Before buying a new home investigate each neighborhood and determine if it reflects the lifestyle you desire. Drive the neighborhood at different times of the day and visit with people who live in the neighborhood. Performing these exercises, will give a buyer greater comfort level that they are making the right decision. Following list contains things that you should be evaluating prior to making your decision:
Favorite spots – Identify your shopping likes, activities for family, school, church, and work requirements, etc. Then determine how much travel time you will need to participate in these activities.
Safety – Contact police department to get statistics concerning the number of crimes and the type of crimes. Also, there are websites that will give you statistics concerning sex offenders.
Neighborhood economically stable – Check the ratio of owner-occupied homes versus rentals, research the average household income and property values. In addition, check to determine if there are homes and businesses that have been on the market for a long period of time. Your realtor can be a valuable source to provide you information about these concerns. Finally, check news sources to determine future development plans.
Good Investment – Check with a realtor concerning past appreciation growth. If appreciation values have been increasing at good rate in the past, this is a good indicator, but no guarantee for the future. In addition, research future plan development for the area, such as, schools, roads and businesses.
Like what I see - Narrow your home search down to two or three neighborhoods. Then verify within your own mind which neighborhood you would like to live in. Has the property been well maintained, are the streets busy or quiet, and do you have a good feeling? Finally, if possible pick a day to go to the neighborhood to speak with potential neighbors.
Check on school district - This is important whether you have or don’t have school age children. Always want to be thinking about resale value. There are numerous ways check on schools: local school district can provide information, and there are websites you can visit to get valuable information.
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