How to Choose the Right Neighborhood

If you’re planning on moving into a new home, you’ve probably already spent hours looking for the perfect home. There’s one important element, however, that matters more than the building itself; where is your new home located. You can move into the finest colonial or the coziest apartment, but if it’s not in the right neighborhood, you’ll never feel quite at home. Before choosing your future home, here are some tips to find the perfect neighborhood.

1) Proximity
The most important aspect of where you live is, it’s where you live. All distances and potential activities will be measured relative to your new home. As such, the most important element to examine about possible neighborhoods are their proximity to everywhere else. Most often, your primary concern will be the commute to work; if you’re ok with spending a long time in your car listening to audiobooks, then this factor can be less crucial, but otherwise, you’ll want to see what neighborhoods give you the shortest commute. What else is in the area? Are there parks nearby, how close is it to downtown? If you’re moving to an urban environment, find out what sorts of public transportation are easily accessible. Using proximity metrics are the best way to narrow your search down to the best neighborhoods.

2) Research
Now that you’ve got your list down to a few options, it’s time to research. The internet can be a treasure trove of information about your potential neighborhoods. Look up the crime statistics for the neighborhood, or call the local police station for more details. Examine the current and past value of homes in the area, to see if the trend is upwards or downwards. Search for the property taxes you might have to pay in each area. See if there are any plans for development in the area that might help or hurt the local property values. Even if you don’t have kids, make sure to look up the local school district, as the quality of the school district is often a key element for your future resale value.

3) Scout
By now, you’ve got it all narrowed down to a couple of choices. Before you go ahead and pick one, now is the time for your feet to hit the pavement. Go to the top several selections and scout out the area. What is your first impression of the neighborhood? Look for warning signs, such as a preponderance of “For Sale” signs, abandoned lots, and vandalism or graffiti. Take a moment, close your eyes, and just listen. Are these sounds that you would enjoy during the day, or be comfortable sleeping with at night? It may sound silly, but take this moment to smell, as well; no one wants to move in and find out the next day that they’re right next to a main septic line. Show up a couple times throughout the day, to get a clear idea of the neighborhood and traffic patterns, and, if you can, ask a few people already living there what they think of the neighborhood.

Now that you’ve identified where you want to live, you can confidently move to the next step of finding your perfect home. If you’re looking for homes to rent in Monmouth County, NJ, then Sea Verge Oceanside Rentals can help you find the perfect home, now that you’ve found the perfect neighborhood.

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