Buying a House – 5 Ways to Research a Safe Neighborhood

This post is all about how to research a neighborhood before buying a house?

As a realtor with 20 year’s experience, the number 1 question I get from my clients that are buying a house is.  How do I know if this the right neighborhood for me and my family?  This is how I direct them to proceed.

Before buying a house, doing your own research on an area should be among the top 3 things a person does when considering a home purchase. In addition to having a pre-approval for a home and then actually choosing a house to buy, you can also learn more about the community.

When choosing your dream home, a neighborhood’s protection should be a high priority. To make sure you feel comfortable in your new neighborhood, it’s important that you do the necessary research.

Especially if you have a family or intend to have one in the future, you will probably want to try to avoid as many dangers and threats as possible. So, follow these tips to ensure your neighborhood is safe before you buy your dream house.

Here are the 5 tips before buying a house on how to study a place.

Using A Mapping Crime Tool

Sites like NeighborhoodScout and SpotCrime gather information about police and crime data. You may simply type in your address or possible address and check all the crimes in your area that have been committed. The type of crimes committed as well as the dates they happened are broken down by these pages.

You may also compare the crime in your neighborhood with other neighborhoods in your city. This will give you a good idea if it is healthy for your new neighborhood.

In considering future neighborhoods, there are other resources that offer additional details that should be taken into account. Sites such as NeighborhoodScout and AreaVibes provide data on crime rates in the neighborhood, grades in public schools, and other factors of living.

It’s also necessary to bear in mind that the whole image might not be painted by crime statistics. For you and your family, any crime may raise a question, but before making an assumption about the neighborhood, you may want to do a little more digging.

If you look at a smaller population, crimes committed will generate a higher percentage of crime solely based on fewer individuals in your area. This could provide you with a misinterpretation of the crime rate of the neighborhood.

Review the Official Website of the National Sex Offender

The Department of Justice of the United States has a helpful tool to help you identify sex offenders registered in your city. To decide whether there are any sex offenders living near your new home, visit the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW).

The NSOPW allows you to enter your address and see all of the sex offenders in your area similar to crime websites.

Family Watchdog is another place you can explore. This site provides you with similar details and provides a list of sex offenders convicted in your state. This platform also helps warn you and your family in your new neighborhood about potential threats. Family Watchdog provides you with the right to be informed of any changes in your area.

Take a Drive Around the Neighborhood

You will get a sense of the atmosphere the city offers by driving around your neighborhood.

The traffic conditions are one aspect that can really take the shine off a great place. Commuting to work or school, or to the grocery store should not be a big hassle.

How you intend to move is part of what makes a healthy neighborhood. If you choose to use public transport, such as buses, railcars or subways, then you would need to choose a place with good access to public transport.

How congested is the traffic during the morning rush and at night, if you are the sort who likes to drive yourself everywhere? Does the traffic, except at periods of high activity, seem to pass along well or is it a nightmare waiting through endless red lights?

Are there any nearby attractions or places of interest besides going to work or school that you feel will make your life better? Do you need access to a public library or a number of restaurants, or are you more interested in a wide park?

Your life and your interests should match with the characteristics of the community and surrounding town, not impede your life.

Consider the School District

Even if you do not have any young children, the existence of a school is significant. The best schools will be in every area, in the midst of the best neighborhoods. Together with more robust firms, the best schools attract higher quality homes, and all the other enjoyable stuff, such as better medical facilities, better shopping destinations, and higher quality of life overall.

Do any study to find out which school has the highest SAT ratings, the highest percentage of graduates and the best academics in general. Getting to an area near your town’s top school will contribute to a greater understanding of the worth of your home over time.

In the majority of our lives, taxes play a part. Before buying a house it is extremely important to take the local taxes of a new area into account.

Every year the home will have property taxes that are due. With the sum for the property, the local courthouse will assist you. There could be a separate sales tax for the local area as well as a gas tax that is charged for the gasoline in your vehicle.

To help with education, some places do have extra taxes. These may be measured with taxes on land or even part of the sales tax.

The local areas can also have an extra income tax depending on the city of your residence if you live in a state which has a state income tax.

Don’t Forget to Check the Insurance Rates

Along with property taxes to cover against a wide variety of incidents, your home will require an insurance policy. Just a few examples of a major disaster that could have a big effect on your home are fire, storm, flood, burglary and hurricane destruction. In order to find out the possible insurance premiums for the region, it is prudent to check with 2 or 3 insurance brokers.

Certain areas can bear a higher risk for future catastrophes. Homes along the seacoast, for example, are usually vulnerable to potential hurricanes. Some areas that are near to a lake or river may have extra limits on flood insurance. And some areas, based on nature’s position and recent history, may be at risk of forest fire.

An experienced agent in your possible new neighborhood who has given home policies will address these things and prepare you for the future.

Bottom Line

When moving into a house, there are a lot of things to remember. You’ll want to make sure that the real home suits your current needs well. But there are other factors that can also play a major role in your overall satisfaction in the city, such as commuting to work, local taxes, and the variety of people in the region.

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