Buying A Home? 3 Things To Consider Aside From The House

Posted on: 27 April 2016

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Buying a home is a huge decision, with the focus primarily being on things such as the home's design and how many bedrooms or bathrooms it has. The home itself is not the only thing you should be considering though. Pay attention to these 3 things when looking for a home that are unrelated to the house itself.

The School District

If you plan on having kids, the school district that you are in will be very important. You do not want to make the mistake of purchasing a home only to find out that if you lived in a different part of town that your kids would be getting a much better education.

You can start by checking out a website that has school ratings. It can give you a quick overview about if the schools are great or not so great. Your state board of education website will also have a more detailed school report card that gives you breakdowns on things such as the ratio of students to teachers and how the school performs compared to other schools in the district and the state.

The City Amenities

All cities will offer different amenities to their residents, so you should not assume that any service is standard. Go to the city's website and look for information such as if they have a trash collection service and recycling program or what kind of city parks you will have access to.

The Crime Report

It's also a good idea to see how far away the home is from the local police or fire department, since the closer they are located the faster the response time will be.

Take a look at what kind of crimes are happening in the area of your potential home. It will be rare to find a home in an area that is completely crime free, but you should pay attention to the types of crimes committed and how frequently they occur.

The police department may also put out a safety bulletin, which highlights notable crimes in your area so that the residents can be aware. It may even list arrests related to crimes that didn't take place in the area.

These are just a few things you should consider when purchasing a house. For more information, work with a real estate agent who is familiar with the area. They will be the best judge of what kind of neighborhood you are looking into.