The glamor of working and living in the city is often hindered by high real estate prices and limited family space. As the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009 subsides, more people are finding extra funds to put toward a home purchase. Because of its huge financial commitment, home purchases are met with savvy buyers researching their prospective neighborhoods as closely as possible. Commuting from a small town or suburb to work is becoming a major draw for potential homebuyers.
Small Town, Big Perks
Know your neighbor and feel like small-town America by choosing a town outside the city. Most major metropolises have numerous suburbs circling the area. Choose a region that’s freeway or commuter train close. Live by the water while commuting to an inland city, for example. You simply need to evaluate your personal interests and match them to a town. Your kids could spend their entire childhood in this neighborhood so choose wisely.
Act it Out
When you’ve narrowed down your neighborhood selections, take a day off work and try a real commute from each area. Leave from the potential new neighborhood at the exact time you’d need to on a regular workday. You want to see how the commute feels in real-time. Bumper-to-bumper traffic taking more than an hour for 30 miles may not be the perfect neighborhood to select, for instance.
Use Satellite Views
You could drive or walk around the neighborhood, but there’s another option in satellite views. Go home and pull up satellite views on your search engine. Today’s camera angles actually take you on a walking tour of any street you desire. Although it’s not real-time images, you can pinpoint questionable areas you want to avoid, such as liquor store corners or dilapidated housing.
See True Colors
Real estate agents usually take you to a property when they feel the timing is right. Certain neighbors could be gone for the day, for example. Take an evening or night trip to the property on your own. Observe neighbors and people driving down the street. If you aren’t comfortable driving down a street at night, it’s probably not the property for you.
Limited Disclosure
Ask as many questions as you can about a property’s past. You can access basic records at the local city hall, but you also want any unusual information disclosed. Drug trafficking and murder are two felonies you want to know about if they occurred on the premises. Each state has a different disclosure law so become familiar with your rights to pick the perfect home.
Seeing a neighborhood for its true colors gives you a glimpse at potential daily life. Find that hidden treasure outside of the bustling city to give your family a quiet and open yard to enjoy. You also open up your career to more opportunities if you aren’t committed to a neighborhood just because work is nearby. Stretch out and find new career paths while maintaining a steady home life.
