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 like 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.

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?

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 (or this, or whatever) 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?

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 (or they) make the decision of buying homes there.