| Consider this (real life) scenario: unfamiliar with the | | | | should also give you an idea of the parking situation in |
| neighborhood, a young woman rents a beautiful house | | | | the area. Get out of your car and walk through it - and |
| on a picturesque street and moves in. She quickly | | | | listen while you do it. Take note of the sounds of |
| discovers that her house is en route to a motorcycle | | | | traffic, or anything else that may affect your peace of |
| clubhouse. On Saturday nights, after the downtown | | | | mind. Take public transit. All of this will help you get a |
| closes, the sound of motorcycles tearing down her | | | | feel for the local atmosphere. Remember, a |
| street wakes her up. | | | | neighborhood that is quiet during the winter might come |
| Imagine if you had just bought that house. Now, a noisy | | | | alive in the summer, and vice versa. |
| wake up call may or may not change your overall | | | | Next, talk to some residents and local business owners |
| opinion of a neighborhood, but the point is that you | | | | -you are likely to get an honest review of the |
| want to know about a neighborhood before you | | | | neighborhood, both the good and the bad. Call the local |
| purchase a home there. This is especially important if | | | | police and ask about crime in the area. Check for |
| you are moving to a new city - so do your research. | | | | registered sex offenders living in the neighborhood. All |
| Where do you start? Well, first you want to have an | | | | of this will give you important information you won't get |
| idea of what you want in a neighborhood. If you have | | | | from the neighborhood's appearance or the Chamber |
| children, you may be looking at schools - are there | | | | of Commerce website. |
| good schools in the neighborhood, how far are they | | | | Of course, you also need to look at the financial future |
| from your house? Can the kids walk to school? How | | | | in your home. Property values for the neighborhood |
| many streets will they have to cross? What are the | | | | whether it's currently being developed, and future |
| amenities in the neighborhood? Are shopping, banking, | | | | development potential are all important considerations |
| recreation and restaurants easily accessible? How | | | | and might help you get an idea of what the area might |
| about transit? | | | | look like in a few years. It's also important to find out |
| Once you have decided on the area, it's time to do | | | | about local utility rates and property taxes average. |
| some more advanced research to get a feeling for | | | | It's easy to become infatuated with the perfect house, |
| the local ambience. You can start by asking your | | | | but remember, the neighborhood is an essential piece |
| realtor for neighborhood info - a good real estate | | | | of the picture. You want to make sure you have your |
| agent should give you a realistic impression of the | | | | information before making a decision. "Location, |
| area. | | | | location, location" is an oft repeated phrase in the real |
| Now it's time for the first person experience: the | | | | estate world, and with a little research you can ensure |
| easiest way to get to know a neighborhood is to | | | | that you are settling into the location that's just right for |
| spend some time in it. Drive through the community | | | | you. |
| during rush hour, late at night and on the weekend. This | | | | |