Where is the heart: home or neighbourhood?

Everybody knows the most familiar real estate refrain about the three most important things about buying — or selling — a home:
Location, location, location.
But is it? If you’re a buyer, what’s most important to you: the house you want to call home, or the neighbourhood where you want to live? A home can take priority for all the obvious reasons…enough bedrooms, large kitchen, two-car garage, etc. A neighbourhood can be equally important…resale value, safe and comfortable, the place where you grew up, etc.
As prices have risen and inventory has fallen, it can be more difficult to find a way to live in your neighbourhood of choice, especially if you’re a first-time buyer who has to move further from what has been home to find the right price point.
Of course, that’s also true with the size of home you need or want to meet your family needs. The bigger the home, the higher the selling price, in many cases.
So if you can’t have both, which is it?
Would you take a lesser home than desired to be in the “right neighbourhood?” Or would you choose a “lesser” neighbourhood to find the “right” home?
It’s an interesting question, one that Dale (604-720-3353) and Jennifer (604-726-8768) have made a career of helping clients to find the answer.