LeBoeuf:
I'd spend more time vacationing in SoWal and getting to know the different neighborhoods as you try to decide when to buy. There are places for sale in most neighborhoods. This way, you'd get a chance to talk to a lot of people and get a sense of what kind of neighborhood/location feels right to you and what places in that area seem to have what you want (e.g., which are quieter than others, which have other benefits). The rental rates are so low this time of year, it's a good time to try different places on to see what fits. It's hard to really know the advantages/disadvantages of a home/condo/cottage/community until you spend a little time there.
And you'd get a chance to meet with realtors face-to-face to hear what they have to say, visit open houses, etc.
It would be a very enjoyable winter project and there doesn't seem to be any pressure to buy quickly so you can relax and enjoy yourself while your thinking about buying.
One thing we looked at when buying in SoWal was the cost of association fees. We bought at a place that has very low fees because we didn't want to pay a lot of money in association fees every year (our community has a lot of native landscaping so there's not a lot of grass to water/mow/landscape and that looks nice and saves $). Association fees tend to go up every year, so you'll have to add that as a cost of ownership that never stops.
Also, you may want to subscribe to the Walton Sun online and read it every Sunday to get a sense of what's going on in the community, see real estate listings, etc. Some realty companies will send you a weekly email with all the real estate listings so you can see what's going on in the market.
Happy house hunting.
I'd spend more time vacationing in SoWal and getting to know the different neighborhoods as you try to decide when to buy. There are places for sale in most neighborhoods. This way, you'd get a chance to talk to a lot of people and get a sense of what kind of neighborhood/location feels right to you and what places in that area seem to have what you want (e.g., which are quieter than others, which have other benefits). The rental rates are so low this time of year, it's a good time to try different places on to see what fits. It's hard to really know the advantages/disadvantages of a home/condo/cottage/community until you spend a little time there.
And you'd get a chance to meet with realtors face-to-face to hear what they have to say, visit open houses, etc.
It would be a very enjoyable winter project and there doesn't seem to be any pressure to buy quickly so you can relax and enjoy yourself while your thinking about buying.
One thing we looked at when buying in SoWal was the cost of association fees. We bought at a place that has very low fees because we didn't want to pay a lot of money in association fees every year (our community has a lot of native landscaping so there's not a lot of grass to water/mow/landscape and that looks nice and saves $). Association fees tend to go up every year, so you'll have to add that as a cost of ownership that never stops.
Also, you may want to subscribe to the Walton Sun online and read it every Sunday to get a sense of what's going on in the community, see real estate listings, etc. Some realty companies will send you a weekly email with all the real estate listings so you can see what's going on in the market.
Happy house hunting.
