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Neighborhood

What is a neighborhood?

There are as many definitions as there are dictionaries.  According to some the neighborhood is; the area or region around or near some place or thing; vicinity; a district or locality, often with reference to its character or inhabitants: a number of persons living near one another or in a particular locality.

So close your eyes and what do you see when you hear the word neighborhood?   Then that is what neighborhood means to you.

Diane O and Friends can help you find just the right fit when it comes to neighborhood, the right home and of course at the right price.

What neighborhood is right for you?

  1. Make a list of all of the amenities that are close by in the neighborhood you are considering as your new residence
  2. Keep in mind what distances and routes to each of these places are acceptable and what are not
  3. Determine what you consider to be the best features of the neighborhoods. This is especially helpful if you are deciding between a few different neighborhoods.    
  4. If there is a Home Owners Association get a copy of the Community Covenants and Restrictions (CCRs) and read them to make sure they match your lifestyle and expectations.   
  5. Walk around the neighborhood and talk to some of the residents.  Do this at various times of the day and days of the week.  
  6. Diane O and Friends will prepare a Comparative Market Analysis of the homes in the neighborhood and other neighborhoods.  This report will highlight if the homes in this neighborhood hold value and how long does it take for homes to sell.

What is a homeowner’s association….is that what we call a neighborhood?

A homeowner association (abbrev. HOA) is an organization created by a real estate developer for the purpose of controlling the appearance and managing any common-area assets during the marketing, managing, and selling of homes and sites in a residential subdivision. It grants the developer privileged voting rights in governing the association, while allowing the developer to exit financial and legal responsibility of the organization, typically by transferring ownership of the association to the homeowners after selling off a predetermined number of lots. It allows a civil municipality to increase its tax base, but without requiring it to provide equal services to all of its citizens. Membership in the homeowners association by a residential buyer is typically a condition of purchase; a buyer isn’t given an option to reject it. Some homeowner associations hire and retain property management companies. The board of directors is responsible for the retention of these companies.

Most homeowner associations are incorporated, and are subject to state statutes that govern non-profit corporations and homeowner associations. State oversight of homeowner associations is minimal, and mainly takes the form of laws which are inconsistent from state to state