WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL NEIGHBORHOOD?
Think about what you desire and put the must-haves at the top and the like-to-haves at the bottom of the list. Make a few copies and then use your list to compare and contrast different neighborhoods as you start looking. Once you narrow it down to the top 3, you might find that simply adding up the pro’s vs the cons on each list will help you decide which neighborhood is best.
Type of Home. Are you interested in a single-family home, apartment, townhouse or loft? Do you have pets that require a yard?
Proximity to Work. How far are you willing to commute? Do you plan to drive, walk or take mass transit to work? Do you have a car or would you be willing to get one?
Lifestyle features and amenities. Do you want to be close to an active nightlife area? Or how about natural features such as hiking trails, beaches and parks. What are some things that you would not want to go without such as access to grocery stores, retail, dry cleaning and etc.? Would you like to be within walking distance of restaurants and bars? How close or far do you want to from these features?
School System, Parks, Community Centers. If you have children or are planning to have children anytime soon, the first thing to do when looking at a neighborhood is to research the school system. Even if you’re single, living in an area with a much sought-after school system raises your property value. If you have kids, you’ll also want to live close to parks and community centers.
Historic Neighborhood or a New Development. Historic neighborhoods have tons of character, but often require lots of repair work and are governed by community associations with strict standards. Newer developments have more modern features, but are typically far from the city center.
Is there a freeway or train traffic nearby? Or how about Airports and aircraft? If you can’t stand late-night noise, you’ll probably want to steer clear of the college area or an area with a lively bar scene.
Are there seasonal celebrations in your area? Events such as festivals or farmers markets every now and then can be great times to be had, but wary of the impact and access to local business and maybe even your own street. Main streets can be great for access to freeways, but can become a detractor during heavy traffic times.