How to Choose a Neighborhood for Your Home Search
Narrow your home search by identifying towns and neighborhoods that are right for you to keep your search focused. As your local Buyer’s Agent, we offer guided neighborhood tours and insights gained from years of experience to make your search more efficient and save you valuable time.
When evaluating a neighborhood you should investigate local conditions. Depending on your own particular needs and tastes, some of the following factors may be more important considerations than others:
- schools ratings
- walkability
- supporting property values
- traffic
- crime rate
- future construction/expansion
- access to NYC public transportation
- vibrant central business district
- local restaurants
- proximity to schools, employment, hospitals, shops, highways, airports, beaches, parks, stadiums and cultural centers such as museums and theaters
Neighborhood Search Strategies for Limited Budgets
If you’re a first time-buyer with limited financial resources, it’s wise to buy a home that meets your primary needs in the best neighborhood that fits within your price range.
You can maximize your home purchase location by incorporating some of the following strategies into your neighborhood search:
- Up and coming neighborhoods: We can tell you about areas that are likely to become hot neighborhoods in the coming years. They can often be discovered on the periphery of the most continuously desirable areas.
- Check for planned future development such as additional transit, commercial development, new community services such as pools and theaters, and new employers planning to move in.
- Look for a home in a good neighborhood that is a bit farther away from the city. If commuting is a concern, purchase a home that is close to public transportation or highways.
- Neighborhood demand: Look at the neighborhood demand by asking us if homes are regularly receiving multiple offers, how long homes take to sell on average, and if the gap between the list price and sale price is shrinking. We can give you statistics about hyper-local market trends to help you make sound financial decisions.
- Co-ownership: If you are priced out of your desired community, consider purchasing a condominium or townhouse, rather than a single family home. A condo may allow you to purchase in a prime area that you otherwise could not afford.
