Need help finding the right
neighborhood for your home search? Here are five factors that should figure
prominently in your thinking.
Schools
Even if you don’t have kids, the
quality of the schools in a given neighborhood should be high on your priority
list. That’s because property values are higher in communities with strong
school districts, meaning that your home will appreciate more. That said, you
may have to settle for less house due to higher prices.
Property Values
Independent of school quality,
you should look at local trends in home prices to get insight into that
community’s future. If property values have been in steady decline for a
decade, you’ll likely face issues when it comes to reselling down the line.
Instead, look for up and coming neighborhoods where home prices are climbing.
Traffic
Remember: if you’re buying a
home, chances are you plan on living there for a long time. Heavy traffic may
not seem like a big deal now, but in five years you (and your wallet) may feel
differently. Congestion can also have health and safety implications with
respect to air pollution and car accidents.
Emergency and Medical Services
In the event that something bad
happens, you want to be sure that emergency responders can reach you quickly.
It’s also one thing to be close to a hospital, and quite another to be close to
a good hospital. If possible, concentrate on areas in proximity to university
hospitals, which tend to have more modern equipment and resources.
Crime
Don’t rely on looks alone when
evaluating the safety and security of a neighborhood. Information on local
crime rates (and most common types of crime) are commonly available from your
local police department and the FBI website, and real estate sites like Zillow
aggregate data from several sources to provide their own reporting.
