Get a preview of what living in an area is like before you buy.
Home listings don’t tell complete stories; they mostly leave out details about neighborhoods. Real estate agents are good sources of information, but they can’t answer all your questions about a specific area. Getting a fuller understanding of what a neighborhood is like before you buy a home there requires a bit of legwork. It takes time but it’s not difficult. Below are ways to find out what you want to know.
Visit in person, different days and times
Visit a neighborhood more than once. Activity and noise levels can vary from morning to evening and from weekday to weekends. Check out the area at different days and times to get a feel for the atmosphere.
Also, visit the neighborhood at your usual going-to-work time and try out your commute. Do you make good time or do things get snarled up? When conducting this exercise during academic breaks times, keep in mind that traffic around schools will be very different when class is in session.
If a walkable or bike-able neighborhood is one of your top priorities, walk or bike the prospective neighborhood at your usual time for exercise.
Talk up the neighbors
Walking around a neighborhood gives you a chance to encounter the folks who live there. Chat them up! Introduce yourself and let them know you’re considering a move. Ask how long they’ve lived there as well as what they like and don’t like about the area.
As you talk up the neighbors, look at the condition and upkeep of nearby homes. You can change anything on your property, but you can’t change what’s next door. If you don’t like what you see now you won’t like it any better as homeowner. On the other hand, what you see may confirm it’s a place you’d like to live.
Also, if the home is part of a homeowners association (HOA) ask neighbors about their experience with the HOA.
Vet the HOA
The time to get familiar with an HOA is before you buy. HOAs affect both what you can do with the home and yard, and how things operate in the neighborhood.
Ask the sellers for a copy of the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CCR), bylaws and rules.
Review the HOA’s financials. If you don’t understand them, hire a real estate attorney or accountant to evaluate the HOA’s financial health.
More than one homebuyer has experienced buyer’s remorse because they didn’t fully understand how an HOA works. Find out as much as you can before you buy.
Check out the neighborhood online
Round out in-person research by collecting information online. Specifically, check out:
Additionally, Niche offers community snapshots that include a look at the cost of living, public school grades, crime and safety grades, population figures and more.
Social media like Facebook and Reddit may also provide a glimpse in a particular neighborhood’s vibe but some comments should be taken with a grain of salt. Online forums are popular places for people to vent and comments there aren’t vetted for accuracy.
Map it
You’ve heard it before, the three most important things in real estate are location, location and location. Use your favorite map app to find the distances to the places you frequent:
- Your workplace
- Nearby grocery stores
- Favorite restaurant and entertainment venues
- Gyms and fitness centers
- Schools—keep in mind that the nearest school may be in another district
If your job requires frequent air travel, check how long it takes to get to and from the airport.
When you find the right home in the right neighborhood, find the right mortgage with us! We have zero-down options and especially love to help first-time buyers.
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