I like Benton for many reasons, one of them is its location on the intersection of Benton and Old Plain Dealing Road (SR3 & SR162). This makes it easy for me to get to the Shreveport/Bossier City area without dealing with the hassle of the Interstate. Affordable housing is also a reason I like Benton. Houses start in the low $97's, well below the state average. The town is safe and schools are good. Benton is not only the county seat, but home to Billy the Exterminator, the character off of A&E, giving us a a bit of notoriety with reality television fans.
Benton is also located within the proposed Digital Media Research Triangle. FiberCorps, a company based in Baton Rogue, is trying to convince Google to wire New Orleans, Lafayette and Baton Rogue with a fiber optic network. This would let Google do digital research in the resulting triangle.
For a small town, Benton has a variety of restaurants. If I'm in the mood for seafood I can go down to The Kingfish on Highway 162 and have all you can eat catfish and homemade hush puppies or if I'm hungry for pizza I head to family owned and operated Perky's Pizza Pasta and Subs on Palmetto Road or I can have Mexican at Los Gallos on Highway 3.
Another thing about Benton I like is the fishing and boating at Cypress Bayou Reservoir and Cypress Black Bayou Park and Recreation Area. Both are just a short drive east on Highway 162. I can go west toward the Texas border and a paddle boat ride on Caddo Lake. The Red River is also just west of Benton if I'm in the mood for a day on the water. Benton is a small town near the Shreveport/Bossier area without being in their backyard and is close enough to the big city to be convenient. Doing real estate appraisals in Benton LA involves getting around, knowing the context of the area, and being familiar with property values.