How about high speed broadband internet? That has become an important factor for many home buyers:
Rural Southeastern North Carolina has better access than many would expect. I live 40 minutes outside Wilmington, out in the country, and I get my broadband from the cable company. It's blazing fast.
"In less than a decade, broadband has gone from a luxury to a must for many people, and for some of them, it's started to influence their real estate decisions. Homes that have broadband are winning out over more remote ones that don't. Areas with better and faster broadband are becoming more desirable than ones with slower access.
Edward Redpath, a real estate broker in Hanover, N.H., said he has seen deals fall through once the buyer realizes a home doesn't get broadband. Across the Connecticut River in Norwich, Vt., only the center of the village has cable.
"We have a lot of people that don't go into the rural neighborhoods or consider the rural neighborhoods because they need the broadband," Redpath said. "Our lifestyle demands speed.""
