Neighborhoods have characteristic personalities designed to best suit single people, growing families, two-career couples, or retirees. Investigate to determine if the neighborhood matches your lifestyle and personality.
Scout Out the Neighborhood!
It is important that you scout the neighborhood in person. You live in more than your house.
- Talk to people who live there.
- Drive through the entire area at different times of day, during the week and on weekends.
- Look carefully at how well other homes in the area are being maintained. Do the homes need paint? Are the yards well cared for? Are the parked cars in good condition? Does this look like a neighborhood where you would want to live?
Neighborhood Factors to Consider —
- Look for things like access to major highways and shopping.
- Listen for noise created by commerce, roads, railways, public areas, schools, etc.
- Smell the air for adjacent commerce or agriculture.
- Check with local civic, police, fire, and school officials to find information about the area.
- Research things like expansive soils and water restrictions.
- Look at traffic patterns during different times of the day, and your commute to and from work.
- Is the neighborhood near parks, churches, recreation centers, shopping, theaters, restaurants, public transportation, schools, etc.?
- Does the neighborhood belong to a Homeowner’s Association?
What are the monthly/yearly fees?
What do they cover? - Are there covenants?
Do you want to live in a neighborhood with covenants?
(Increased property value vs. restrictions on what you can and