Does Location Still Matter Most When You’re Searching for a New Home?

Not too long ago, any real estate pro would tell you that location should be your first consideration—but does this wisdom still apply?

Does location still matter most? Should you remodel your home to suit your tastes, or for resale value? Are starter homes still a thing? We all have plenty of questions about the ever-changing world of real estate. In our Ask an Agent series, we’re partnering with experts at Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate to answer your biggest questions about finding, buying, and selling a home.

Take the first steps in any house shopping journey, and you’re bound to hear the phrase “location, location, location.” (In fact, if you hear it just once during your house hunt, count yourself lucky.) This oft-repeated saying emphasizes the importance of location when you’re searching for your next home, and it’s been around for ages. So does it still apply?

Related: What First-Time Homebuyers Need to Know, According to Real Estate Pros

In our remote-work world, proximity to the nearest highway into the city or closeness to the office doesn’t matter the same way it once did. If you only work from home, you don’t need to consider your commute when house hunting; if you only go into the office two or three times a week, you might be more willing to deal with a stressful commute just a few days a week—instead of five—if it means you can live closer to your favorite hiking trail.

Proximity to grocery stores, restaurants, parks, and the other elements that make up a town or community can still make or break your enjoyment of your new home. With all these conflicting forces at play, we have to ask: Does location still need to be at the top of your wishlist?

For this installment of Ask an Agent, we spoke with Jessica Poulos of the Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Northwest Home Team about whether location, location, location still applies.

Meet the Expert

Jessica Poulos is the Designated Broker and co-owner of Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Northwest Home Team, with three offices in northwest Washington. She has more than 20 years of experience working in real estate in the area, helping clients find their dream homes.

Ask an Agent: Is Location Still the Most Important Thing to Consider When House Hunting?

Location is so important.

I always tell buyers to look at the three Ls—location, lot size, and layout—because you can’t change them. And so when you’re looking at big-picture investment, the first one is location. You can never change location.

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Is the house on a busy street? Does it back up to a Walmart parking lot? That will never change. Sometimes you even have to look at what’s going to happen behind the house. What does the city have planned? That might be a green belt now, but not in the future.

The three Ls are essential. You can go in and change carpet and remodel the kitchen, but you can’t choose a lot size. In the layout, you’re not going to change the footprint of the house. And you can’t change the location. You can’t change those basics of the house. That is what it is.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Related: Is It Still a Bad Idea to Buy the Best Home on the Block?

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Read the original article on Better Homes & Gardens.