The Challenge? Getting Started...
Since my last post I stopped daydreaming and started getting down to business. I jotted down what I believed to be the most important aspects for buying my dream home and I asked my wife to do the same. This is similar to the exercise I give to prospective buyers when assisting them in their home purchase. That’s right, I’m a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson currently practicing in New York and Connecticut. And while I’m usually the one facilitating and assisting others in their own home purchase, now the shoe was on the other foot. Given that my wife and I had more than enough on our plates considering the laundry lists of “firsts" awaiting us -- we are expecting our first baby, we are buying our first home and car, and we are contemplating life outside of NYC.
That is where the idea for this blog came from. I thought it would be fun, and potentially informative, for others who may soon be going through a similar experience. Also, as a real estate professional my goal is to educate and inform both my clients and customers alike and what better platform then by sharing our personal journey with you through this blog. If you find it even a tad bit helpful, enjoyable, or educational then I know it was worth it. So there you have it, the reason for my Urban to Suburban blog.
With formality out of the way, I will pick up where I left off in my first post regarding the challenge of how to get started with your own home search.
Education, Education, Education and how it helped us locate our Location, Location, Location…
I collected my wife's list and compared it to mine and I’m happy to report that the most important "must have" on both of our lists was finding an area with a great public education system. So, we spent endless hours researching and combing through website after website, while also reading every relevant article and blog on the subject. The school search became an education in and of itself and my wife and I were able to conclude one thing with certainty -- there is no clear cut winning school, town, district or State to educate your child or children, because much like life, everything is a trade off or compromise. For example, one might find a top rated school that is perfect in every way, however its location may not be conducive for a number of reasons such as the daily commute. While on the flip side, one might find the perfect home with a price that is right but the school system is not great. So the key to finding the right home is good communication, the ability to compromise and be flexible throughout the process.
On our journey my wife and I found these websites to be most helpful:
https://k12.niche.com
So after some more research, discussion and compromise, my wife and I felt confident in our first major decision which was to move from Manhattan’s Upper Westside to Connecticut, and more specifically, Fairfield County. Our next step was to start researching our desired towns in depth as well as begin our initial search for a trusted real estate professional. You might be asking yourself, why would you need a real estate agent if you already have one? Well, even a therapist has a therapist. Most brokers get assistance from a colleague they connect with, trust and respect. Lucky, I didn’t have to look far as I asked the head of the Connecticut real estate brokerage I’m affiliated with, Dagny Eason, if she would do us the honor of representing and assisting us.
So stay tuned to see what happens next month on Urban To Suburban.
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