Whitney Minnich Real Estate and Community Updates

3 Signs a Neighborhood May Be in Trouble January 11, 2019 How can buyers determine if a community is a good fit for them? Sure, they should walk the neighborhood and make visits at various times of the day. Realtor.com® recently interviewed housing experts to identify signs that a neighborhood could be on the brink of a decline. Here are some of those possible indicators: Several houses are on the market. Two or three homes for sale in close proximity is OK, but more than that could be an indication that something is wrong. “This points to illiquidity in the market and pricing pressure, which is a risk for buyers,” Alison Bernstein, founder of the Suburban Jungle, a real estate strategy firm, told realtor.com®. That said, a neighborhood could be seeing more For Sale signs because it’s rapidly gentrifying and longtime residents are finally looking to move on. But if there are several For Sale signs up on a block, home shoppers may want to do some dig...

Buyers Say Garages, Updated Kitchens Aren’t as Important as This July 25, 2018 The home’s garage, large backyard, and updated kitchen may not be as important to home shoppers as the school district, according to a new survey released by realtor.com® of more than 1,000 people who closed on a home in 2018. Seventy-eight percent of buyers surveyed say they’re willing to give up home features to get their school district of choice, and home shoppers are willing to give up their most desired home features to get that. “Most buyers understand that they may not be able to find a home that covers every single item on their wish list,” says Danielle Hale, chief economist for realtor.com®. “But our survey shows that school districts are an area where many buyers aren’t willing to compromise. For many buyers, ‘location, location, location,’ means ‘schools, schools, schools.’” The extent of compromises that buyers are willing to make to get their top-choice schools may b...