Donna Littlefield, Real Estate Agent & Broker in WNY

real estate advice

Factors to Consider When Selecting a Community to Live In

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Finding a Community to Live InIn real estate, it’s “location, location, location.” Why are some houses really expensive while others aren’t? Usually it depends on their location. There are other factors, but location matters most.

How do you decide what community to live in? You make a list of what you want around you, and then you have a real estate agent like Donna Littlefield help you find a neighborhood that meets those needs.

Most people want to live close to where they work. A commute that’s twenty minutes or less is ideal. Few people want to live somewhere that’s over an hour commute to their work, unless they’re willing to live far from a city simply because they value nature more than the convenience of having stores and lots of people nearby.

Consider a location’s amenities. People love living near parks– even if they don’t use them! There’s something nice about living near a park, which is a dedicated green space that helps “up” property values. Other neighborhood amenities to look for when deciding where to live include community pools for the summer, gyms for the winter, malls for shopping, and a nice variety of restaurants for when you don’t want to cook at home.

If you have kids or plan to have kids, then schools become a major factor in deciding where to settle. You can do some research to find out how certain schools rank in the region and discover the ideal ones.

Besides schools, parks, and amenities, the other major thing people care about is safety. How much crime does the area have? What kind of crimes happen there? Basically, no one wants to live in an area where their car will be broken into or they’ll be robbed on the street. They want to be in a well-lit place where neighbors look out for one another and they don’t have to fear for their life.

If you’re looking for a nice place to live in Western New York, contact Donna Littlefield at 716-578-1788 today. She can find you a great, safe location with quality schools, parks, and amenities nearby.

 

How to Reduce Your Stress Level When You’re in the Process of Moving

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If you could just wave a magic wand and say, “I wish everything got moved from my old house to the new without any stress,” wouldn’t that be great? Unfortunately, moving is rarely easy like that. In fact, it can be among the most stressful times of a person’s life, because everything is in a state of upheaval. Normalcy and routine are out the window. Change may be good, but it does bring stress with it!

How can you reduce your stress level when you’re in the process of moving? For starters, figure out a way to have less stuff before the actual move. While it’s easy to accumulate stuff over time, it’s also fairly easy to get rid of stuff quickly. Have a yard sale or donate a bunch of stuff you never use to your local charity/thrift shop. Throw away junk and/or pay to have someone come and haul it away.

Next, clear your calendar so that you’ve set aside dedicated dates and times for all that the moving effort entails. It’s better to know exactly when you’ll give your focus to moving than it is to be stuck with a whole bunch of extraneous chores and obligations at the same time you’re supposed to be packing and moving. Planning ahead is a good thing; waiting until the last minute is bad.

Involve your friends and family with the move, because having help is essential. Otherwise you’ll easily get stressed out and overwhelmed. You don’t have to do everything yourself. Don’t be afraid to delegate.

If you know you’re going to be moving in a couple weeks, get into moving mode. Collect boxes and bags from area stores, as well as neighbors who no longer need them. Make lists of what you want to accomplish. Remember to pack a suitcase or two of essentials that can easily be found that first night you’re in your new place because chances are there’ll be plenty of unopened boxes in the rooms and you’ll have neither the time nor inclination to search for certain stuff like deodorant and medicines you take daily.

Finally, anytime you feel overwhelmed, take time to breathe, spell out the word r-e-l-a-x audibly, and do something like watch a half hour sitcom to get your mind off the stressful situation. Little breaks from the moving process go a long way in helping reduce a person’s overall stress levels.

Tips for Saving For Your First Home

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Saving For a New Home A lot of people live in rented apartments with the intent to eventually save enough money to buy their first home. What are some practical tips for saving for your first home?

First up, write down a budget. You probably have income. You definitely have expenses. Now’s a good time to make a list of these numbers and take a critical look at where cuts could be made. Maybe you don’t really need a boat or that expensive watch you’ve been eyeing at the mall, right? If you have a lot of stuff, consider having a yard sale or selling some items on craigslist or via your local paper’s classified ads section. Do the math to understand how much money you currently have saved up as well as the amount you’d like to have saved up by a certain date. This way you have set yourself a goal and written down a budget in order to achieve that goal in a specific period of time.

Next, do whatever you can to eliminate debts in your life. You want to go into home ownership debt free, ideally. It’s important that you start to pay off credit card bills in full and on time, as well as pay back any creditors you currently owe money to. In order to get out of debt, you might have to make some lifestyle changes. Instead of cable TV, you could get TV channels over-the-air for free. Instead of owning two cars, you could try sharing one. Rather than eating out at restaurants often, try making simple meals at home because you can actually save quite a bit of money when you decide to be frugal.

As for the surprises that come your way in the form of bonus checks, cash gifts from friends or relatives, and/or tax refunds, put all those in a savings account that’s earmarked for your plan to own your own home. In other words, any money coming in that’s not part of your regular income should automatically get put in the bank, to be used toward buying a home. You’d be surprised at how these things add up!

Finally, call a reputable real estate agent, such Donna Littlefield, who will provide you with the guidance you need. You can contact her at 716-578-1788 to discuss your future home ownership goals. She’ll be happy to help you get on track to buying your first home in Wheatfield, Pendleton or Amherst.