Five Ways to Pick a Neighborhood

One of the best ways to narrow your search is to drive around - a lot!  You'll see lots of different neighborhoods and can compare your initial impressions as you drive through.  Once you think you're intersted in an area the following tips might help you decide if this is really where you want to live.

1. Go at different times of the day, night and weekend.  Are there multiple cars in the driveways and in the street?  This might mean there are a lot of renters in the area.  Lots of people walking at night?  You probably don't have to worry about safety as much. You can also guage neighborhood friendliness by people who wave as you drive by and neighbors out talking to each other. If you don't want to be around small children, check out a neighborhood on a sunny Saturday to see if they're out playing.

2.  Check out the amenities.  If there's a neighborhood park or swimming pool there might be homeowner's association fees to pay for them. This isn't a bad thing, but something to be aware of when budgeting. If you frequently walk or bike, are there sidewalks or trails available?

3.  Drive to work or school or church or the grocery store.  Check out the commute during the times you'll be driving to and from work or other routes you drive frequently.

4.  Check out the police reports.  You can call your local police department to get statistics on police calls to a neighborhood or website addresses for local sex offender registration.

5.  How are real estate sales in the area?  A call to your Realtor can help you determine if homes have historically resold well in that area.  A lot of signs doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem with the neighborhood.  In Bryan/College Station, we have a very definite selling season, so we see a lot of signs in every neighborhood.   We also have neighbohoods that people buy in because they know they can sell when it's time.