When you decide to purchase a home, one of the considerations (apart from the house itself, of course) is the neighborhood you will be living in. Bryan Nazor, a title, and real estate closing expert said it is important to evaluate and research the neighborhood and surrounding area around a potential home to make sure it is a place you will love to call home.
Bryan Nazor is with Main Street Title & Settlement, which provides a complete range of title insurance and settlement services to a broad range of clientele. Main Street Title is one of the leading full-service title and settlement agencies in the New York tri-state area.
There are online tools and resources to assist in your research of your potential home’s neighborhood. Bryan Nazor suggests ImageAtlas and PropertyInfo from REIData. These free online tools offer detailed information and images on neighborhoods, along with demographic information of a specific school district, country and neighborhood.
One of the main considerations people typically have is the school district they will be moving to, Bryan Nazor said. If you have children or plan to have them in the future, look into your educational options. What private schools are in the area? What are the area’s public schools like, and how do they rank? If your children have specific educational needs or interests, it may be important to you to be in a specific school district or near a private school that is best for your family.
Bryan Nazor recommends researching the community’s demographics using PropertyInfo and other free online websites. Learn whether the neighborhood is upper, middle or lower class, if there are many children, the ages of the residents and more. Thankfully, all this information is readily available online now, Bryan Nazor said. “Many people want to live in a neighborhood with people who are similar to themselves,” Bryan Nazor said. “Either way, take time to get to know the people who would be living around you in a potential home.”
It is also relatively easy to find out the crime rate in a neighborhood and if there are specific offenders living nearby. These details can shape your decision, but it is just a good practice to be informed and aware of who your neighbors are, Bryan Nazor said.
Online tools and records can give information on the value of a property and on its history, said Bryan Nazor. This can give you a clearer picture of the property, beyond just what it looks like, and it can be helpful to know its background.
With these useful tips and a world of information available at your fingertips, it should be easy to find out what kind of neighborhood and neighbors a potential home has to offer.
