Berkeley investment property: Any vacation or residential property
can be bought as an investment with prices ranging from $150.000 to
$300.000. It is becoming a popular trend in Berkeley to buy a home
as an investment property. Berkeley homes with a pleasant view of the
horizon often sell at a premium above similar homes without the view.
Even though most real estate value is usually concentrated in the
building, the lot is important, too. Obviously, it should be as level
as possible. Assuming the property is in a typical neighborhood, the
lot should be rectangular – no odd shaped lots or oddly situated
lots. Yard sizes are smaller in modern homes than in older homes,
but there should still be a decently sized front and back yard. Do
not buy a house where the entire back yard is taken up by a swimming
pool, for example. Do not purchase an over-landscaped property, either.
You would normally pay a premium for that, which you may not be able
to recover when you sell. You will get your best value if the house
is moderately landscaped or under-landscaped for the area. You can
always improve the landscaping during your ownership by improving
the grass and adding bushes and trees. This will improve the value
of your Berkeley investment property. In each Berkeley residential neighborhood,
houses will vary in size and rooms, but they should not be too different.
When resale value is important consideration, you should not buy the
largest model in the neighborhood. When determining market value,
the homes nearest to yours are most important. If most of the nearby
houses are smaller than your house, they can act as a drag on appreciation.
On the other hand, if you buy a small or medium house for the neighborhood,
the larger homes can help pull up your value. This is one of those
times where determining your "wants" versus your "needs"
can be extremely important. Buying what you need in a more prestigious
neighborhood may provide more financial reward than getting what you
want in a less desirable neighborhood of Berkeley.
Three and four bedroom houses are the most popular among homebuyers,
so if you can stick in that range you will have more potential buyers
when it comes time to resell your Berkeley investment property. Five
is okay, too, as long as you do not have to pay too much extra for
the additional bedroom. There should always be at least two bathrooms
in a house, preferably at least two and a half. One bathroom with
a place to wash up for day-to-day visitors, one for the master bedroom,
and at least one to be shared by the other bedrooms. Walk-in closets
are extremely desirable for the master bedroom. For the rest of the
house, just be sure there is plenty of closet space. Don't forget
space for linens and towels.
Garages add to the resale value to your investment property and you
should always make sure to get at least a two-car garage. Lately,
three-car garages have become desirable in some areas of the country.
The laundry facilities should be located somewhere convenient on the
main floor of the house, but not in a place it will create an eyesore.
Think about whether future purchasers will want to walk up and down
stairs when carrying loads of laundry.
Family activity centers around the kitchen, so this is the most important
room of the house. Larger kitchens are better, and they should be
provided with modern appliances. Obviously, the dining room and breakfast
nook should be located adjacent to the kitchen. In newer Berkeley
houses, the family room should also be extremely close to the kitchen.
There should be easy access to the back yard, as there will be occasions
for barbecues and outdoor entertaining. In addition, it should be
a short trek between the garage to the kitchen so hauling groceries
in from the car does not become a horrendous chore. Swimming pools
do not provide as much added value as they once did. Safety issues
about families with younger children have become more publicized than
in the past, so families with small children tend to avoid homes with
pools. As a result, having a pool may actually reduce the number of
potential homebuyers when you try to resell the home in Berkeley.
Berkeley homes for sale
(guide)
Berkeley condos
Berkeley vacation homes
Berkeley resale homes
Berkeley gated communities
Berkeley townhouses
Building a house in Berkeley
Berkeley new homes
Berkeley luxury homes
Berkeley investment property
Berkeley vacation bungalows
Berkeley lofts
Berkeley residential
real estate (attached)
Berkeley residential real estate
(single family homes)