Community
Location, Location, Community
Your home is so much more than the walls that define your living spaces. It’s more than the furniture and hand-picked accessories that reflect your personal style. It goes beyond modern appliances and a fancy 50″ television. Your home extends beyond your house or condominium and indeed, includes everything located directly outside your front door.
Everyone has heard the number one rule in real estate – location, location, location. This has become quite the cliché, but that’s because it’s absolutely true. Where your home is located is just as important as your home itself. ‘Coming home’ is as much about arriving at your favourite neighbourhood after working or an evening out, as it is about physically entering your residence. Now mind you, we may all have different ideas of what exactly makes a neighbourhood our personal favourite, but it’s fair to say that local amenities are often key.
Amenities include nearby shopping, dining and entertainment venues. Proximity to schools, hospitals and public services might also top one’s priority list. Exactly which amenities are required to make a neighbourhood complete will vary from one person, couple and family to the next, but the main purpose of these amenities is common to all – to add to the convenience and enjoyment of your everyday life.
Residential builder/developers are responsible for not only constructing the homes, but also for the evolution of the surrounding community. There are two ways of looking at this process. A builder might pick a prime area in which to build – one that is an appointed hot spot. In this case, the new residential project would be adding to an already established and most likely well-serviced area, making it even more desirable. Residential development can also lead to the creation of new businesses and growth in the economy. That’s a win-win for both builders and homeowners
However, the biggest opportunities for change lie in building residences in up-and-coming areas. These types of developments are certainly more challenging, but are also very rewarding for both the builder and the homebuyer. When this happens, you’ll likely see a builder creating a unique neighbourhood where one did not exist before, that realizes its future potential.
Once this type of development begins, the builder becomes a catalyst in the creation of initiatives that are undertaken by the city or municipality to improve existing infrastructure such as building new schools, public transit expansion, etc. A homebuyer will usually benefit from being able to purchase real estate at a lower dollar amount, as the perceived current value isn’t as high as it would be in an established area. This investment will then grow over time.
All of this boils down to the same thing – in order to build homes and communities that truly serve homeowners, a builder or developer must understand the potential clientele they are serving. A good builder will know their client well and will be able to build according to what they need in an area that will service their desires. Now that’s the epitome of community!