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Lakeland Homes… Homes… Homes… Are you paralyzed with Choices?

By Petra Norris

Managing Real Estate Broker with Lakeland Real Estate Group, Inc. BK646565

January 06, 2009 08:19 AM

Lakeland Homes... Homes... Homes... Are you paralyzed with Choices?

Neighborhoods are packed with properties available for sale. With over 2,300 homes currently on the market in Lakeland, Florida; homeowners facing foreclosure, job losses, job transfers or sellers anxious to move on are tired listening to the news reports of waiting for an economic recovery.

With mortgage rates at an all time low and buyers having such a plethora of choices is such a blessing to many folks, who can afford their dream home for the very first time. However, with so many options to choose from can also result to apprehension not buying at all for people, who have difficulties in making a decision. Recently, my husband and I were faced with a decision of buying a new television. While visiting an electronic store looking at the great wall of the many television choices, needles to say we were mystified on which television set to buy.

I have observed in over 10 years of Real Estate experience selling homes those buyers who define their search criteria careful versus those buyers who visit the homes simply by price making the better choices in a short amount of time. Cover the basics and pre-screen on the basis of square footage - it's that simple.

You decided on the neighborhood of your choice, I suggest you sort on the basis of square footage in that price per square foot is still a very important factor. Let's take a look at the two homes on the same street in the same neighborhood.

The house on 6935 Hazeltine Circle is listed for $193,000.00 versus the house on 6926 Hazeltine Circle at $229,000 - a price difference of $36,000.00

6935 Hazeltine Circle measures 1,372 square feet - $140.67 per square foot

6926 Hazeltine Circle measures 1,814 square feet - $126.24 per square foot

Buyers find it very interesting and surprising to see that smaller homes could cost sometimes more per square foot than a midsized properties in the same neighborhood, which should be worth more.

If for any reason the square footage is not shown in Multiple Listing Service, ask your Lakeland Realtor® to pre-screen the home and obtain the information for you.

A useful online tool to locate homes within the environment of their neighborhood is Google Maps; satellite images and bird's eye view to identify the location of a property on a busy street or a quiet cul-de-sac should make your home-buying decision easier. Take a look at this screen shot below of Huntington Golf & Country Club located in Lakeland, Florida.

More tips on defining home search for those planning to purchase a Lakeland home in a saturated market:

Bathroom count is an important fact to include in home search
Structurally sound and energy efficient systems
Floor plans

More importantly and especially for first time homebuyers who are overwhelmed with the choices can be un-paralyzed by hiring an experienced Lakeland Real Estate Agent.