When buying or renting a new apartment, location is king. Your neighborhood plays a huge determining factor when it comes to how content you become in your apartment or home. In some cases, it can be a solid deal maker or breaker when you are on the hunt. And even though it’s difficult to know a place well until you stay there, researching the neighborhood culture before you move will help you make sure you don’t fall into “renters or buyers remorse” once you’ve settled in.
With this in mind below are 6 tips you can use to research a neighborhood before you make the move.
Look into the walkability score
Tools like Walk Score are available to help you determine how walkable and convenient a neighborhood is. Its measuring tools help you assess this. A low walkability score means you’ll have to depend on a car to get to where you need to go while getting a high walkability score means you can get by using your own feet.
These scores are used to establish how easy it is to walk around your neighborhood based on your location/address. And determines issues like your ability to walk to the tuckshop if you prefer, it also helps you see if houses and stores are spread out and not linked well through looking at things like bike paths and sidewalks. There’s even information about the density of the area, public transport access, and a general description of the area’s physical environment.
Go for a walk there yourself
If for example you want to check if houses in florida are best for you, it’s a good idea is to go and experience the neighborhood yourself. Taking a basic walk will give you a lot of information about an area. For instance, you’ll get to see for yourself if the parks and sidewalks are filled with families or if people greet when they pass you. You’ll also be able to see firsthand the options available for restaurants, stores, and recreation activities.
Walks can also highlight what isn’t so great too. If for example there is too much litter lying around or maybe the streets are hard to cross safely due to many cars being on the road, walking will give a first-hand experience because pictures of a neighborhood will not give you a full narrative of what you can anticipate. In addition to that, a walk will let you immerse yourself in a neighborhood and give you a clue of what life may be like once you move in.
Strike a conversation
At times one of the best ways to study a neighborhood is simply to strike a conversation with people who know the area better than you do. If you have family or friends who reside in the area, interview them and ask them about the things they like and don’t like about staying in the location, also ask them if they would recommend it or not.
If you don’t know anyone living in the area think about speaking to residents using an app or pose a question on a public Facebook group. Bear in mind that people have different perceptions on what makes a neighborhood a good place to live. Make it an effort to be more specific in the questions you pose to gauge responses that address things that are most important to you. For example, if you need quietness in your home, enquire about basic noise levels in the area. If you have an interest in business ask for information on the local business community and for ways you could get involved.
Pilot test your commute
The commute you make daily can certainly have a huge impact on the quality of life you live. Even though searching on Google Maps may tell about your route ahead, going for a test drive yourself is a much better alternative. Whether you do this by foot, by bike, public transport or by your vehicle you’ll get a better sense of how traveling to and from work will be.
Research property value trends
If you are going to rent out a property this is probably not as important, but if you want to purchase a property investigating property value trends is important to consider. This will give you information about whether home costs in the neighborhood are on the rise, remaining the same, or going on a downward spiral. All this information is needed if you are looking to make a thoughtful investment.
Being aware of these trends is highly valuable. You can find out about the history and potential the area has through examining the costs of its houses and looking at how they have fallen or grown over time. Additionally, you’re able to make some guesses based on property tax rates in the neighborhood, like if schools and parks in the area are funded sufficiently.
Although property values don’t tell you the complete story and neighborhoods with low property values don’t mean the place is not a good place to stay. These factors are simply worth examining in your investigation, in particular, if you plan to buy and invest for the long haul.
Review crime stats
Worrying about the rate of crimes before you move into a new neighborhood is completely normal. According to the Under the Fair Housing Act, credible estate agents are not permitted to inform their clients about the crime rates in a specific area, so it’s up to you to conduct your research.
When looking, a good place to start your search find crime stats is to use Neighbourhood Scout, AreaVibes, or CityProtect. All these platforms measure and collect crime data for various locations. On the other hand, a site like Family Watchdog will give you information on whether any sex offenders are registered in the location. So it’s imperative to undertake your research as well.
Bear in mind that the chances of finding a neighborhood where crime is completely nonexistent are highly unlikely. While you are gathering information, it’s imperative to make sure the reports you find are contextualized, in particular when you want to compare population density in various locations this will help.
Where there are lots of people it usually means more crime is prevalent, although it does not necessarily mean you’ll also be exposed to crime yourself.
In conclusion
By paying attention to all the steps above, you will find that your research efforts when investigating a neighborhood will yield more useful information. All you have to do is research matters that are most important to you, for example, issues that address your preferences and concerns, while being mindful that all neighborhoods have advantages and disadvantages. In this regard establishing enough information will give you a strong foundation and help you make a better decision before you move into your new house in a new location.
