Between its lush beauty and booming arts and craft brewery scene, the area of Bellevue has become one of the most coveted places to call home in the greater Seattle region. An abundance of trails, a bevy of delectable bars, breweries, and restaurants, a charming historic district, and excellent employment opportunities abound in this beautiful and serene city, rendering it a top choice for everyone from affluent professionals in the technology industry to retirees searching for an optimal combination of culture and tranquility.
If you have decided to purchase your first home in Bellevue, you may have a slew of questions about how to get started. This article was written with you in mind. Read on for Bellevue expert Jeff Reynolds’ list of the seven smartest ways to approach this exciting process.
Have a solid grasp of your financial picture
Purchasing a home goes well beyond a down payment and monthly mortgage payments. From home and title insurance to landscaping maintenance, every factor that will go into savoring and preserving your home should be addressed and taken into consideration. Outlining all of this, ideally with your financial planner or accountant by your side, will give you a solid sense of the caliber of properties you should focus on during your search.
Spend a significant amount of time in Bellevue
With its spectacular vistas of Mount Rainier and Lake Washington, Bellevue’s natural magnificence is indisputable. This alone is reason enough to aim to buy a home in the city USA Today ranked the second best place to live in the United States.
And yet, spending a weekend or ten-day vacation in Bellevue is substantially different from residing in the elegant “boomburb” on a daily basis. Explore the city, including on foot, to get a solid sense of which enclaves resonate with your personality, lifestyle, and preferences.
Select your ideal neighborhoods
There are several essential factors to bear in mind when choosing the Bellevue neighborhood that will suit you and your family. Do you relish being near the center of the action and within walking distance of Bellevue’s leading breweries, restaurants, galleries, and boutiques? Or do you tend towards the quieter side and would prefer to live on a cul-de-sac on a peaceful, tree-lined street? Do you work remotely and have the liberty to live wherever you please, or will you be commuting to downtown Bellevue or Seattle? If you have children, how close would you like to be to a high-ranking school?
Additionally, detail the amenities, conveniences, outdoor recreation opportunities, and cultural attractions that would elevate your quality of life. For some, this may mean a home within walking distance of a state–of–the–art fitness facility and a gourmet market. For others, it might translate to living near a scenic hiking trail and a cozy, intimate cafe where they can read and take care of their emails.
Whatever your wishes may be, actively seek them out and examine the neighborhoods that fit the bill at different times throughout the day to get a better grasp on their traffic, noise level, and overall vibe and energy.
Lastly, keep in mind that while Bellevue as a whole is gorgeous and alluring, a few most desirable neighborhoods include:
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Northwest Bellevue
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Downtown Bellevue
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Northeast Bellevue
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Crossroads
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West Lake Sammamish
Stunning and exclusive, these hamlets should be on your list when you start exploring neighborhoods and the homes they feature.
Speak with locals
As you weigh one neighborhood over another, you may want to strike up a conversation with long-time residents to get a better sense of what you’re buying into. After all, you are not just purchasing a piece of Bellevue real estate but also a portion of a neighborhood. Your real estate agent may be able to set up conversations for you with other residents, where you can pick their brains on topics ranging from the best place for sushi in the area to the top nearby parks for children.
Attend open houses and private tours
Perusing Bellevue luxury homes and condos for sale in Bellevue might begin online, but photographs and videos tell only one part of a home’s story. The light the home receives at particular times of day, the ambiance of the street, the fluidity of the floor plan, and even the temperature of a residence are best assessed in person. First, at an open house and, if you are interested, in a private tour that will allow you to ask detailed questions. In sum, if possible, see the home in person rather than making an offer sight unseen.
Gain insight into the home’s competition
The purchase offer you and your realtor will agree upon will be based in part on a comparative analysis of similar homes in the region. This will give you a strong understanding of the home’s fair market value and the extent of upgrades homes in the neighborhood have gone through.
Perform your due diligence as a buyer
Once you have selected the perfect neighborhood for you and your family, discovered the home that surpasses your hopes and expectations, and have had your purchase offer (which includes your contingencies negotiated and/or accepted), it’s time to conduct due diligence, primarily through a comprehensive investigation of the home and property by a licensed home inspector.
This will entail assessing the integrity of the home’s foundation, its electrical and plumbing, the possibility of infestations, the condition of its roof, and more. Designed to detect any and all urgent and imminent issues, inspections shape what you can ask for during closing negotiations or, in worst-case scenarios, grant you the ability to walk away from the deal and continue your home search.
Whether you’ve just begun checking out homes for sale in Bellevue or have already decided on the neighborhood that will give you ongoing pleasure, Jeff Reynolds can offer you quality counsel and assistance for your real estate endeavors. With extensive experience in Bellevue proper and throughout the greater Seattle area, he combines warmth with professionalism to ensure his client’s satisfaction. Book a consultation with him today.