The neighborhood you choose is just as important as the home you seek to buy. Creating a wishlist and establishing your must-haves for the neighborhood will ensure you are buying a home in an area you’ll want to stay in. We have outlined the items you should consider and determine what you can live with and without in your surrounding area.
The best way to see what a neighborhood is like is to spend some time there. Searching the area online and through Google Maps will not give you an accurate experience of the culture and environment. Since the market is extremely fast-paced, you may want to become familiar with neighborhoods before attaching yourself to one home in one location. One method to become familiar with the neighborhood is driving through it at varying times of the day. If you commute to work and don’t have a driveway or garage, when you get home, will there be on-street parking? If parking is difficult, you may want to consider a lot or a paid garage, and will have to factor that into your monthly expenses. What is rush-hour traffic like? Are there alternative routes to work that you can consider? If you rely on public transit, how close is the nearest bus or railway station? Experiencing the area at different times of the day can also give you an idea of how quiet or lively the block is. This also presents a great opportunity to ask locals of their experiences living there thus far. Our team deems spending time in the area and speaking to residents to be more reliable than searching the crime statistics. For example, searching Philadelphia’s crime rate can be daunting, but you have to consider that it is a large city with a higher population so that means there’s more crimes committed and more people around and law enforcement present to report said crimes. You can also call the local police department and ask them what kind of crimes are reported the most and when. Everyone has their own comfort level, so you may also want to ask someone with similar demographics who already lives there how they feel.
Considering your commutes, parking, and the area’s safety is only part of the search. What is your daily life going to be like? Make sure you have deeply considered your must-haves before omitting a home from your search. You also don’t want to move into a home you won’t truly be happy in because the area isn’t what you wanted it to be. Walkscore.com is a great tool to quickly review how it will be to get around. The website establishes a score for how easy it is to walk to amenities, bike to amenities, and how accessible public transit is. However, like we said earlier, internet searches can only go so far and aren’t always up to date. If you’re interested in a particular home, see if you can walk to the nearest grocery store or pharmacy. Is there a dog park nearby? Do you like to walk to get coffee in the mornings or on the weekends? If you’re not an avid cook, what are the take-out and delivery options for local restaurants?
One thing you can rely on the internet for is looking up school catchments and the boundaries. In a city like Philadelphia, if you have an older child in junior high or high school, they may have to take public transit, walk, or be driven to school. Take what would be their commute to see if you are comfortable with them doing it alone or if you need to factor getting them to and from school in your daily activities. Also consider the school’s location not only in reference to the home, but also after-school activities. Do they participate in a sport that is off campus? If so, that’s another commute to factor in.
It’s important to be comfortable with life outside the home as well as inside. Though the interior of the home may be optimal, if the surrounding area isn’t something you’ll thrive in, then this isn’t the house for you. That’s why we suggest familiarizing yourself with neighborhoods before committing to a home. If you can, having a few options for neighborhoods can significantly widen your housing options as well. If you’re looking in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas, we have dozens of clients and colleagues residing all over who can give you their first-hand experience in the neighborhood they live in. All you have to do is ask!
Stephanie Slapin
March 23, 2022