5 Things to Consider When Moving into a New Home
If you are looking for new homes in a particular area you might have the ideal location in mind already and are just looking for your dream house. However, if you’re like most of us, you’re tentatively searching around for a place near your desired school district and are just kind of hoping for the best. Well, here are some things to help you narrow down what you should look for in a lifestyle in a new home community.
Ideal Neighborhood
Everyone’s version of an ideal neighborhood is different. For some, it could be the family friendly atmosphere that shows from children playing outside and for others it could be the landscape and appearance of the neighborhood. Find out what your idea of an ideal neighborhood is and that will help to narrow down your search. Think about what you want the neighborhood to look like and feel like. Is it important to you to be friendly with the neighbors? Do your children need space to ride their bikes? What about a community pool or basketball courts for them? Whatever you deem important is what makes for your ideal neighborhood.
Amenities
Amenities differ by neighborhood. Some have nothing to offer but if you’re looking for new homes in a place like a planned community then there will be a lot of things included in the cost of the house. Even if you’re not looking for new homes in a planned community, sometimes amenities can be something like what utilities are included or if there is an HOA that takes care of the front yard area for you. Basically, you want to consider what perks are included whether that’s in the community or the house itself.
Crime Rate
You can find out the crime rate of a particular area online. You’ll definitely want to research that before moving into your new home. Some places could look very nice and welcoming during the day but completely change during the night. If you have a general sense of the area already then you probably know where it is safe and where it is not but if you aren’t sure or want particular information about the street you are considering then look it up online or talk to your local police precinct. They may have records and information regarding that particular area.
Homeowner’s Association
The HOA has pros and cons. It can be great to have somebody taking care of the outside of the house for you and keeping the area nice but on the other hand they can make it very difficult to own a house. When there is a homeowners association in your neighborhood it can sometimes feel like you don’t even own your own home because of all the things you aren’t allowed to do. For example, you may not be able to hang your laundry to dry outside or plant certain kinds of flowers or shrubs or paint your house the color you want. Find out of the neighborhood you are looking at has a homeowners association and then with their parameters and regulations are for the residents.
Neighbors
Neighbors can make or break a pleasant living experience. If knowing or not knowing the neighbors doesn’t make a difference to you than this probably isn’t that important to look into. However the wrong neighbors can make your life miserable. The best way to find out what kind of neighbors you are going to be living next to, is to bake a batch of cookies and stop by unannounced with a few questions about the neighborhood and how they like it. If they are awkward, short and cold then you know you aren’t going to have a good relationship with them but if they’re open and willing to talk then there’s a good chance that they’ll be good neighbors to you.
Finding out about these few things’ll help you to decide whether or not this home is where you want to set up camp. It’s difficult to make the final decision when looking at new homes but it’s also an exciting process. The most important thing is you to try not to get overwhelmed and just enjoy the ride, thinking about finally getting into your dream home once and for all.