Top Four Things You Should Consider Before Choosing a New Neighbourhood

Choosing the right neighbourhood can be one of the most important decisions that you will ever make.  This area can make or break your happiness, so you must always choose wisely or you may regret the lack of thought that you put into your decision.  These are the four most important things you need to consider before moving into a new neighbourhood.

The first thing to consider is the schools that are in the area.  If you have children or are planning on having children than this must be a major point of interest.  Just imagine how terrible it would be to send your child to a school that is filled with students that lack motivation, family structure and compassion for others.  Your children will become overwhelmed by these children, and the educational success of your child will likely be slightly diminished.  We ended up moving to a new neighbourhood with a better school system, and it made a huge difference in our child’s self-esteem and success in school.

Another thing to consider is the current housing market.  You should do some investigating to determine if the homes in the area continue to hold value.  Many neighbourhoods are unfortunately having trouble keeping the housing prices at the original purchase prices, so this is something you really want to consider before you invest your time in a certain area.  The last thing you want to do is someday realize that you actually lost equity in your home.  That would be an absolute nightmare that you could potentially avoid.

You will also want to make certain that the neighbourhood has most of the things that you want to access quickly.  If you are a city person, you will want to make sure that the area is urban enough for your liking. Some people may have a great disdain for the city, so these individuals may enjoy a little more breathing room in the outskirts of an Australian city.  My wife loves to go shopping and ride horses, so we were able to find a beautiful ranch home that is just minutes from the shopping centres and stables.

Check around to see if the neighbours are the kind of people that you typically bond with.  Younger Australians may have trouble adapting to the older generation of people and vice versa.  The point is that you will likely want to develop positive relationships with the people that are literally the closest to you.  You may find a great deal on a home, but the neighbourhood could be filled with people that you do not really spend time with on a regular basis.  Make sure that the area has a good mix of people that you can trust to become friendly with as time goes on.

When choosing a neighbourhood to settle down in, take my advice.  You want a community that encompasses your current and future lifestyle.  Create a list of desires that you want from your neighbourhood and share them with your realtor.