Important Things to Know About a Neighborhood before Buying a Home

When you are ready to in a neighborhood, there are some important things you should know about the area before signing the final paperwork. A quality neighborhood is very important to most home buyers and many people buy homes each year in what they consider the perfect neighborhood, until they move in that is. For example, if you were house hunting while it was still cold out, you may not know about the loud neighbor who likes to start his/her weekend blasting music and revving up their motorcycle, or the teenagers who like to hang out at midnight.

Even though it can sometimes be hard to find out everything about a neighborhood and all the people who live within, there are some things you can investigate on your own. Doing just a little investigation on your own will help give you a peace of mind about the neighborhood you have chosen.

How to choose the right neighborhood:

Crime: Talk with the local police department about the neighborhood. They will be able to tell you exactly how many times they have been called out to the neighborhood and what for. You can also look on crimereports.com for up-to-the-minute reports of crime for areas you are interested in.

Neighbors: If you see other adults outside, stop and let them know you are interested in buying a home in the neighborhood. Ask them what they can tell you about the community and other neighbors.

Sex Offenders: Be sure to check the National Sex Offenders Database to see how close you would be living to registered sex offenders. You can visit familywatchdog.us to get free information by city and street. Most of the information will include a photo, their name, their address and their offense.

Traffic & Noise: Summertime will usually bring more people and traffic out in a neighborhood. Sometimes neighbors like to hang out at midnight listening to loud music. There again, you can ask your local police if this is a problem in that neighborhood before you make your final buying decision. Also, hang out around the neighborhood for an hour or two to see if you hear loud trains or planes nearby.

Schools: Even if you don’t have children now this can still an important factor. If you are planning on having children in the future you will want to near a good or top rated school system. Properties near good schools will naturally have higher home values and better resale values.

Public Services: Do you want to be in a neighborhood where public transportation comes through or is that a complete turn off? Are there nearby parks? Are there sidewalks or trails? Is there nearby shopping and restaurants? If these questions are important to you, be sure to find out.