Why You Need to Research Your Future Neighborhood
Consider this; you just purchased the nicest house in one of the quietest neighborhoods around, or maybe you are gravely mistaken. What went wrong? You conducted your house hunting exercise in winter, but guess what? The weather has gotten a lot warmer and now the streets are crowded with rowdy teenagers who play loud music and plenty of other kids who regularly race on bikes through your yard. This is “house hunting” gone wrong.
This example shows how important it is to assess the overall neighborhood when you buy a house. 64% of potential buyers consider the quality of the neighborhood the most vital factor when selecting their next home. While it is difficult to know every single detail about your potential neighborhood, a comprehensive investigation will assist you in selecting a good neighborhood.
Crime Rates
There are many reasons which make neighborhood assessment a must and important exercise. Firstly assessing a neighborhood helps you in gauging the level of crime rate there. This will determine whether the area is safe for you and your kids or not. To do this you can use sites that give users latest crime maps and reports for particular areas.
Traffic
The search for your home search is not likely to last months, so learning about wintertime vs. summertime noise can be difficult. Nonetheless, visit the neighborhood during different times at night and day. Get an idea of traffic patterns, especially during rush hours. Some streets could be more dangerous than others, which can make the neighborhood perilous for you and your family. A real estate agent in Denver could come in handy. This again shows the importance of assessing the neighborhood well in advance.
Who lives in the neighborhood?
It goes without saying that checking out your neighbors is very crucial and the internet can be a valuable tool that will assist you greatly in this endeavor. There are a number of background-check websites which allow you access to background information on people. This will help you to figure out their address and other information. You should know who they are and what they do. Visit websites like www.familywatchdog.us, which provides a list of sex offenders residing in the specific area and also contains identifying data like their address, photo, and age. The importance of this exercise cannot be emphasized enough.
Am I buying the biggest or most expensive house?
It is also important to assess the neighborhood to compare real estate valuations. As it is unlikely that you will end up buying the most expensive home in a given neighborhood, pay close attention to real estate values of all the houses that are in close proximity to the one you want. There are many real estate companies in Denver that will be happy to share this information with you if you are serious about buying a home in Denver. Conducting this exercise will enable you to fetch a good price for your home in case you decide to move to a new neighborhood.
Schools
Another good reason for a evaluating a neighborhood is to compare different schools and educational options in the region. You will probably want them to be at par or better than those in your old neighborhood. Even for those who do not have children currently, may decide to have them in the future. Moreover, good schools have the tendency of driving up property prices in the neighborhood, which means you are likely to get a higher selling price in case you decide to sell.
Lastly, a thorough analysis of a neighborhood will apprise you of the quality of public services in the area. Minor things like clean streets, parks, sidewalks and public transportation matter a lot then you may initially think. You would also like to know the location of the nearest fire and police station and libraries. Poor quality public services could be a real deal breaker at times.