Real Estate Information Archive

We love the Omaha area for so many reasons. With its gorgeous location along the Mississippi River, and home to many fortune 500 companies, four bustling entertainment districts, over 200 parks, and world-class shopping and dining. But it’s the people and the neighborhoods that make the Omaha area a fantastic place to call home. With that said, we have the latest update to the Top Omaha Neighborhoods and Suburbs to call home for 2022…drum roll, please!

Top Omaha Neighborhoods:

Benson- Do you have an artsy, creative flair? Then you’ll fit right in with the Benson neighborhood. Affordable homes with lots to do in the area. Great local coffee shops, a foodie haven, and wonderful shops and schools. Search all Homes for Sale in Benson.

Old Market- Omaha’s most historic neighborhood, with beautiful cobblestone streets & entertaining nightlife. A relatively small neighborhood hosting Omaha’s famous Farmer’s Market, great shops and dining, art galleries, bars, and lots of socializing. A more expensive area, but home values are on the rise and this neighborhood has an 87% walkability rating! Search all Homes for Sale in Old Market.

Dundee- This charming neighborhood knows what community means and keeps up with its homes and neighbors. Often referred to as the golden child of the city, it is the safest neighborhood and the very home of Warren Buffet for over 60 years.  Great affordability for homes and walkable to most of your favorite places. Ahh, yes, please. Search all Homes for Sale in Dundee.

Leavenworth- A neighborhood full of lovely parks, moderately priced homes, great schools, and nightlife too!  Add to that the shops at Midland Crossing and you have the perfect neighborhood for any family. Again, if you’re looking for a great neighborhood with walkability to your favorite places, Leavenworth may be the place for you.  Search all Homes for Sale in Leavenworth.

Aksarben/Elmwood Park- Just south of Dundee, Aksarben Village is the hub of community activity and home to many upscale apartments and condos with lots of retail space, parks, and offices nearby. It is also nearby Baxter Arena, home to the many University of Nebraska at Omaha Sports Teams. Home prices here are in the $200,000.  Search all Homes for Sale in Aksarben/Elmwood Park.

Top Suburbs of Omaha to Live:

Papillion- Just south of Omaha is this tight-knit, charming community of Papillion. Boasting incredible shopping, namesake brewing, 650 acres of park space & bike trails, golf courses, recreation areas and excellent schools. This is a top-notch suburb for you and your family to call home. Search all Homes for Sale in Papillion.

Gretna- A small, beautiful community known for its parks and attractions, Gretna is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. You’ll also love the great dining and shopping options and wonderful schools for your family to enjoy. Search all Homes for Sale in Gretna.

Chalco- This mid-sized city, along the Missouri River, is new to the list but offers a suburban charm with lots of outdoor amenities. Fishing, boating, nature trails, and home to the Chalco Hill Recreation Area. Highly rated schools that are fantastic for families and have very affordable housing options. Search all Homes for Sale in Chalco.

La Vista- Officially the youngest town in Nebraska, La Vista offers the advantages of a small town, with all the opportunities of a large city. Featuring well-kept homes on beautiful tree-lined streets, and home to many corporations boasts a wide range of home options. Amenities include 17 parks, a sports complex, swimming pool, community center, senior rec center, library, and excellent schools. Search all Homes for Sale in La Vista.

Bennington- The town of Bennington may be small, but once you’ve visited here beneath the miles of blue skies and shade of heritage trees among the quiet and beautiful surroundings, you’ll know why it’s one of our best-kept secrets! Today Bennington combines the serenity of a farming community with the culture of a more metropolitan area. You’ll enjoy great schools, access to everyday necessities, and a short drive to anything that Omaha has to offer. Search all Homes for Sale in Bennington.

What type of community and home are you searching for? Put our years of local experience and real estate knowledge to work for you. Give us a call or start your customized home search today right here.

Homeowners associations (HOA’s) can be an attractive aspect of a community or a complete dealbreaker for homebuyers. If you find yourself searching for homes with an HOA but aren’t quite sure how you feel, today’s blog post may be able to deliver some clarity. 

Before we get into pros and cons of HOA’s, let's first discuss what they are. A homeowner’s association is an organization within a neighborhood, subdivision or condominium that is in charge of creating and enforcing rules and regulations for the properties within the community. 

Pros of an HOA

-Amenities. HOA’s typically will offer and manage amenities such as pools, parks, tennis courts and community centers, all of which are assessable to community members. 

-Maintenance. HOA’s will typically handle all community maintenance including snow removal, trash pickup, landscaping and the upkeep of private roads. 

-Appearance. HOA’s oversee and ensure the community is neat at all times. This is especially nice if you are in the process of selling your home as a clean neighborhood is appealing to potential buyers. 

-Mediator. HOA’s are able to step in if a conflict were to arise with a neighbor or fellow community member. Turning issues over to the HOA is a great way to ensure the issue is resolved fairly, making it easier for both parties involved. 

Cons of an HOA 

-Cost. The cost of an HOA can vary based on property and the amenities that are provided, but an added cost nonetheless. 

-Fines. It is important to fully understand what is expected from you as a homeowner in a community with an HOA to avoid being penalized with unexpected fines and fees. 

-Rules. Some people are turned off from HOA’s because they are told what they can and can’t do with a property they own. Things such as exterior paint color, dimensions of fencing, how tall your grass can be, the number of pets you can have and type of window coverings that are visible from the street are all things HOA’s can dictate. 

Choosing the best home and neighborhood for your needs is of utmost importance to our team.  Please contact us with any questions you may have and check back to view our blog weekly for great home buying and selling tips!

There is no denying that Omaha, NE is a hot real estate market! With that said, if you find the perfect home in the city it helps to be equipped with knowledge to help make your offer stand out from the rest. These tools may be the competitive advantage you need for sellers to accept your offer. Let’s dive into this more below: 
 
-Find a great rest estate agent that has a broad understanding of the current Omaha, NE market and who not only communicates well, but also is proactive during the entire process. Your agent will represent you and will be communicating with the listing agent to help push your offer over the finish line by inquiring on items such as timelines, seller’s goals, etc. 

-To make your offer appealing to the seller, it is best to keep your offer as simple as possible. This means fewer contingencies, making sure the offer price is reasonable and competitive, offering a quick closing, etc.

-Show that you are a serious buyer by providing the seller proof that you can afford the home. You can do this by obtaining a mortgage pre approval letter or if you are a cash buyer, you can submit proof of funds in combination with the offer.

-Lastly, you can make your offer stronger by offering to speed up the inspection time. A standard time period is around ten days, but offering to have the home inspector come out right after the contract is accepted can really make your offer stand out. 

Be sure to check back each week for more real estate and Omaha, NE community information! Also, are you following us on Facebook? If not, be sure to check us out here! 

If you are searching for a new home, chances are you’ve come across some properties that need some serious love, attention and renovations. And if you initially turned an eye to those homes you may be missing out on an opportunity to turn that eye sore into your dream abode. 

In today’s blog post we are going to be covering the pros and cons of purchasing a fixer upper. This information will give you an overall picture of what you are getting with an older property and allow you to examine if that route is one you want to take. Let’s dive right in!  

Pros of buying a fixer-upper:
-Customize the home to your liking. Purchasing a fixer-upper allows you the opportunity to personalize and customize the home to your specific taste and wants when doing the repairs/upgrades. 

-Your dream neighborhood. Do you have a part of town you love but the price tags don’t fit your budget? A fixer-upper may allow you to buy a home in your price range in a part of town that otherwise may have been too expensive. 

-Potentially save money on your home purchase. In some cases, what it would cost you to purchase and fix up and older home can end up being less than what it would have cost you to purchase a new house. 

-Adding value to your home. Certain home renovations, such as bathrooms and kitchens, can add value to your house. This is especially true if you purchased the property below its market value.

Cons of buying a fixer-upper:
-Time and budget. As renovations go, it is not uncommon for the project timeline to take longer than initially expected and cost more than was originally quoted. Things happen – expect the unexpected.

-Invisible repairs. While many repairs are obvious and can be seen with the naked eye, there is potential for some real work to be hiding behind the walls. Rewiring the house to accommodate modern appliance standards, for example, can leave you with a large, unexpected bill.

-Living in and financing the renovations. You will be living in a construction zone until the project is completed if you are not able to find alternative living arrangements. Additionally, you will either need to secure a home renovation loan or have cash in-hand to finance the renovations. 

-Time-consuming. Be prepared to spend time on the home renovation project, whether it’s picking out finishing’s, redesigning layouts, settling on paint colors, etc. you will be busy and consumed until things are wrapped up. 

From new, modern homes to old fixer-uppers - whatever your taste let our experienced team help you find your dream home in Omaha, NE. Be sure to sign up for our listing alerts here!

With 2020 right around the corner, now is the perfect time to start organizing yourself for the new year – starting with your home! Having a clean and organized space ensures that you and your family are able to find things quickly and that every item has a ‘home.’ Below we have listed a few tricks to help you get and stay organized for the new year and beyond! 

-The first place to start in your organization journey is figuring out exactly what needs organizing. To accomplish this, our advice is for you to stand in the middle of the room and do a 360-degree turn. Take note of what areas catch your eye and make a list so you can stay on track.

-To ensure you don’t get overwhelmed by the project, write down a day/time that you would like to have each area completed by and do your best to stick to it. Maybe each weekend you tackle a different room/area of the house and keep on the schedule until you are satisfied with the results. Doing this will make the project manageable, keep your stress level down and give you something tangible to work towards. 

-Our next tip is probably the most important in your organization journey – and that is to declutter your space! Take some time before you start to organize any room and go through drawers, cabinets, countertops, etc. and throw away/donate anything that no longer serves you. This will ensure that you are only organizing items that you need and will use throughout the year and get rid of items that don’t need to take up space. 

-Organizing and storing your things with similar items will make it easy when you or a family member go to look for something. For example, keeping a drawer with pens/pencils/markers/envelopes/stamps/paper clips, etc. is an effective way to organize office supplies and keep everything in order.

-Don’t be afraid to utilize storage bins, containers and drawer organizers, as these items will end up being your best friends! Investing in, and utilizing, storage containers can go a long way and help to keep everything in its place. 

-Our last tip for you is to make organizing a habit. Just taking a few minutes here and there to check in and touch up will go a long way in keeping things organized and your home running smoothly in 2020! 

Have you been looking high and low for your dream home in Omaha, NE? Let one of our talented, experienced agents help you with your search and check out our Listing Alerts page here!

Since air quality directly impacts your health and well-being it's important to do what you can to improve the air quality in your home.  Did you know that opening windows and allowing the fresh air in is the #1 way to improve air quality?  Here are 5 more ways to improve your home's air quality:

1. Clean your home often with as many chemical-free products as possible.  Use Hepa filters on your vacuum cleaner and mop.

2. Keep your home at 50% or less humidity; this helps reduce mold.  Also be sure to utilize your exhaust fan when baking, bathing, cooking and using your dishwasher.

3. Always dispose of paint, gasoline or other hazardous chemicals.  Do not leave them around your home or garage.

4. Furnace filters should be replaced every 3 months with a completed furnace check-up before the winter months.

5. Opt for hardwood floors, ceramic tile or laminate and remove old carpeting.  Carpets tend to trap more dust particles. If you have carpet in your home look to include house plants that filter toxins.

For more Homeowner Tips, visit our website.

If you're considering a Omaha NE home purchase this year, make sure you get the facts!  Home Buying myths have been around for ages so it's important to find the facts that will impact your decision.

A few things to consider in today's marketplace:

• 88% of all Property Managers raised rental rates in the last year!
• Interest Rates are still below historic lows.
• Credit Score requirements for obtaining a mortgage continue to fall.

To obtain more personalized information for your unique situation, contact the Heim-Berg Team.  You can also view more Home Buying Tips on our website.