How to find a good community to buy a home in minutes

The right community can make all the difference! Even if you live in your dream home, the experience is moot if the home is smack dab in the middle of an area you hate. So, before you even look for you perfect house, perhaps look into the more important factor: it’s location. Here’s how to find the community, which is right for you within minutes.

            First and foremost, create a list of all the things your perfect neighborhood would have. Of course, this is an ideal, but it’s better to shoot for near perfection than not at all. Prioritize your list. In the top section put your non-negotiable, must-haves. In your second half, put your preferences or would-like-to-haves. We’ll get to what’s at the bottom of the list shortly. Next, ask yourself a few questions. Do you have children or will you soon? How far can your commute to work be? Is it a must you’re in walking distance of shopping and local restaurants? All these questions will help determine exactly what it is you need and fill out the top and middle portions of your list. As your perfect neighborhood takes shape, next you can focus in on actual neighborhoods with potential.

            Now it’s time to pick out the real neighborhoods, which maybe meet your list and do some research on them. Start to find out what the local schools are like and the amount of crime in the areas. Look to see if each neighborhood affords open parks and recreation spaces. Dig in and see what the local food scenes are like or how old each neighborhood actually is. What’s the average home cost in each location? Luckily, all this information is available freely and easily online. You may be surprised to find what you thought was your dream location is actually the last place you’d really want to be.

            Now it’s time to focus on the end of your list. This is the space you carve out for exactly what you would hate to find in your new location. Perhaps you hate the idea of a brand new community. Write it down. Maybe you can’t stand street noise. List it. Knowing what you don’t want will help just as much as knowing what you prefer.

            Once you’ve honed in on a short list of 2-3 potentially perfect neighborhoods, it’s time to start house hunting in the areas. Before you know it, you’ll be in a dream home perfect for you in a location to die for.