Home Buying Tips Neighborhood Checklist
Date Added: September 12, 2008 04:41:17 PM
After all, you wouldn't buy an expensive dress without first trying it on.
Naturally, your anticipated lifestyle will have a lot to do with your choice of a home. You may want a downtown apartment with its convenience to shops, restaurants, and entertainment. You may prefer an apartment or house on the outskirts of town for more quiet without being too far from the center of things. You may decide to forsake the town altogether for a house either in the suburbs or the country.
The neighborhood you move into will be just as important as the house you live in, so before you decide, look over these questions and make sure you have satisfactory answers to them. Honeysuckle curling over the porch is pretty, but convenient schools for the kids are important.
Taxes
► Are the taxes higher or lower than those in similar areas? Find out about special assessments as well as real estate taxes, but don't be put off by relatively high ones. The important thing is to learn how the tax money is used, and if it is going into making a better community, it could be worth it.
Public Services
► Are fire and police protection good? The rating should be available to you at the town hall. A scale rating of 4 is average for big cities, 5 for smaller towns. The size of the police department in comparison with nearby communities will tell you something about its adequacy. If property owners have no complaints, it's a good sign.
► Is garbage collection free? If not, are private fees high?
► Is the water system safe, and is the water too hard? Find out the bacteria count; it should be negative. Very hard water causes scaling inside hot water pipes, and may stain laundry.
► Are you near a bank, post office, hospital? These services are convenient—and the hospital may be needed in an emergency.
Schools
► Is the local school building in good condition, and does it have an adequate library, sports center, cafeteria, and playground?
► Are the students on double session? If not now, are classes getting so big that double sessions might be put into effect?
► Are there special teachers for music, languages, science, math, and art? Look also for a guidance counselor, nurse, and psychologist.
► Does the school budget show community support? Find out if parents are satisfied with the superintendent and school board, and if they vote budget increases when necessary.
General Convenience
► Will you have to drive to work? Make a test run to see how long the journey is door-to-door. Take into account the amount of traffic, toll costs if any, parking near work.
► Is there public transportation for commuting? How long will it take door-to-door, and what will it cost? If you have to use your car to get to the station, and pay for parking there, it can be expensive.
► Is the nearest shopping place a car ride away? You may not like this if you need only a loaf of bread or quart of milk and there is no store near.
► Can you easily get home from town after rush hour service is over? Check whether the evening and late night service is adequate.
Zoning Regulations
► Does the zoning law allow industrial development near you? Is a heavy-traffic highway being planned? Neither of these is desirable. Try asking local shopkeepers about rumors of coming industry, roads, or apartment developments.
► Will local restrictions prevent you from building the kind of house you want? Talk to the building inspector. Often there are regulations against prefabs and contemporary designs, or against making additions later.
Stability of Neighborhood
► Are there any multiple dwellings, such as rooming or boarding houses? Except for college communities, where students are transient residents by the nature of things, rooming and boarding houses usually foretell a decaying area.
► Are there a lot of school-age children around. This is a good sign of stability, because most families try to stay in one neighborhood till the children finish school.
► Does the community have good parks and libraries? These and other recreational facilities help make a neighborhood stable, and also add to a fuller life.
If the neighborhood you move into is match with your needs, now you can move into the next step, which are, consider the price and condition of the property.
