How to Choose Your Next Neighborhood

One of the biggest factors when buying your next home is the location. And within that, there’s even more factors to consider. It can be overwhelming at times. So here’s some tips to make the process a bit more manageable.

Brainstorm

Start by identifying some neighborhoods that you’re interested in. Don’t worry too much about if they’re the perfect match for you right now, that will come later.

Ask your friends for recommendations. Ask a real estate agent what neighborhoods they like. Getting outside input can be very beneficial.

Let’s Start Narrowing

This is the most important part of the choice. You can’t choose the right neighborhood if you don’t know what you want or don’t want.

• Does it have sidewalks, a largely overlooked but useful amenity?
• Is the neighborhood quiet?
• Do the demographics fit you? For example, if you have a family, is it a family neighborhood or a college neighborhood?
• Is it close to your work?
• Is it in the right school districts?

These are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself. Put together a list of things that are important to you. Also consider things you don’t want in a neighborhood. These are absolute deal breakers.

Next, match up your neighborhoods to the traits that you’re looking for and not looking for. This should help you identify the top few.

Time to Start Scouting

After you know what you’re looking for, it’s time to go visit the neighborhoods that made the cut. Some people jump straight to this step and aren’t thorough and may miss things that are important to them, such as noise levels, sidewalks, etc.

See if there are streets in the neighborhood that you prefer. Look around to see if there’s a lot of for sale signs. If you see someone on the street, ask them if they like living in that neighborhood.

Keep your list going. If you’re not a list person, this is a good time to be one. It is your next home after all!

Collaborate with Your Agent

From here, it’s pretty simple. You should have a couple of neighborhoods picked out and can sit down with your agent to get his or her forecast for that neighborhood and if they think it’s a good place to move.

After that, you’re done! Let your agent know what neighborhoods to look in and begin your search!