Thinking About Purchasing Property in Alabama? Read These 5 Tips First

There are several compelling reasons for purchasing property in Alabama. While there are no cities that have the cache of New York or Los Angeles, there is rugged beauty to spare. The lakes, woods, and camping opportunities are phenomenal. There are also many small towns that provide rustic charm.  

For instance, you might look at homes for sale in Enterprise, AL. There are new ones being built that have all of the modern amenities you could ever want. However, you might find the home-buying process a little challenging, particularly if you have never gone through it before. 

Let us run through a few tips that should make your purchase of property in Alabama as trouble-free as possible.

Consider Your Lifestyle

First, you will want to think about the lifestyle you live before getting serious about any particular piece of property in Alabama. Are you a gardener, for instance? You will want to see whether there is a part of the property where you can do your gardening.

Do you like to go for walks in the woods? You’ll want a piece of property that has woods or a public park nearby. 

Maybe you have a dog that needs to get a lot of exercise. If so, you will want to buy a home that has enough land for your beloved pet to run around. 

If you have kids who are in school at the moment, you will want to look at the school district to which you plan to move. Is it well regarded?

You will also want to think about whether you will need to leave the house for work. If so, you’ll probably want to look at the job opportunities near you, especially if you don’t already have employment for yourself lined up.   

Visit the Neighborhood at Different Times of the Day and Night

Let’s say you’re starting to narrow down the parts of Alabama in which you would like to buy property. Maybe you have a town or city in mind. You should next find out as much as you can about the different neighborhoods. 

When you’ve targeted one that you could see yourself living in, you can start to look at some homes there. Once you have a short list of houses or apartments picked out, you can visit those neighborhoods at different times of the day and night.

You might go there and spend a little time on a weekday during the day, on a weekend at night, or just about any other time. You want to know things like how noisy it gets, how much traffic there is, and what kind of people you see walking, cycling, or driving around. 

If you like what you see, then this property and neighborhood can move to the top of your list. If you see anything that doesn’t seem like a match for what you want, then you might disqualify that neighborhood or property based on that.   

Look at Crime Stats

You can also look at crime stats of the area in which you are considering buying a home. You can get these stats online. You can also head to the nearest police station and talk to the officers there about what crime is like.

It’s often true if a neighborhood has more crime, the property values are lower. It will probably not cost you as much to buy a home there, but you might also not like the quality of life very much. 

It’s highly unlikely that you will want to live in a neighborhood where you will not feel safe walking around at night, or even during the daytime.

Even if there aren’t many murders or similarly violent crimes happening, you don’t want there to be a good chance that someone might break into your home while you’re at work or vandalize your car if you park it outside. 

Use a Reliable Real Estate Professional

You will definitely want to use a reliable real estate professional as you get closer to putting in a bid on a property. If you use someone who’s licensed, then you will know they have gone through a process where they are vetted by the state. That’s part of how you become a real estate agent, and someone having that license will automatically tell you a lot about their qualifications.

You will also want to get help from a real estate agent who knows the town or city in which you are trying to buy property very well. If they grew up there, that’s even better. 

If they can tell you about each neighborhood, or perhaps even each street, you should be able to get in-depth information that can help you with the decision making process. You can ask any questions you have and they can respond to you frankly and honestly.  

Gather Information About the Market

You also want to make sure you’ve taken some time to gather as much information as possible about the particular market you are entering as well. Your realtor will assist you in this regard. 

Is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s one? How long does each property usually stay on the market before someone buys it? What is the average home price per square foot? What kind of amenities or features should you expect with each house?

You will probably want to know whether it’s smart to have a home inspected or whether you will need to skip that step as well. While you always want to get a property inspected if you can, if it is a seller’s market, you may not be able to do that.

If you’re demanding that you have an inspector look at a home before you put in an offer, but you have half a dozen other potential buyers willing to skip that step, then you need that information before you put in a bid. 

Going through this process might seem arduous, but it’s part of how you’ll get the property in Alabama that you envisioned.