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Health & Fitness

My Home, My Community, My Investment

George Brookhart is the owner and broker of Maryland Residential Realty which is a locally owned and operated company right here in Catonsville. Follow us on Facebook at Maryland Residential Realty.

When it comes to home ownership and deciding where you live, what's important to you?

To many people the answer of course is what you can afford but second to that it follows the three rules of buying real estate and they are, 

1. Location   
2. Location    
3. Location

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It is important to understand that owning a home is indeed an investment and like any investment you hope  to get a good return on it someday. It's true, that a home is something that gives you value from the day you move into it. It's something you can call your own. But, as with most investments. you have to take care of it in order to get your best return on investment.

It is also important to understand, that when people are buying homes, they look at the community first to see if this is a place that they want to live. What's important to them in their decision;

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1. How are other homes in the community maintained? Are the homes clean, well
maintained and appealing? Are the homes nicely landscaped and is the grass
mowed?

2.  How is the community maintained? Is it clean?

3. How are the schools?

4.  Is it a strong and safe community?

5. What are the amenities of the community? Are their parks close by, is shopping close, easy access to transportation, closeness to walking paths or bicycle paths, are restaurants close by, are their special events for the residence,
are schools and libraries close by.

If a community meets all of, or, many of these elements, it has value. Value creates demand and demand has a very positive effect on the value or price of homes which in turn creates growth or appreciation in your investment.

Another point is that we all, as members of this community, have a role to play in this process and that is;

  1. Be a member of your community association, even if it is voluntary.
  2. Keep your home well maintained and appealing.
  3. Keep your home nicely landscaped.
  4. Maintain the areas outside of your yard such as the area between the sidewalk and the curb. Areas across the street or any free space in your community
  5. Pickup the trash in your area and around your yard.
  6. Don't store junk in your yard.
  7. Don't store old or wrecked cars on your street or in your yard.
  8. If you have an elderly neighbor, offer to help with the upkeep of their home such as mowing their grass. doing landscaping ect. It doesn't take much effort to do this.
  9. Attend the monthly or regular meetings of your community association and voice your opinions. You may not always agree but isn't that the democratic process. "Work together to make your community a better place to live".

What's in it for me? Once again, I am glad you asked. When it comes time to move and sell your home (we don't want you to move) and you realize that gain on your investment you will understand.

Real estate is my business and  I can assure you that people, when they are
looking to purchase, look for desirable neighborhoods and like anything else,
you are judged by your overall appearance. It's a fact of life. Well maintained
homes and well maintained communities bring top dollar in the real estate
marketplace.

 

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