Thinking about making the move to Severna Park? Here are some important tips for success in this unique and highly competitive market!
1 – START WITH…THE POOL!
Yes, seems like a strange place to start, but as soon as you think you may be making a move to Severna Park, I recommend clients think about whether or not they’d like to join a pool. If the answer is yes, I recommend spending $150 to get on the waiting list for the two most popular pools that are open to general membership, St Andrews Swim and Tennis Club ($50 application fee and 5+ year wait) and the Severn River Swim Club. If you are an avid golfer and would like to join Chartwell Golf & Country Club, you’ll want to get on that waiting list ASAP as well, as the wait is currently several years. There are many other great neighborhood pools, and several pools with little to no wait as well. You can find out more at our pool guide here.
2 – GET TO KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOODS FIRST
Severna Park’s neighborhoods are extremely diverse with very different offerings in terms of homes, amenities and locations. In fact, the reason I started this website years ago was due to the many conversations I had with residents saying that they love where they live, but they really wish they knew more about this or that neighborhood before deciding on a home. Even knowing that a neighborhood has water access isn’t enough, as that can mean an area outside of the neighborhood where you can drop a kayak in the water, or it can mean an incredible sandy beach right on the Severn River with a clubhouse, marina and more. Because of this, I’ve made it part of our team’s process to educate every client on the various neighborhoods and what they have to offer, typically before we ever look at an individual home. Some of the neighborhood amenities are behind gates or in counterintuitive locations, so this is certainly easier to accomplish with a guide.
3 – TAP INTO THE SHADOW INVENTORY
This is of course the hardest step, and where we think we are able to add the most significant value in your search. While I don’t have data on the Severna Park market as a whole, nearly 1/3 of our buyers over the years have purchased homes that were not active in the MLS. If you are just looking for homes online, you will be missing out on significant opportunities. We use a multi-pronged approach to find these homes through various channels, and would be happy to tell you more about it.
4 – BE PREPARED TO MOVE QUICKLY
Over the last two years, 57% of homes in Severna Park have sold in a week or less, many selling during their first weekend on the market. As such, it is vital to be pre-approved and ready to move quickly if you need to get an offer in on the home of your dreams, no matter what day of the week it is. That said, being ready involves more than just getting pre-approved for financing. Having an understanding of the tactics that are available to employ in a competitive multiple-offer situation is equally important. Of course, having done your homework and being certain that the neighborhood is one that you will be happy with is probably the most important step of all!
5 – CONTACT THE SEVERNA PARK TEAM
Ok, this is actually the most important step of all! Call us today at 443-261-5817 or email at [email protected] so that we can do all of the hard work for you!