MOVED TO A GREAT SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD
BUT DAMN! …,
It happened to me. Moved and sank up to 150k into a house. I run up on two neighbors in the street and - seeking to introduce myself - the conversation goes something like this:
Neighbor #1 “guys, that house over there had a “funny” burning smell last night?
Neighbor#2 “yea’ I smelled it, I think it’s a meth lab so I called the cops to come by.
Neighbors#1 “I sure feel sorry for the poor schmuk in the nice house next door.
To which I finally answer, “uh yes, that would be me, the schmuck family…”
You know the story. Your family is officially upwardly mobile. You can’t quite afford the combo plate but location, location, location has told you buy this “fixer” in this great neighborhood.
And so you “fix her“. Your lawn now looks like the 9th hole at Pebble Beach but instead of being the envy of the neighborhood, your open house is a pity party for the schmucks who bought next door to that dark nondescript home that emits a strange smell.
Now I’m talking the “burbs“, so I don’t have to say what persuasion the owners are …’cause in the “hood” that smell would be reefer and any loud bangs you’d hear would be the refrigerator door not Johnny Boys chemistry blowing up half the block. So here are 3 things to watch out for when buying a house in an otherwise safe looking neighborhood:
1) GOOD SCHOOLS, CHECK THE SCORES AND A BALANCED RACIAL MIXTURE
2) PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP: MANICURED LAWNS, NO DIRTY OLD DENTED CARS, WELL MAINTAINED HOUSES.
3) LOW CRIME RATE: THIS CAN BE CHECKED WITH THE DESK SARGENT AT YOUR LOCAL POLICE STATION.
Thanks John Burns - Re/Max On The Boulevard, 91423