Barrett Sotheby's International Realty
1688 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 02420
781-264-2661 | judy@judymoore.com
1688 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 02420
781-264-2661 | judy@judymoore.com
Photo by Kaboompics.com via Pexels
Since they see a lot more traffic than their inset counterparts, homes on the corner lot receive a lot of flak. As a result of these rumors, homebuyers might feel their hopes fall as they encounter the otherwise perfect house situated on these open properties. Much to their relief, however, many find that there is actually a lot to love about homes on the corner. To help you see if this is the right property for you, here’s a rundown of all the benefits of living on a corner lot.
Upon buying a corner property, you may have access to two long stretches of road for parking. With that, you can have plenty of guests over at any given time, knowing you have all the space in the world for them to park their vehicles. You can also cozy your own cars up to the curb as needed to clear out the driveway for other activities.
Everyone loves more yard space and corner lots come with plenty extra at the side to abide by the city code. Many city’s setback rules often require that the side of the house sit between 10 to 25 feet from the road. This provides much more room to run and play, not only at the side of your house but along the front and back as well.
Without another house to the side, homes on the corner often have a much wider view from both the front and back porches. They also tend to have more light coming from all sides, making the space look and feel much larger. This creates a better view for those who love to observe all the action in their neighborhood and gaze upon the surrounding landscape.
There is no doubt that corner houses have a lot more traffic breezing by at all hours of the day. People on foot, bicycles, and in cars constantly putter by on their way to all the day’s activities. As they cruise on by, you can meet quite a few by giving a wave and a quick hello. When time allows, they may stop for a brief chat, giving you a chance to make connections with your neighbors and even gain a few friends along the way.
If you love having more room all around, enjoying excellent views, and meeting new people, then a home on a corner lot might be right up your alley. So, keep your options open as you look for the perfect residence because you never know what type of lot your dream home will come on.
New technologies are constantly being produced that are designed to make our lives easier. Technology around the home is no different.
America recently underwent a boom in residential solar power, a trend that doesn’t look like it will be slowing down anytime soon. And, big tech companies like Google and Amazon are trying to nudge their way into the smart home technology sector with devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home.
Many of these tools and technologies are great for convenience around the house. Amazon Dash buttons let you reorder common household goods like paper towels and laundry detergent with the touch of a button in your pantry when you run low.
However, some forward-thinking homeowners are looking towards home improvements that can increase the resale value of their home by making it more desirable to potential buyers.
In today’s post, we’re talking about the latest tech that homeowners are buying to give their home an edge over the competitors in the real estate market.
Read on to find out which technologies can make a difference and which ones will soon be obsolete.
Our phones have gradually become all-encompassing devices that help us organize our lives, and smart home tech companies hope to do the same thing with your home.
There is no shortage of competition for access to your home in the form of remotely controlled lighting, sprinklers, HVAC, and more.
And, while some state of the art systems might attract potential buyers, it’s important to remember that smart home tech is a fledgling industry.
That means that the tech is constantly evolving and might not be relevant or useful to potential buyers when it comes time to sell your home. (It would be like trying to sell an iPhone that is 4 generations too old for anyone to want it anymore.)
While home security technology is still rapidly changing, there is a benefit to having a system installed that can help woo potential buyers who are concerned about the safety of their family.
Aside from safety, this tech can also be just plain convenient and time-saving. Smart door locks can sync with your smartphone to unlock when you arrive at your home and lock when you leave, shaving a few seconds off of your daily routine.
One benefit of installing solar panels on your roof is that you can then show potential buyers physical evidence of the amount of money they can save each month on their utility bills.
However, it should be noted that there are some exciting new residential solar solutions coming to the market in the near future--one example being Tesla’s solar roof that looks almost exactly like a regular roof but generates electricity for your home.
So, when considering new technology for your home to boost its resale value on the market, remember that technologies are still changing. Keep your timeline for sale in mind, and try to avoid tech that will be obsolete before you plan on putting your home for sale.
If you're in the market for a new home, one of the first things you need to determine is how much of a monthly mortgage payment you can comfortably afford. A loan officer or mortgage broker can help you figure that out, based on your income, debts, and other information.
One thing they probably won't include in the equation is the cost of home maintenance and other essential services, like garbage collection.
Ultimately, it's up to the homeowner to build in enough "breathing room" in their budget to cover unexpected expenses. Although you can't predict exactly what those expenses will be or how much they'll cost, it's virtually guaranteed that they're going to occur. Whether you're planning to buy a new house or a mid-century dwelling, here's the short list of typical homeowner expenses that could crop up. While all these items may not apply directly to your situation, many of them eventually will.
Image by Zach Schorr from Pixabay
Whether you’re buying or selling a home, you might discover there is an easement attached to your property. If so, you’re probably wondering how this affects your property values.
In a nutshell, an easement is for one person to have explicit permission to have use of another person’s property for a specified purpose. There are three general types of easements: gross, appurtenant and prescriptive. Each has specific rights attached to them and the rights could be for either a private (i.e. allowing someone access or use) or public purpose (i.e. utility companies). Easements can be temporary or permanent; with the latter, the easement is typically written into the property deed.
It’s important to know, while easements permit others to use your land for a designated reason, it doesn’t grant anyone using your land any rights to ownership; you are sole owner.
Easements of land may or may not impact your property’s value, depending on how the land is being used and whether you want to use (or sell) your property. Many times, an easement has no impact on your property’s value. However, there are potential issues that may crop up when looking to develop or sell your land which could impact its perceived value.
In many neighborhoods, everyone has the same easement attached to their property. In these cases, it doesn’t typically impact your property value because the easements affect everyone’s property equally.
A court of law often considers an easement to be used in perpetuity unless a stipulation exists in the original agreement of how long the easement will last. In some cases, easements can be removed.
If you do successfully terminate an easement, be sure it’s recorded in public records.
While technically an easement doesn’t devalue your property, it can affect its marketability. This is always something to consider when determining to willfully grant an easement or buy a home that has an easement attached to its property deed.
