, then you’ll be purchasing shares of a portfolio of real estate. REITs have professional managers that select the real estate in the trust. This method is similar to purchasing a mutual fund, where you just invest your money and don’t have anything to do with managing the real estate yourself.

 

A real estate investment trust can be a good investment. It’s easier to enter the real estate market through REITs. You can buy shares at a level that’s comfortable for you and hold them or sell them whenever you’re ready.

 

Many REITs also pay dividends monthly or quarterly and offer you the choice to automatically reinvest your dividends into the trust, automatically growing your number of shares until you’re ready to start receiving the dividends to supplement your income.

 

It’s important to research multiple trusts and compare them before you invest. Study the terms of each trust and how money is added. Has this been a profitable trust? Even though past performance doesn’t guarantee that future profits will be similar, you can see how their investment philosophies and methods have worked out in various real estate environments.

 

Investing in Actual Real Estate

 

Buying actual real estate is a large investment. Do you want to buy properties, fix them up, and flip them? Or would you like to hold on to the properties and rent them out?

 

Have you considered all of the obligations that come with owning extra property? Can you afford additional mortgages and property taxes? What about repairs and maintenance costs of the property?

 

Investing in homes, businesses, or apartments is a big decision. Plus, these investments are not liquid, like REITs. If you want to get out of the investment, it could take some time to sell the property.

 

Consider these aspects of buying, managing, and selling properties:

 

1. Decide if you want to manage your properties. Being a property manager is a challenge, and there are other options. You can hire management companies or individuals to handle the process for you. They’ll be responsible for dealing with the property and potential tenants.

    

   • If you decide to handle the property on your own, be prepared for a time investment, as well as a money investment.

      

2. Consider potential tenants. Properties that are sold empty will have to be filled.

    

   • What type of tenant is the property most likely to attract? Can you recoup the cost of the mortgage payment each month?

      

   • Make a list of tenant aspects that you favor, such as not having pets or not being a smoker. These requirements will help protect your property and make it easier to choose tenants.

      

3. Think about the market long-term and the area. Does your property investment show potential growth?

    

   • The area around your property also matters. Are the schools highly ranked? Is the city planning new developments? All of these factors affect the long-term value of your investment.

      

4. Make spreadsheets for each property you’re considering. Research is the key to making an informed real estate choice.

 

• A spreadsheet is an easy way to organize your real estate finds. You can create fields for addresses, phone numbers, square feet, yards, rooms, prices and other aspects. You can also add your own feelings to the spreadsheet such as likely to buy or may or may not buy.

   

• Lining up the properties in a spreadsheet lets you immediately see the winners.

 

Investing in real estate is a big step. Consider talking to a professional advisor about your options to ensure you’re aware of all the possibilities and downsides. By thinking ahead and carefully planning your investment, you can make more money and avoid headaches.

 

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