Homefit Issue 1 - Riana Keve
Issue 1 Riana Keve Tristan Sherrill www.YourLoanPro.net
Issue 1 Riana Keve Tristan Sherrill www.YourLoanPro.net
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How to Choose the Perfect<br />
Neighborhood<br />
Whether you’re a first-time<br />
homebuyer or getting ready to<br />
sell your house and upgrade to a<br />
larger property, choosing the right<br />
neighborhood to move into should<br />
be your first consideration.<br />
While different people may seek<br />
various amenities and aesthetics as<br />
part of their neighborhood search,<br />
there are certain factors everyone<br />
should consider before making a<br />
final decision on where to move.<br />
Important Factors<br />
Before you move into a particular<br />
locale, you should check the<br />
crime stats of the neighborhood.<br />
This can be done online using<br />
various websites that breakdown<br />
this critical information by zip<br />
code. In some jurisdictions, local<br />
police stations can give you this<br />
data. Suffice it to say, even if a<br />
neighborhood looks beautiful on<br />
the outside and there are plenty<br />
of houses to choose from, if you<br />
find that burglaries and car theft<br />
is skyrocketing there, it’s time to<br />
move on.<br />
If you have children, or are<br />
planning to, the quality of a<br />
prospective neighborhood’s<br />
schools should be a major factor<br />
in making your choice. You<br />
can contact the local school<br />
board in the neighborhood’s<br />
jurisdiction and obtain the latest<br />
stats on how the average student<br />
in the neighborhood scores<br />
on national proficiency tests.<br />
You can then compare them<br />
to scores of students in other<br />
areas. This stat often mirrors<br />
the quality and effectiveness of<br />
education available in a particular<br />
neighborhood.<br />
Education Budget<br />
You can also get an idea of<br />
the quality of education in a<br />
neighborhood by comparing the<br />
budget allotted by local officials to<br />
the area compared to other areas.<br />
Another source of information<br />
is the education section of<br />
community newspapers covering<br />
the neighborhood. It wouldn’t<br />
hurt to look them up online and<br />
even give the education reporter<br />
a call. You’d be surprised how<br />
many of them will be glad to give<br />
you their opinions of the state of<br />
education in the area they cover.<br />
Finally, you can contact the local<br />
Parent Teacher Association (PTA)<br />
and get both the pros and cons of<br />
the education system in the area.<br />
Members of this organization also<br />
can tell you if the schools have<br />
sufficient room, or if they are<br />
overcrowded.<br />
Traffic and Future<br />
Development<br />
When choosing a new<br />
neighborhood, quality-of-life<br />
issues such as traffic and potential<br />
crowding have become important<br />
factors in making a decision. Let’s<br />
face it, no matter how pristine a<br />
neighborhood is, if you have to sit<br />
in gridlock for a significant amount<br />
of time before you can reach<br />
your front door, it might not be<br />
the area for you. The easiest way<br />
to discover the traffic volume in<br />
a neighborhood is to get in your<br />
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