By now if you’re looking to buy a property you will have been told about the saying, Location, Location, 
Location. But why do people go on about this so much? Why is it so important?
Well your home is one of the biggest assets most people will ever buy in their lives. It is therefore important to be happy with where you live because if you’re not happy you can’t pick the house up and move to somewhere better. You have to go through the whole process of selling which is both expensive, time consuming and stressful.
When you look for a house to buy you need to look for a house in the most desirable area your money can afford. Desirable areas hold their value better because others want to live there, and when prices do increase the more desirable areas tend to rise first and faster than other areas. Also you will be likely to get the money you invest initially back.
How do you find a good area?
· Talk to family and friends about the areas they live in.
· Ask real estate agents and valuers about local sales in the areas, price and sales volume trends. Look for areas that are selling fast and with holding values in this market.
· Look for areas with good facilities such as transport, shops, schools, cafes, sporting venues and entertainment for the family and yourself.
· If you’re looking in an older area of town look at the places that are getting renovated – and if it’s in a new area look for signs where people are taking the effort to make homes look loved, i.e. landscaping and variety of design.
· If there is variety in landscape where there is flat land with water and views, this will always sell well.
When you decide with is important for you in an area and what would suit you look at the pro’s and con’s of where you’re living.
Here are some things to consider:
· How close do you want to be to work, family and friends.
· Are you prepared to commute – what will be the costs.
· Do you like to be in a quite location or in the heart of the action.
· If you’re preparing to run a certain activity from your home, will the zoning allow you to do this?
· What sort of people do you want to be living amongst, do you want to be in newer homes or older homes.
At the end of the day you need to look at lots of homes in many different areas to get a feel for what you like and can afford. A home to buy and live n is not a short term thing, so bearing that in mind you need to keep in mind what will the area I like now be like in the future. In order to do this you need to check the zoning for the area with your local council and ask if there are any changes planned. You want to be sure the area is still going to be a nice place to live in the future. Zoning allows and restricts activities that can happen in an area, such as running factories or businesses. An area may seem quiet now, but if it’s zoned commercial you may find yourself surrounded by businesses later on.
Here are some of the advantages of investing in property
• If values go up you’ll make a gain
• There’s usually no tax on capital gains (the profit you make if the property goes up in value)
• Many people are better at paying off loans than saving
• You could make money by buying carefully, or with some types of renovations
• It’s a relatively low risk investment that should keep up with inflation
• You own your home and end up with an asset instead of just paying rent.
But you need to look at the options that are available to you.
• Other investments may earn more
• Property prices can go down as well as up
• It may take time to sell – if you’re in a hurry you may have to accept less
• You have ongoing extra costs like maintenance, rates and insurance
• If you don’t keep your home in good order its value may go down.
If buying a property is what you want then to make the most of your investment
• buy in the best area you can afford (buying the worst house in the best street is still good advice)
• check everything out thoroughly first to avoid problems (there’s a checklist later)
• keep your home well maintained
• get advice from a valuer before you do any major alterations – changes don’t always add value.