By Nick Patsio
President and CEO

 

What are you really looking for when you decide to buy a home? Shelter, of course – a place you can call home that is comfortable, safe, and reflective of your own tastes.

 

And in that regard, looking for a home online can be pretty satisfying. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of websites displaying property listings today. Most of them give you basic information along with a few photos.

 

When you see one you like you might choose to move to the next step and contact a Realtor.

 

But what most buyers are looking for – and where most real estate websites fail – is an answer to a simple but important question:

 

Can I live here?

 

Answering that question requires something more than a list of properties for sale.

What you need is information that allows you to decide if the place in which a property exists meshes with the way you like to live life.

 

You may want to know:

 

Is there a good coffee house close by?

Are there day-care options near this property?

Is the elementary school within walking distance?

 

These are the things that get to the heart of the matter – the lifestyle factors that make a house a home.

 

We understand this at CENTURY 21 Commonwealth and built technology to support this sort of decision. When you conduct a property search on Commonmoves.com,  you will see a clear list of properties (along with some very cool mapping tools), but you’ll also see a link on the left side of the page that says “schools, cafes, groceries and more.”

 

You can then choose from over two dozen types of amenities – from banks to restaurants – and display them on a map. 

 

Of course, the best way to truly understand a property and its neighborhood is to work closely with a good Realtor, but with this view you can get much closer to an answer to that all-important “Can I live here” question.

 

Happy searching!