The Connections Bridgewater-Somerville Edition Apr/May 2025

HOME & DESIGN

PAGE 38

REAL ESTATE CORNER When It’s Time to Move On By Johanna Wiseman

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ach year as winter transitions into spring, there are homeowners who are ready to trade the responsibilities of home maintenance for an easier lifestyle. Your planned move may be a “downsize,” but a reduction in square footage isn’t always the goal. The biggest question facing my clients is what kind of hous ing to move to and where it should be. Working with an experienced real estate agent helps clarify your needs and prior ities. As your agent, I help examine your options and develop a plan to sell your current home, if applicable, in coordina tion with acquiring your next home.

floorplans, no-step entries, and eleva tors. If that’s not for you, there are plenty of other developments to choose from that offer convenient, low-maintenance housing, without any age restrictions. At the onset, you should compare re sale homes with new construction. Your agent will help you become familiar with existing homes that are being resold by the current occupants. Knowing the ex isting inventory is an important point of comparison because you will need to consider the expense of any necessary renovations versus an investment in brand-new. While viewing resales, your agent can simultaneously guide you to new communities and assist you in nav igating building sites by accompanying you to the sales center and helping you with registration. Most builders are will ing to compensate your agent should you decide to purchase a new home in ex change for the accompanied registration. Having your own advocate is a tremen dous advantage. The presence of an agent alleviates sales pressure. From my previ ous experience with the new construc tion process, I know what questions to ask the builder’s representative on your behalf. Often there are practical consid erations that the sales center won’t men tion unless asked. If now is the right time for you, you can benefit from a very strong seller’s market. As an experienced agent, I help prepare your home for sale and select the best price and terms from among many willing buyers. Equally as important, I can position you to have a plan in place for your next home so you won’t be un der pressure to move quickly. Don’t hesitate to contact me or your own trusted real estate professional to guide you through the process of finding your next home. We are here to help! Local expert Johanna Wiseman Johanna Wiseman of RE/MAX Preferred Professionals can be reached at 908-705-0652, or visit MyBridgewaterHome.com.

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Luckily, many communities cater to the desire for outsourced home mainte nance. Most condo and townhouse de velopments provide landscaping, snow removal, exterior maintenance, and com mon amenities in exchange for monthly association fees. Amenities range from basic to luxurious. A swimming pool, playground, clubhouse, fitness center, and/or a jogging path are fairly common, but the sky is the limit depending on the price point. You might find a world-class golf course, a full social calendar, and travel opportunities. If you qualify by age and have no mi nor dependents, you may have the added option of 55+ communities. Many towns have allowed builders to develop age-re stricted housing (usually 55+) because it doesn’t add to school enrollment. These “active adult” communities offer numerous physical advantages, includ ing first-floor bedroom suites, one-level

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