Best Communities for an Active Lifestyle

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If you like to stay active there are communities that may be perfectly suited to your needs. It’s not just a matter of finding a home near a park. Some communities have amenities that make it so you don’t have to leave your neighborhood to have some fun. What are the best places to live if you are in Brazos Valley and have an active lifestyle?  Here are some things to talk about with your College Station realtor.

HOA amenities

When you are looking for a house it’s good to also look at the neighborhood. A neighborhood with an HOA is likely to have amenities. Here in Central Texas, pools are a nice thing to have because of our long hot summers. Opting with a neighborhood pool means you won’t have to worry about maintenance or hiring someone to take care of your personal pool. An HOA swimming pool is close to home and usually restricted to HOA members. So it’s unlikely to be overcrowded unless someone gets permission for a party. 

Another amenity is fitness centers. While you may have some of your own fitness equipment, an HOA fitness center is likely to have more of what you need. By letting the HOA buy all of the equipment you are avoiding the cost of transforming one of the rooms in your home into a home gym. It’s always nice to have extra room in your home. 

Tennis/Basketball courts are another amenity that your HOA may have. This is especially good for families, you don’t have to go far to find a fun activity for yourself and the kids. 

City amenities

Cities often provide recreation areas. Living near a park is good, but not all parks are the same. Some have trails for jogging and biking and others may have amenities that your HOA doesn’t have. Also, parks can be a good place to be active with your family and pets, particularly dogs. 

Fitness facilities

If you are considering a gym membership, there are gyms all throughout Bryan-College Station. The neighborhood you really love may just be right next to the one you want. There are also places for other physical activities like rock climbing. Let your College Station realtor know what you’re looking for and she can help. 

Rural communities

Outside of the city, you can find a home with lots of land and quiet streets. While jogging in the city is fun, it’s also nice to have room to roam on your own land.  With more land, you can have a pool or install some of your own amenities. The privacy of a home in the country is an added benefit.  Also, the farther you are from the city, the more chances you’ll have to go hiking. Ask your realtor about parks with hiking trails. 

Whatever you’re looking for, make sure you talk to your College Station realtor so you can have help finding the right place for you. She can help you find the amenities you need close to home. Whether it’s HOA amenities, a public park, or fitness centers your realtor knows Brazos Valley better than anyone.

800 Bethpage Ct, College Station, TX 77845

4 Common Real Estate Myths

4303 Willowick Dr

Every trade has its own myths surrounding it, but in real estate, myths can cost you money. Here are some ideas you may have come across or believed yourself. Take a look at these myths and see how believing them could be detrimental to your next real estate transaction. 

Myth #1: Selling a home without the help of an agent will save you money.

“For Sale By Owner” properties can actually lose money. The reason is that the owners selling the property are not often well versed in real estate transactions. With the help of a realtor a lot of costly mistakes could be avoided. For example, you may not know how to negotiate the best price fro your home. Simply overpricing it to allow room for negotiation could leave your house sitting on the market for months longer than you can afford. 

Myth #2: Price your property above its value to leave room for negotiation.

It seems logical that since real estate transactions often involve negotiations, you should price your property in anticipation of a buyer asking you to lower the price. The problem with this is that buyers are cautious with their money. When they see several internet listings of properly priced homes, they might not even bother to look at your home to begin negotiations. 
Pricing your house correctly will make the buyers more likely to show up and take an interest. 

Myth #3: Find the perfect house and then get pre-approved for a loan

One of the first steps in the search for a new home is getting a pre-approval for a loan. Why?  Because you need to know exactly how much you’ll be able to spend on your new home. It would be terrible to fall in love with a home only to find out you can’t buy it. Sure, you can have a house in mind and ask the bank if you can have a loan for a house in that price range, but don’t wait until you’ve made your mind up to buy a certain house. You may end up heartbroken. 

Myth #4: Realtors will say anything to get a sale.

Realtors have to follow strict rules and regulations in order to keep their license. Before becoming a licensed realtor, every realtor has to learn ethics and the rules and regulations that dictate real estate transactions and their behavior. 

Also, realtors get much of their business by word of mouth. If they go around making people angry, they won’t stay in business for long. So, they have every reason to be honest and straightforward with you.  That way you can tell your friends and family all about your wonderful realtor whenever one of them wants to buy or sell a home.