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| How to screen properties before buying homes (Before Buying Homes before buying, homes, home, screen, property, real estate, neighborhood) |
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When you have found propective properties when buying homes, you must screen out any unwanted prospects. Always drive by before you actually make an appointment to see the home. This will save you (or they) a lot of time by eliminating any obviously bad neighborhoods or homes. Besides the obvious observation of the home you are thinking of buying, also look at the neighborhood around it. The condition of other homes on the block will tell you a lot about the neighbors. Look at the cars parked in the driveways, are they new and shiny - or rusty junkers? Take note of the parking situation on the block as well, you (or them) may want to drive by at different times on different days of the week. Is there sufficient parking, or will you have to park a mile away from your new house and walk it home? The homes immediately next to and around your prospective new home should be scrutinized, are they well maintained and worthy of living next door to? If a home is too delapilated, it is possible that it will be knocked down and rebuilt in the near future - do you want to have to live next to a construction site? And worse, what monstrosity will they build in its place?
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Are there any shopping centers or stores in the immediate vicinity of the home you are buying? This could create traffic and noise problems, as well as parking issues, patrons may block your driveway or hog your parking spaces in front of your home. Train stations and train tracks are the worst possible thing, both in noise and traffic - as well as vibrations. Trains are huge, heavy, and travel around the clock. Even several blocks away the vibration from a passing train will rattle the home you are buying. Commuters tend to drive to train stations and park in its vicinity, this could generate parking headaches during work hours if you are thinking of buying the home. Airports are by far the worst noise makers - even as far as 10 miles away. Be aware of any airports, even small commuter or private airports, in the area when buying homes. Airports often change flight paths of their air traffic, so even if it appears to be quiet when you check out the home to buy near an airport - it is more than likely that at some point airplanes will in fact pass over your new home. You really do not want to be anywhere near an airport.
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You should also walk around the neighborhood, up and down the block, side streets, and especially behind the home you are thinking of buying. Visit at different times, during quiet periods as well as when you would expect it to be a busy time. Do you feel safe walking around, remember you will be living in that neighborhood for a long time should you buy the home. How is the traffic around the area, is it noisy, a racetrack, buses puffing fumes, is it easy and safe to cross the streets? Avoid buying homes on corners or on main roads, just pulling out of your driveway into traffic could be a daily nerve wracking affair. Watch for bus stops, where there is a bus stop there will always be buses - and hordes of bus passengers. Do you want to live next to an incessant line of exhaust emitting buses, and an unending line of bus commuters (most of whom will be tossing their coffee cups and lunch wrappers on your lawn)? Are there any schools or parks or other public places around, that could attract excessive crowds and cars and noise? Is there a police station or firehouse within earshot? Emergency vehicles are very noisy, and they tend to be noisy around the clock as they respond to emergencies. It is good to have emergency services NEAR the home you are buying, just not NEXT to it. (continued to top right) 
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If you have friends or family members that live in the area, or are familiar with the area, you should talk to them before you buy homes there. As local residents, they will know about any safety/crime issues in the area, as well as other important things such as flooding during heavy rains. They will also know about traffic conditions, parking issues, transit (such as bus routes, distance to train tracks, airport, etc). And you will also be able to find out about schools, parks and shopping in the area - after all you are thinking of buying a home and moving into that neighborhood. Most importantly, they may know something about the people who will be living next door to you - especially if that neighbor has a sensational past. The last (but not least) thing to find out about the neighborhood before buying homes - if there is any planned road expansion, highways, or other major development in the area. Road widening could gobble up your new lawn (eminent domain) leaving you with less property than when you buy the home. Road rebuilding or new sewers/water mains will bring years of noise, dirt and grief in the new home (where the heart is) you are buying. A new highway or entry/exit ramp on your doorstep will really ruin your remaining days. So be sure to check out the area before buying homes there, life can be full of surprises but at least you can try to eliminate some of the obvious problems before buying the home.
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| Checking neighborhood before buying homes (Checking home buying neighborhood checking, neighborhood, buying, homes, house, crime, noise, school) |
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Checking out a neighborhood before buying homes is a very important step in the home buying process. You will have to live in that neighborhood and alongside those neighbors for a very long time, it is better to catch any possible problems before you buy the home. The seller or his real estate broker will of course sing praises about the neighborhood, it is best to ignore them and make your own determination. Read local newspapers and see if any incidents are reported in that neighborhood, such as crime waves, flooding, power/service outages, etc. Most newspaper offices have a section with old issues that you can peruse, either printed copies or electronic copies (they call it the news morgue). You can also talk to some of the reporters at the local newspaper and ask about incidents in your chosen neighborhood - most reporters love to talk and may be able to recall any major events that occurred there. If you have friends or family that live in or around the neighborhood you may buy a home in, ask them about it. Family and friends are usually the best source of insider information about the neighborhood, and normally they are unbiased and can give objective facts. If there is a local police precinct or police station in or around the neighborhood, you can try to talk to one of the officers that patrol the neighborhood - and ask them about crime and quality of life in that neighborhood. If you have children, you may also want to check out the local school if it happens to be in the same neighborhood. You can make an appointment with the principal or assistant, and ask them pointed questions about the school performance, safety, and other issues that may concern you.
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Observing the cars parked in driveways or in front of the homes will also tell you a lot about a neighborhood before buying a home there. Are there newer model cars parked in the neighborhood, or rust buckets? Quality of life depends on having good neighbors. Don't be afraid to stop and talk to neighbors that are outside. Should you decide to buy a home in that neighborhood, you are better off knowing their nature beforehand. Most people would welcome the opportunity to greet prospective new neighbors, don't be afraid to ask them about the neighborhood. After all, they have lived there for a while and know it best. Be sure to drive on side streets and cross streets as well, neighbors are usually on each side, across the street, and behind your home. Cover all the angles and try to get a complete picture of the neighborhood makeup. You may also want to walk around the neighborhood. Do you feel "safe" walking around? If you do purchase a new home in that neighborhood, you want to feel absolutely safe walking in front of your new home. Are the streets well lit (if the neighborhood has street lights)? You will also get the opportunity to talk to the residents of that neighborhood, as well as observe any noisy or un-leashed dogs (who may chase you). If you have children, you may want to take them along on the walkthru if there are other children playing in the neighborhood. Let them see the quality (and quantity) of prospective friends they will be making should you buy a home in that neighborhood. While walking around you will also get a feel for local vehicle traffic and street crossing safety - are the intersections well marked and crossable?
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Be sure to drive through the neighborhood that you may buy a home in, you can learn a lot through simple observation. Try driving through during a "busy" period (where people can be expected to be out and about, kids playing, etc such as Saturday afternoons) - as well as a "quiet" time (such as late evenings) where you would expect to find peace and quiet. If there is nobody outside when they are supposed to be, that would be an unusual sign - perhaps it is not safe to be outside. Likewise noisy or loitering people during a quiet time would also be a bad sign. Consider if you would want to deal with that every day, should you decide to buy a home in that neighborhood. Spend a good amount of time driving around the neighborhood, look at the condition of all the homes there. Are the homes well maintained or delapilated? Are the lawns neat and tidy? How is the traffic passing through the neighborhood, is it excessive or noisy? Are there any major throughfares or arterial roads passing through the neighborhood? Are the roads clean and well paved? How is the parking situation in the area, is it congested? Should you buy a home in that neighborhood and have guests visit, will they have sufficient parking near your new home?
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Convenience factors should also be reviewed. If you take mass transit to work, is there a bus stop or train station nearby? If you have children, is the school close enough? While having a bus stop close by would be convenient, having it right in front of your new home would not - you really don't want an endless parade of buses burping diesel fumes and throngs of travellers right on your doorstep. Check out the distance to shopping as well. Having a shopping center or store(s) in the neighborhood may not be a good thing, as it brings considerable traffic and noise with it. Shopping should accessible and reasonably close by, but not on top of your new home that you are buying. Likewise, emergency services such as a police station and firehouse should be close enough, but not directly in the neighborhood - constant sirens and roaring truck engines are not fun neighbors. Remember to check streets behind as well as cross streets, fire trucks are quite loud and their sound travels across several blocks. Other big neighborhood noise makers are churches and parks. While you would like to have a place of worship, and a place of play, nearby where you could walk over on a sunny Sunday - you do not want the noise and traffic right in your neighborhood. Some churches have bells that toll, often loudly, sometimes often. Parks are almost always filled with squealing children, and sometimes parks attract teens who may have disturbing hobbies that you do not want next door to your new home. Schools are very noisy as well, besides the horde of loud kids - there are school buses as well as parents in cars that will be passing by twice a day. Another thing to watch out for are bars (pubs, restaurants, or clubs). Bars are nothing but trouble for a neighborhood - besides the noise and parked cars, patrons who have sampled the products served in the bar are difficult to deal with as they depart. Be sure to get a complete picture of the entire neighborhood before you make the decision of buying homes there.
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