Once you know the city that you want to live in, it is time to look at the neighborhoods. As you are looking through the list, you might find the perfect neighborhood for you, at least on paper and in photos. It may be situated in a great location and have housing prices that align perfectly with your budget, but there are more things to know about a neighborhood than just what you see on the surface. It is important to go through the details that do not get much attention to avoid making a mistake when buying a home.
Walk Around the Neighborhood
The greatest way to get a feel for the area is to walk through the neighborhood. Take note of how many people you see walking around, as well as how many people are walking with their dogs. Do people spend time in their front yard? Do they greet you when you walk by? Covering these kinds of details can give you a feel of what it would be like living in the neighborhood if you were to buy a property within.
Get a Look at All Hours
Visiting in the morning, midday, and evening is not enough to get a true feel for a neighborhood. Make an effort to stick around through the night or at least drive up and down the streets after 10pm. Check it out on both weekdays and weekends to see what crowds show up and to get a feel for the noise level. The neighborhood might be completely calm or have a lot of parties and loud homeowners. Another crucial detail is the parking situation that your family and friends may have to experience. When you have no extra room for parking in the driveway, you do not want them to have to park a few blocks away.
Check Out the Local Traffic
After a quick look at the neighborhood's location and the place where you work, you might think that the commute is an easy one. But, you might not know how the traffic gets at certain times of the day. It is a good idea to look at Google Maps to see what your commute would be like in the morning and the evening. Finding out that the commute you thought would only take 15 minutes may actually take 30 minutes because of the traffic at the time you will leave may make you rethink living in the neighborhood.
Before committing to a neighborhood or a home, you should slow down and look at some of these details that are easy to overlook to ensure you end up in an area where you will be happy.
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