How to evaluate a new neighborhood/area

[intellectsucks]

When buying a home in a new neighborhood/area, what do you feel are the most important factors to research.  Do they change if you plan on owning the home for a shorter term 3-8 years or less?

[Cwadda]

Schools, crime rates, driving around if you're close enough, finding which parts of the town are good or bad, the healthiness of the condo association (if you are going to live in an HOA).

[meatface]

When buying a home in a new neighborhood/area, what do you feel are the most important factors to research.  Do they change if you plan on owning the home for a shorter term 3-8 years or less?

Not sure I would bother buying a home if I was going to be there only a few years. Unless rental prices are outrageous, I think you should strongly consider renting until you know your timeline and the area better.

[Vindicated]

Things important to me:

- Distance to Library
- Distance to Park
- Distance to Schools
- Distance to Work
- Quality of Schools
- Bike-ability

Some of this you can search online, but it's always a better perspective to just go see it in person.

[dougules]

I would talk to people that live there. 

And I agree that it's probably not a good idea to buy until your familiar with the area. 

[honeybbq]

If you have little ones (or even not) a search of the registered sex offenders in the area. Always a lovely thing to do.........

[TrMama]

If you're not planning on staying then one of the most important things will be ease of resale. Don't buy something that will be hard to get rid of when the time comes. This generally means avoiding anything "different", anything on a busy street, anything rural, etc.

[1967mama]

I research the crime statistics. Also, I park near the house and go for walks in the neighbourhood and park there at various times in the day and evening (weeknights and weekends) to get a feel for the neighbourhood activity.

[Bracken_Joy]

Yep, I do the same as most here.

-Grocery stores available, distance to them, and pedestrian/bike access?
-Public library- how large is the branch, etc
-Outdoor spaces- are there parks nearby? Are they nice, or do they attract drug crimes, etc?
-Sex offender registry and crime stat maps
-Visit to hear traffic noise, assess smell, proximity of railroads and industrial sites and highways
-Public transit options, parking availability, road and sidewalk quality

[oldladystache]

I research the crime statistics. Also, I park near the house and go for walks in the neighbourhood and park there at various times in the day and evening (weeknights and weekends) to get a feel for the neighbourhood activity.

Parking in the neighborhood about the time school lets out can be informative. And about dusk. Walking a dog is good too. If there's a park nearby you can sit with a picnic lunch for hours and just pay attention.

[lefty]

Look at the cars around the neighborhood.
Look at the garbage dumps/collection points through out the week.

You'll be surprised what and how much they tell you.

[Sibley]

If you have little ones (or even not) a search of the registered sex offenders in the area. Always a lovely thing to do.........

A note on the register sex offender lists - take those with a large grain of salt. They're notorious for inaccuracies. Just because it says someone lives there, doesn't mean they actually DO, and vice versa.

Also, in some cases, the offenses that will land you on the list are things that really don't matter. I do not particularly care that some guy was dating a 16 year old when he was 17 and her parents didn't like him so they got him in trouble with the law. (True story.) I do care about the serial rapist who probably hasn't been charged, and thus isn't even on the radar. Not very helpful.

I prefer to look at crime stats.

[Frugal Lizard]

I like to go for a walk and see how many people are walking and make eye contact.  Another indicator of a neighborhood livability is front porches.  I lived in a poor area but it was full of front porches that were occupied by old folks keeping an eye on things.  Safest neighbourhood ever.  Actually - stuff on porches is a good indicator.  If it is just the waste bins up and down the street - not a good sign. If the contents are varied and a show signs of recent uses, toys strewn around and worn cushions and a lack of debris in the gardens, then there is some community happening. 
How quickly the bins are brought in after garbage collection is another indicator how many people are around.

[Silverado62]

Veteran real estate investor and Broker here. For me, I'd stay away from the esoteric considerations and go straight for the neighborhoods with good schools, located as close in to the core central area(s) of the community as possible. Sticking at or about Median/Average value for the local market in general, or below.

You want the "Honda Accord" of houses, in an established family area with no major exposure to unknown/uncontrollable variables. No "misfit attributes" of the house or lot itself. Stick to boring basics, not what you "love".

Finally, I only buy property to live in that I will/would convert to a rental afterward. If it won't make a good rental, I won't buy it to live in myself.

[SC93]

My very 1st thing is that I will not move in to anywhere that has an HOA. Not happening. Next thing for us is location. If possible 40 foot sound proof walls around the house but since we know that's not reality, we will take a non dog barking neighborhood.

[TimmyTightWad]

Crime, amenities, walkability, local restaurant/bar scene, and diversity.

[honeybbq]

If you have little ones (or even not) a search of the registered sex offenders in the area. Always a lovely thing to do.........

A note on the register sex offender lists - take those with a large grain of salt. They're notorious for inaccuracies. Just because it says someone lives there, doesn't mean they actually DO, and vice versa.

Also, in some cases, the offenses that will land you on the list are things that really don't matter. I do not particularly care that some guy was dating a 16 year old when he was 17 and her parents didn't like him so they got him in trouble with the law. (True story.) I do care about the serial rapist who probably hasn't been charged, and thus isn't even on the radar. Not very helpful.

I prefer to look at crime stats.

True. I usually look at the class of the offense that is listed.

But you are correct, just because it says they live there doesn't mean they do (and vice versa).

[Fomerly known as something]

If you're not planning on staying then one of the most important things will be ease of resale. Don't buy something that will be hard to get rid of when the time comes. This generally means avoiding anything "different", anything on a busy street, anything rural, etc.

This, my co-workers with families do not understand why schools are an important factor to me and why I tend to look at 3 bedroom 2 bathroom houses when it's just me.  Because I tend to move on a shorter timeline due to work and appealing to the largest amount of buyers is important.

ETA:  I buy if it makes sense vs rent because my work pays all transaction costs on my shorter timeline moves which negates needing to earn 15% to break even.

[Another Reader]

Veteran real estate investor and Broker here. For me, I'd stay away from the esoteric considerations and go straight for the neighborhoods with good schools, located as close in to the core central area(s) of the community as possible. Sticking at or about Median/Average value for the local market in general, or below.

You want the "Honda Accord" of houses, in an established family area with no major exposure to unknown/uncontrollable variables. No "misfit attributes" of the house or lot itself. Stick to boring basics, not what you "love".

Finally, I only buy property to live in that I will/would convert to a rental afterward. If it won't make a good rental, I won't buy it to live in myself.

LOL.  My EXACT words when asked for home buying advice.  Also what I tell agents when I'm scouting new areas for rental opportunities.

[dougules]

Veteran real estate investor and Broker here. For me, I'd stay away from the esoteric considerations and go straight for the neighborhoods with good schools, located as close in to the core central area(s) of the community as possible. Sticking at or about Median/Average value for the local market in general, or below.

You want the "Honda Accord" of houses, in an established family area with no major exposure to unknown/uncontrollable variables. No "misfit attributes" of the house or lot itself. Stick to boring basics, not what you "love".

Finally, I only buy property to live in that I will/would convert to a rental afterward. If it won't make a good rental, I won't buy it to live in myself.

LOL.  My EXACT words when asked for home buying advice.  Also what I tell agents when I'm scouting new areas for rental opportunities.

This only really works if you want to "drive" the "Honda Accord" of houses.   You should move where you will be happy. It may not be as quick to sell a house that's different or in a neighborhood that other people see as less desirable, but you should live somewhere you will like.  If you like it, somebody else will see the same thing in it that you do.  Anything out of the ordinary should already be priced in, anyway.  If you get a house for less because of the neighborhood or some peculiarity of the house, then you can invest whatever money you saved.  For what my coworkers spent on just their primary residence, I bought both my house and a rental house that brings in an extra $700/mo. 

Another thing, if you buy a house that you like, but most people don't, you may get a positive surprise when everybody else starts seeing in it the same things you did.  My supposedly scary neighborhood full of ugly outdated houses is probably going to get put on the National Register of Historic Places. 

[redbird]

When buying a home in a new neighborhood/area, what do you feel are the most important factors to research.  Do they change if you plan on owning the home for a shorter term 3-8 years or less?

Not sure I would bother buying a home if I was going to be there only a few years. Unless rental prices are outrageous, I think you should strongly consider renting until you know your timeline and the area better.

This. Due to closing costs that you'd have to pay out on both the buying and selling ends, you really need to be in a house 4-5 years MINIMUM (preferably longer) to make it worth purchasing it.

Another thing to mention that people always seem to forget about is noise. If you're a light sleeper or noise in general just bothers you, you'll want to check out how that street/neighborhood is. Does that road get a lot of traffic? Even if it doesn't most of the time, does it get traffic around school hours and/or rush hour? Is it so close to a hospital or fire station that you hear sirens all the time? How close are the airports and possible freight train tracks? Do the neighbors like to party on Friday nights?

I've dealt with all of those flavors of noise before in places I've lived throughout my life. The most annoying was actually the ones people don't think about as much, that being close to a hospital or fire station. I lived close to a hospital in one place and close to a fire station in another. You can get woken up by sirens at all hours.

[birdiegirl]

I research the crime statistics. Also, I park near the house and go for walks in the neighbourhood and park there at various times in the day and evening (weeknights and weekends) to get a feel for the neighbourhood activity.

This exactly!   We almost made an offer on a house, had seen it twice thought it was great.  But we took a trip back the next day (Saturday afternoon) and it felt like a totally different place.  It seemed quiet the first couple visits but that's probably because everyone was at work/school.  We didn't realize how busy it would be on weekends all the kids in the neighborhood and lots of traffic going to the park at the end of the street.

[SwordGuy]

Also, in some cases, the offenses that will land you on the list are things that really don't matter. I do not particularly care that some guy was dating a 16 year old when he was 17 and her parents didn't like him so they got him in trouble with the law. (True story.)

And millions of people believe in a virgin giving birth, too.   

Yeah, it might be true on really rare occasions (the world is a wild and wooly place after all), but I wouldn't bet on it happening on a frequent basis.   Especially to someone who is on the list of people near you.

I've been monitoring who the registered sex offenders in a 5 mile radius of where I live for 10 years.   There are several hundred of them at any one time and a fair bit of turnover, too.

Never seen one case that even vaguely might match that "innocente" criteria.   Not one out of many hundreds. 

The hard truth is that the sex offender registries are chock full of people who should still be in prison or should have been hung from the neck until dead.   

[paddedhat]

If you have little ones (or even not) a search of the registered sex offenders in the area. Always a lovely thing to do.........

A note on the register sex offender lists - take those with a large grain of salt. They're notorious for inaccuracies. Just because it says someone lives there, doesn't mean they actually DO, and vice versa.

Also, in some cases, the offenses that will land you on the list are things that really don't matter. I do not particularly care that some guy was dating a 16 year old when he was 17 and her parents didn't like him so they got him in trouble with the law. (True story.) I do care about the serial rapist who probably hasn't been charged, and thus isn't even on the radar. Not very helpful.

I prefer to look at crime stats.

X2   We had an old acquaintance  who made the list. Guilty?  Well, one factor to consider is that the accuser is an adopted daughter, with fetal alcohol syndrome, who has significant intellectual and emotional deficits,  and was carefully coached by various school and law personnel. In the US, unfortunately, there are times when law enforcement decides that you are guilty of a child sex crime, and no matter how hard you fight, it's a losing battle. I'm not claiming that it's a case of the majority  of convictions being fraudulent, but IMHO, those lists are highly questionable.

[TaraB]

Nobody has said it, but property tax rates! There was a town I thought I really wanted to live in, but property taxes were about 1/3 higher than where I ended up. (In NJ, property taxes are almost half of my monthly mortgage payment.)

I looked at my current town a lot on real estate listings, and on my lunch hour I would go drive by all the listings. I thought I wanted a condo, but I didn't like the condo communities in my price range. Some neighborhoods in my town looked alright online, but when I drove through them, I changed my mind. I liked the neighborhood next to my current neighborhood when I drove around, so I focused my search there. I also used city-data.com to find out which pockets had the highest income to make sure I was in the right area.

My house is close to a major university (10-15 minute drive) and a few international company headquarters, so I know I'll be able to sell it quickly. There are plenty of jobs in my area- lots of industry and close to highways. The school system is meh, but I don't plan to have kids.

When I bought my first home (townhouse), it was in a rural town not particularly close to anything. It was a one-bedroom unit. It was hard to sell because of the layout and location. I had erroneously thought I could rent it, but nobody wanted to live in that town.

If you can talk to people who are leaving the area or moving to the area- find out WHY they are leaving or moving in. I know someone leaving my current town because there are now too many Indian people for her liking. That is not a problem in my eyes.

[Frugal Lizard]

If you have little ones (or even not) a search of the registered sex offenders in the area. Always a lovely thing to do.........

A note on the register sex offender lists - take those with a large grain of salt. They're notorious for inaccuracies. Just because it says someone lives there, doesn't mean they actually DO, and vice versa.

Also, in some cases, the offenses that will land you on the list are things that really don't matter. I do not particularly care that some guy was dating a 16 year old when he was 17 and her parents didn't like him so they got him in trouble with the law. (True story.) I do care about the serial rapist who probably hasn't been charged, and thus isn't even on the radar. Not very helpful.

I prefer to look at crime stats.

X2   We had an old acquaintance  who made the list. Guilty?  Well, one factor to consider is that the accuser is an adopted daughter, with fetal alcohol syndrome, who has significant intellectual and emotional deficits,  and was carefully coached by various school and law personnel. In the US, unfortunately, there are times when law enforcement decides that you are guilty of a child sex crime, and no matter how hard you fight, it's a losing battle. I'm not claiming that it's a case of the majority  of convictions being fraudulent, but IMHO, those lists are highly questionable.

I have to wade in here too.
The last few months have been super difficult in our neighbourhood.  A man, more friend than acquaintance, that I admired, has been charged with sexual offenses against children.  He has not been found guilty yet.  The first complaint was filed in January.  Charges were laid in March.  Police went public for other complaints.  Additional charges were laid in May and again at the beginning of this month.  The neighbourhood is reeling.  This man was very well respected as a community advocate.  He organized the local hockey rink making and a Halloween party and all kinds of food growing events.  He gave up his car years ago and installed a tiny library near his sidewalk.  He had bees, meat rabbits and fish, a bread oven (which he and a bunch of the neighbourhood kids built) on his small property.  He appeared to embody all that makes a great neighbourhood.  But with 12 charges and six complainants so far, it is pretty devastating what was going on secretly.  I feel sick about this - but this person has never been found guilty or even accused in the past.  And so no registry or my mom spidey sense picked up on this.

[RetiredAt63]

I have to wade in here too.
The last few months have been super difficult in our neighbourhood.  A man, more friend than acquaintance, that I admired, has been charged with sexual offenses against children.  He has not been found guilty yet.  The first complaint was filed in January.  Charges were laid in March.  Police went public for other complaints.  Additional charges were laid in May and again at the beginning of this month.  The neighbourhood is reeling.  This man was very well respected as a community advocate.  He organized the local hockey rink making and a Halloween party and all kinds of food growing events.  He gave up his car years ago and installed a tiny library near his sidewalk.  He had bees, meat rabbits and fish, a bread oven (which he and a bunch of the neighbourhood kids built) on his small property.  He appeared to embody all that makes a great neighbourhood.  But with 12 charges and six complainants so far, it is pretty devastating what was going on secretly.  I feel sick about this - but this person has never been found guilty or even accused in the past.  And so no registry or my mom spidey sense picked up on this.

Here it seems to be sports coaches.  And it is common enough that I have had (male) friends mention in general conversation that one of their coaches turned out to be an abuser.  Sports coach of one of DD's friends was an abuser as well - the friend was older, but she was still well below the age of consent (early to mid teens).

[Schaefer Light]

This can be a tricky thing to figure out (unless you're willing to just bang on their door and try starting a conversation), but determining whether or not your neighbors speak English most of the time is high up on my list the next time I move.  It's hard to be "neighborly" when your neighbors are always speaking a different language.  I also agree with the suggestions about walking the neighborhood at different times of day and on the weekends.  This will give you a better feel for the traffic level and general vibe of the neighborhood.  One other thing I'm going to look at next time is how hard it is to make a left turn out of the neighborhood at different times of day.  I have an elementary school right down the street from my neighborhood and during the school year it's just about impossible to make a left turn out of the neighborhood at 7:30 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon.  I love it when school is out for the summer.