Choosing Your Neighborhood

For many home buyers, choosing a neighborhood is the mots difficult part of the decision to buy a home. This is true even if they already own a home and they are trying to decide where to live next.

When home buyers tackle the "location, location, location" issue, it's smart to prioritize various neighborhood features, then start looking for homes in areas that match most of your criteria. Here are a few things to consider when you are trying to determine the best neighborhood for you and your family.

Transportation
In Atlanta, this might be the most important consideration. Check the length of your commute to work from your neighborhood of choice. Do streets get clogged at rush hour or before 6AM? We don't have the efficient mass transit system that many cities have, however, a good question is to consider mass transit availability or is the neighbrohood within walking distance or reasonable driving distance of transportation. In a consumer study, 79 percent of respondents said that a top priority in deciding where to live is having a commute time under 45 minutes. Seventy-five percent also wanted easy access to highways. Many respondents want to ensure that if one artery is clogged up with bumper-to-bumper traffic during their commute, that there are alternatives and options available on other highways or back roads.

What's close by
Research nearby schools, restaurants, places of worship and parks. Seventy-two percent of survey respondents ranked sidewalks and places to walk as a top priority when considering where to live.

Costs
In addition to the costs of mortgage, insurance, and home maintenance, consider local property taxes and homeowner association fees, if applicable. If homes in your preferred neighborhoods are out of your price range, consider condominiums or town houses.

Future
Try to imagine what the neighborhood will look like in 10 years, 15 years or 20 years. Will you still want to live there, or do you expect to move before then? Will it be desireable to future buyer?

Before committing to the neighborhood, visit it at different times of day and night. Park your car and get out and walk the neighborhood. Try to talk to as many local residents as possible.

Once you've prioritized all your neighborhood amenities and features, you'll find its much easier to focus your home search. Remember the neighborhood is usually as important to the value of a home as what's under it's roof.