Whether it’s your first home or you’re a seasoned homebuyer, purchasing a new home for you and your family is always an exciting time. Shopping for the perfect house to turn into a home means getting the right size, yard, layout and amenities that you deserve. But before you can get to this step, you need to figure out where exactly you want that house to be located.
Knowing the city or metro area you want to move to is the starting point but how do you pinpoint the exact neighborhood from there? Our team of local housing experts has helped put together a list of considerations and boxes to check when choosing where to settle down.
Crime and Safety Ratings
The level of crime and safety for a neighborhood is extremely important when choosing the location you’ll spend the next 5+ years at. This is especially true if you have or plan on having kids while living there. In order to get a good idea on how safe a neighborhood is, you’ll want to:
- Check crime statistics online
- Verify if a neighborhood watch program exists
- See how well-lit the streets are at night
- Talk with current residents to see how safe they feel
It’s important to remember that the choice still comes down to your personal comfortability. Even if all the correct boxes are checked but the area still gives you that uneasy feeling, try spending more time there to see if you can figure out why. Ultimately you want to choose a neighborhood you feel safe in at night or letting your children go to a friend’s house.
Nearby Shops, Restaurants, Parks and Other Establishments
Typically purchasing a new home also means purchasing easy access to the neighborhood’s amenities. Being central to grocery stores, pharmacies, parks and medical centers is a huge quality of life improvement that often gets overlooked during the neighborhood selection process. If you have furry family members then a dog park may be part of the requirements as you search.
When adding children into the mix, a nearby pediatrician can make appointments easier to schedule with work and school to limit missed hours. Oftentimes pediatricians are part of a network of other doctors so always check to see if there’s an easy solution for the whole family!
How To Find a Stellar School District
Every school will do their best to showcase the best aspects of their district but what exactly separates the good from the not-so-great? One of the easiest indicators to use would be test scores to at least determine the academic strength of students. From there, you can dive into the school’s programming to find out what they offer regarding Advanced Placement classes or college-level options that can be turned into college credit later on.
Outside of academics you have athletic programs and extracurricular activities. High-ranking schools often encourage their students to dabble in the arts whether it’s picking up an instrument, paint brush or dance routine. If your little ones prefer to be active with their extracurriculars, make sure the school district has a fitting sports team that puts the students’ safety first.
Following these steps can help make sure you can find the perfect neighborhood for your dream home. Once you’ve made your decision, reach out to the experts here on the Potempa Team and we’ll make the mortgage process the easiest part of the experience for you and your family.
