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How to Choose the Right Community

April 8th, 2020 • 3 min read

PARRISH, Fla. – (April 8, 2020) The average home buyer will spend 124 hours searching for their next home, according to Real Trends. That’s roughly 5 straight days of research and house hunting before the buying process even begins.

During those 124 hours, a home buyer may search online, drive-by potential home options and will tour countless communities before finding the right place to call home. In today’s environment of social distancing, the options are centered even more around virtual house hunting, including online listing searches, virtual tours and starting the process with phone calls and texts to sales agents rather than in-person meetings.

So given this new reality, how do you narrow your search so your time is spent as effectively as possible? The same way as before social distancing began: Start by finding the right community for your lifestyle. From there, narrowing down the perfect home will come naturally.

The right neighborhood to call home should check four main boxes: it should support your well-being, rest in a convenient location according to your lifestyle, provide a positive long-term investment potential and should come from a builder that’s known for crafting quality homes.

Look at the options to support your well-being

Southwest Florida has the benefit of many resort-style communities that offer amenities like walking trails, pools, parks and sporting facilities. North River Ranch, for example, takes wellness amenities a step further.

From the very first resident though to its completion, North River Ranch, Parrish, Florida will serve as a community where outdoor living extends beyond the pool screen. We envision our homeowners will embrace the nature and bike trails, community clubhouses, fire pits, game room and activities, fitness center, playgrounds, event lawn, AVID FitPods, and multiple FitStations to help you keep a healthy mind, body, and spirit all within the steps of your front door.

Consider the community’s location

Florida’s Gulf Coast has a reputation for its incredible beaches, diverse cuisine, arts, recreation, entertainment and range of job offerings. Residents lucky enough to call the state’s West Coast home benefit from year-round vacation-like amenities that together create an unparalleled quality of life.

North River Ranch is an easy commute to Sarasota, Tampa and St. Petersburg. The three cities are each within 30-40 minutes of North River Ranch and offer a wealth of jobs, nightlife and cultural opportunities to match any lifestyle.

Research the long-term investment potential

We’ve all heard before that a home is likely the largest purchase an individual will ever make. Therefore, the long-term investment potential should be an important factor when deciding on the right community.

A good place to start is to research the projected growth of the area and trends in the real estate market.

Manatee County, for example, saw a year-over-year gain in single-family home appreciation of 8.9% between February 2020 and February 2019 according to the Realtor(R) Association of Sarasota and Manatee.

And according to the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, Sarasota and Manatee county’s population is expected to jump 50% by 2045. The population growth is anticipated to be coupled with economic stability, job industry variety, cultural additions, and educational improvements, making the area a desirable place to consider a long-term investment.

Compare home builders for reputation and quality

Homebuyers have a seemingly endless range of options when it comes to a new home purchase. Not all home builders are equal and able to provide a quality product, however.

When comparing builders, buyers are wise to consider the company’s reputation, product choices, and customer ratings. In Southwest Florida, buyers have the opportunity to research some of the best-known national and regional homebuilders. At North River Ranch, the community developer, Neal Land & Neighborhoods, proudly hand-selected the cream of the crop to include Neal Communities, Centex, KB Homes, Park Square Homes, Homes by WestBay and David Weekley Homes.

So why not choose North River Ranch as your community to call home?

To explore the residences our builders have to offer, visit the Neighborhood page.

 

Neal Land & Neighborhoods is a Manatee and Sarasota, Florida-based community and master land planning and development organization led by John A. Neal. The company incorporates smart master-planning and public infrastructure solutions to create the next level of elite community planning in Southwest Florida. By working with carefully selected new home builders, Neal Land & Neighborhoods aims to establish thriving, sustainable, livable and ecologically sensitive communities throughout Manatee, Sarasota and Hillsborough counties. Neal Land & Neighborhoods currently owns or controls several thousand acres of land entitled for more than 9,000 future residential homes and the supporting mixed-use commercial and retail.