Home Buying Advice - Finding the Perfect Neighborhood

Selecting a neighborhood involves taking into account many different factors, for example, what kind of commute to do you, what facilities do you want close by etc. Follow this list of tips to help you find your perfect neighborhood.

What type of home do you want and how much are the homes in the area. There is no point in going through and identifying the perfect neighborhood, if your budget means that you cannot afford to buy a home. Also if you require a specific type of home, for example an historic home, then this may limit to areas that are available to you.
Do you have children, if so which school do you want to send them to. If you are sending them to a private school then the area is not so important, but remember they will have to travel to and from school everyday, so how far away is it and how long is the commute? If your preferred school is a public school then which neighborhoods are in the schools catchment area?
What activities do you regularly do and are they located nearby. Make a list of your regular activities such as hiking, gym, golfing, swimming, church etc and see how far away they are from the neighborhood. Those activities you perform more often, should be closer than those you only do every month or so.
Local area characteristics. This includes things like the local crime rate, are the gardens neat and tidy, are there lots of parked cars, are there busy / noisy roads / rail-tracks nearby, are there a large number of rental properties. Crime figures can be obtained from the local law enforcement office, the other information is best obtained by personally visiting the area. When visiting an area it is always best to visit at different times of the day, for example a road maybe quiet during the day but during rush hour it maybe very busy.
Commute to work. If you do not work from home and are not retired, then how long will it take to communte to work?

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