Some tips on local knowledge & favorite neighborhoods (New Bern, Cornelius: real estate, homes)

[dsobotta]

I recently had some folks visit our area. When they dropped by to talk to me, they told me they didn't want to waste my time because they had already decided they didn't like the area.

I asked them where they had been, and not surprisingly considering the short time they had been here, they had just driven around the main roads.

Fortunately I was able to drive them around and show them some neighborhoods that gave them a completely different perspective of the area.

I think in visiting areas often people only make a few random forays off the main road before they get frustrated with a dead end or two. Mostly they stick to the big roads.

In truth researching neighborhoods is really hard even if you are living in a place.

Main roads are constructed to move traffic quickly. Most neat neighborhoods are well off the beaten path. Some are even best seen from the water.

We had friends from Oklahoma visit recently, and I was driving them to our home through the soybean and corn fields, one of them asked how in the world I found the area?

I had to answer that I didn't find it, someone had shown it to me. In fact when I first saw the neighborhood, I was a little embarrassed because I had driven within four miles of it several times over the course of a few years when I was looking for property.

The interesting thing is that I probably wouldn't have found it using Google maps which is one of my favorite tools.

Four years after the subdivision was started and long after the roads have been finished, it still isn't in Google maps. That is not uncommon.

If you really are interested in area real estate, try a tool like Trulia that can give you some really good maps on top of lots of other information. I think tools like Trulia make you a very educated consumer and save you boat loads of time. I wish they had been around a few years ago.

I find that the absolute best place for maps is usually your area Chamber of Commerce. The Carteret County one is in Morehead City.

Area Welcome Centers also have some very detailed maps, but often they are under the counter, and you have to ask for them.

Most real estate offices have maps, but I know the ones we hand out are not as good as the Chamber of Commerce ones which are probably designed for businesses.

We have over the years discovered some neat neighborhoods by talking to shop keepers. In the coastal areas we have a lot of people who will take jobs to stay busy even in retirement. In the fall when the crowds are gone and stores aren't busy, just striking up a conversation can get you some great information from the people in gift shops, book stores, and at local events.

This seems to be festival season on the coast. This weekend Emerald Isle is celebrating their 50th birthday (broken link). There is a Lobster Fest at Saint Peter's By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Swansboro and the Mum Festival is in New Bern. It would be a great time to do some fun research.

I tell people looking at an area, don't be bashful, ask questions of the locals. We are usually easy to identify this time of year since typically we out number the tourists. Find a local eating spot and start browsing an area homes magazine. If you have a question about a neighborhood, probably one of your fellow diners can answer it.

Finally if you aren't allergic to Realtors®, call a local office. It is no secret that the market is slow right now, so most are glad to chat with you and answer your questions.

You can often find agent profiles on real estate websites. Find one you whose profile you like and call them up. If they don't click with you, try someone else or another agency.

I would really be curious as to some favorite neighborhoods that people have, especially in North Carolina. I love to visit spots like that when we are traveling.

To start the ball rolling, I will share some of mine.

This would be one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Roanoke, VA area. I also like these in Cornelius, NC, Mount Airy, NC, and this area of North Shore Drive in Reston, Va. which backs up on Lake Fairfax Park.

In this case, Google maps work fine, but you never know without some local expertise.