When I asked the owner of a property I currently have listed in Burnsville what she loves about living there, the first thing she said was "it's right below the I-35 split". To her that meant easy access to both Minneapolis and St. Paul…a great benefit. When I asked her about the trails, ponds and lake nearby she didn't know much about them…not a benefit to her, but a potentially big benefit to another buyer.
This is a great example of how the same features in a location can have a very different impact on different people. The close proximity to I-35, a big benefit to this owner, has been named as the biggest distractor by some potential buyers. As I went exploring nearby, I found the the pond in the photo above and people out running and walking on the trails of 52-acre Crystal Lake West Park…obviously a benefit to them.
People are always talking about how location is the most important part of real estate. They are right, because that is the one thing you can't change about a property. What they often forget is that the same thing that makes a location undesirable for one person can be exactly what attracts another person to the same location.
I have a new listing in Richfield that may draw similar responses. It is right on a fairly busy street, which is a detractor for many people…but right on the bus line, a plus for others. It is also right across the street from a park with a farmer's market, swimming pool complex, indoor ice skating…again, a plus for many people but a possible minus for others. It will be the site of fireworks this weekend…is this a good thing or a bad thing? It all depends on your point of view…
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results – Email – Twin Cities Realtor
