Whether you’re planning to build or buy your dream home, there are plenty of decisions that go into what you want out of a house, but it’s also important to consider your surroundings. Finding the right community for you and your family is important in shaping your experience in that home, and there are some things you should consider before renting the moving truck.
Access to Services
Understanding your proximity to police, fire and medical services can play a major factor in your comfortability in a home. Doing a quick map search will allow you to see where the closest police station, fire station and hospital is to you, and how quickly these services will be able to get to you in an emergency situation.
Additionally, you may consider looking into where the closest healthcare providers are including family physicians, dentists and optometrists, and if you are willing to drive that distance to use these services.
Access to Utilities
It’s also important to know if the water source is through the local municipality, or an individual well. This is especially important if you are building a home on a piece of land and have to dig a well. If water is accessible through the local city or town, you should research if it comes with a cost or is included in the property taxes.
You also want to ask about things like electricity and gas hookup. You can do this by calling the local utility companies and asking what they need from you before they can provide access to services.
Wifi and Cable
If you are working with a realtor, they should be able to shed some light on the access to internet and cable television in a community. Wifi access is especially important if you plan to work remotely or on a hybrid schedule and need high-speed internet. By doing your own research online, you will also be able to check pricing for the internet and cable resources available in the area.
Property Taxes and HOA Fees
On top of your loan payment for a new home, it’s also important to consider other costs including property taxes and homeowners association fees. For most communities, you can find property tax information online. Additionally, if you are moving into an area with a homeowners association, that is communicated to you from a realtor, and those fees and benefits are laid out far in advance. You may consider asking neighbors in the area if HOA fees typically rise each year.
School System
If you have school-aged children or plan to have children in the future, understanding the landscape of available schools in the area is important. You can search online and read reviews about local school districts, attend school board meetings or community events held by the district to get a pulse on the district’s priorities and set up meetings with district leaders to ask questions. If you know somebody with children in the district, consider asking them questions about the district to see if it’s the best fit for you.
Family-Friendly and Safety
If you have a family or hope to start one, it’s important that your community is family-friendly, and that may mean different things for different people. For example, family-friendly for one person may mean making sure there are a number of community events throughout the year to attend, while for someone else, it may mean a low-traffic area to keep children safe. Checking out the local events calendar also gives you an understanding of when you may see higher traffic times in the community.
Additionally, you want to make sure the community you’re choosing is safe to live in. You can find crime statistics for communities throughout the country on the FBI’s portal here.
Recreation, Sports and the Arts
Are you really into tennis? Do you spend your weekends hitting the trails on your ATV? Do you enjoy seeing local musicals? If you have hobbies in sports, recreation or the arts, make sure your city offers this type of entertainment nearby. You can easily do this by checking out what state parks are nearby by doing an online search, looking at the local events calendar on your community’s website and seeing what sports complexes are nearby by doing a map search.
Get to Know the Area!
At the end of the day, the easiest way to get an understanding of a community is by visiting and spending the day there. Drive around the area, take a look at what businesses are around, stop into a local coffee shop, see what outdoor activities you can find and ask plenty of questions to people in and around the community while you’re out and about. If you know the address of the home or land you are looking into, see if any nearby neighbors are outside to ask if they have any insight on the community, or even the land or home you’re looking at.
Additionally, checking out the specific area gives you an idea of how loud nearby traffic is, how busy the community is during the day and if you would be able to handle the level of noise.
Buying or building your dream home is an exciting time, but scoring friendly neighbors and a supportive community makes the experience even better.
GreenStone’s team of experienced experts are ready to finance your dream home. Find our home mortgage, home construction and vacant land loan options here.
