It is no secret that picking a great location when shopping for a new home is an incredibly important piece of the puzzle. Imagine moving into your dream home only to find out that you are now in a location that makes absolutely no sense for you? That dream home could quickly turn into a home found in those types of dreams that you’d rather avoid!
It is essential to put thought into where you would like to live before trying to find that perfect home. Falling in love with a condo or house in the absolutely worst location for you, will just add confusion!
So, what factors should you consider when trying to narrow down the list of potential new neighbourhoods? Here are a few tips, hope they help!
Things to consider when looking for the perfect location
- Consider the local schools. If you have school-aged children, you should consider the quality of the school system of any neighbourhood you are looking at. A great source for this information is the Fraser Institute, click here to search for report cards on local elementary and secondary schools.
- Visit the neighbourhood at different times of day. In regards to picking out a new neighbourhood first impressions should be ignored. A seemingly quiet residential street may in fact be a busy noisy street during morning and evening rush hour or the neighbours might have a noisy dog that was asleep or out on a walk on your first visit.
- Determine the proximity to public transportation and highways. You should be considering how you plan to get to and from work. If you rely on public transportation find out if it is a convenient choice for you; if you drive find out how accessible highways are. Convenient transportation can make a huge difference on overall satisfaction with your new neighbourhood.
- Locate local amenities. Determine a list of amenities that are essential for you. For example things like; doctors offices, off leash dog parks, hospitals, grocery stores, recreational facilities, parks and dry cleaners.
- Property values. Each neighbourhood has its own set of property values; the nicer the neighbourhood the higher the value. You should know what this value is and also find out if there are any future developments planned for the neighbourhood that might have a detrimental effect on property values.
- Environmental concerns. Find out if there are any known environmental issues in the area. Consider factors like air and soil quality and remember that issues with any of these factors can have a detrimental effect not only on the property value but also your health.
- Talk to the neighbours. People who live in the neighbourhood typically have up to date information about the area. You should also be able to gauge what type of people are living in the area (ie. young families, retirees, renters) and use that information to determine if it’s a good match for you.
- Find out information on neighbourhood safety and crime rate. For detailed information on Toronto area crime statistics (including this community crime map that show the locations of recent break and enters, vehicle thefts and robberies).