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Tips potential homeowners should ask when deciding where to move

Realtor Christi Borden tells her clients to take a weekend and hang out in the community you're thinking about moving to before purchasing.
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HOUSTON — A beautiful photo-shoot of a one-year-old’s birthday turned ugly when an irate resident tried to kick the family off a public walkway on Northern Boulevard.

The incident was captured on camera and Houston Police are looking into the incident.

RELATED: Woman gets aggressive with couple for having photo shoot for baby in her neighborhood

Northern Boulevard is wedged near Rice University and the Museum District and is known for its live oaks. It’s a popular place for photo-shoots which has long frustrated some neighbors wanting peace and quiet.

Of course, there’s a right and wrong way to deal with something.

Being a frustrated homeowner isn’t unique to Northern Boulevard as whether it’s construction, over the top Christmas celebrations or a busy traffic pattern, Christi Borden, realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene, offers tips that can help homeowners live happily-ever-after.

“There’s always something that you do not anticipate when you’re buying a home,” said Borden, “and then you think, gosh… if I asked that question before then I maybe would not have bought in this community.”

For example, if someone is attracted to a certain community because of the view or a unique feature, chances are other people will be too - even if they don’t live there. Borden says it’s important to know what the rules for public access are.

“If you are not in a gated community then that access is probably a right of way, which means even the HOA cannot restrict people that want to do lawful activities.”

With Greater Houston’s continued sprawling growth, homeowners should also temper expectations of “country living”.

“Anyone that bought thinking, ‘I’ve got this country home out here!’, may be surrounded by subdivisions and grocery stores and big box stores [in the future], and didn’t anticipate that. Just remember that any land adjoining you could change.”

Borden also cautions her clients to check out the rules and regulations of the HOA and make sure they can live happily with them.

“The issue with HOAs is they are all administered differently… some of them do an amazing job, some of them are a little bit overkill and some of them are nonexistent.”

Another tip Borden offers, is to spend time in the neighborhood to see what it’s really like and find a neighbor already living there to talk to.  

“The thing is the neighbors know everything that has happened in that community and they are happy to share about the good and the ugly!”

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