Wouldn't you like to avoid any regrets when buying your home for retirement? Then reach out to a local real estate expert from the start!
Kathy Sperl-Bell of Active Adults Realty in Delaware reminds you how important it is to rely on the expertise of a local real estate pro to guide you to a home buying situation you can be happy with.
Are you sure you don't need our help? Hi. This is Kathy Sperl-Bell at Active Adults Realty in Delaware. In real estate, we can have a day like that. One of those days that makes us kind of scratch our head and say, "Don't you wish you'd called us back then?"
This happened last week. It was one of those situations where we had an offer on one of our agent's listings from another agent, and he was working with a couple that had moved to northern Delaware a couple years ago, bought a house, originally I think, they were from New Jersey, and it just wasn't the right house for them. Just wasn't the right location for them. And here they were, making an offer on something that was far more appropriate to what they were trying to do. But now they were going to sell the other house too.
It reminded me of an article I wrote a little while ago about making sure you consider your home's resale value when you buy it, because sometimes things don't work out, sometimes life happens, and you want to make sure that you've thought about possibly selling that home when you buy it.
But back to the story. On that same day, we got a phone call from a couple that had been driving through that same community and called here at the office to inquire about this home for sale. Turned out, they too had moved here from New Jersey and bought a home, kind of a nice home, but just on a regular street, not in any community, and it just wasn't the right decision. They were calling us to hopefully help them find the right kind of home and sell the one that they were living in.
All too often, we as real estate agents find ourselves in this kind of position. I just wish I could get people to understand and share with their friends, please enlist the services of a professional real estate agent, especially when you're moving to an area that you just are not familiar with. To those of you that come to a state like Delaware that you don't know, go out on your own into communities that you might have seen advertised, or perhaps at a retirement show, and you end up falling in love with a house and you buy a house. But that's not the right way to do it, because you're not living in your house, you're going to be living in an area. You're going to be living in a location that hopefully offers the kind of lifestyle that appeals to you.
Real estate is so local, very local. It's down to the specific community. It could be down to the specific street or area part of town. Working with someone that knows the area and is experienced is going to be a huge help, and hopefully, you will not make a bad decision. We're working with some folks right now who said to us just the other day, "Please help us. Don't let us make another mistake, because it's costly."
We always tell our clients, "Stop looking at houses and start thinking about the lifestyle that you're looking for." We tell our agents the same thing, "Don't show them houses. Show them the area. Show them what we have available here in Delaware. When they've decided that Delaware's the right location and come back, now it's time to look at houses." Please save yourself a lot of anguish, save yourself a lot of money, so that you won't be the person calling us in a year or two, asking us to help you sell a house.
When considering relocating after retirement it is important to reach out to a local real estate professional, especially when relocating to a new area like Delaware. The agents at Active Adults Realty know the area and have expert knowledge the communities that would be the right fit for you. Please contact an Active Adults Realty Agent first before you make a move that you regret!
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