When you buy a house, you also invest in the neighborhood that surrounds it. The identity of a neighborhood may be as important to property values as the individual properties themselves.

Warning: If you can't investigate a neighborhood before you make an offer, include an inspection contingency in your purchase contract that covers both neighborhood and house. It may state that the offer is dependent upon the buyer's satisfactory inspection of both the property and neighborhood.

1. Local area expert

Contact a local area expert for a free conusltation. You may get lots of free local information that is not available anywhere else. Contact Kellson Team if you need help.

2. Start with Statistics

It's now possible to get valuable neighborhood statistics online. Crime statistics, school scores and demographic information are all readily available.

3. Check with City Hall

You can get any kind of town planning document from your town or county's zoning and/or planning authorities.

3. Research the Resale Potential

The quality of the neighborhood will play a big role in your home's resale value whether you live in the least or most expensive house on the block. Job growth and home appreciation numbers in the area you're interested in are all available online. You can also find and compare any two neighborhoods against the regional average. Get a list of homes for sale in the neighborhood from your agent to determine how many days they've been on the market. If properties haven't been selling quickly, find out whether the market is slow or if there are neighborhood issues that may make resale difficult.

4. Finding Neighborhoods on the Rise

Start looking for tomorrow's hot neighborhoods right on the edge of today's most desirable, well-established neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are frequently next in line to experience a surge in prices. Look for these signs of increasing popularity:

- Multiple offers on homes for sale
- Decrease in the numbers of Days on The Market for sale
- Increase in numbers of homes sold
- Above normal job growth rate
- An increase in the number of buyers moving in from other areas
- An increase in the number of local residents trading up within the neighborhood
- Signs of remodeling

5. Get to Know the Community

It may sound like a clich, but nobody knows a neighborhood like the people who live and work there every day. Visit a neighborhood on your own at different times of day and night. Talk to neighbors. Visit nearby schools and local businesses. Subscribe to the local paper. Small local papers can be chock-full of information that gives you a feel for the neighborhood or community. If you depend on public transportation, find out how accessible it is in this area. Drive to and from the house from several different directions, so you see both the scenic and not-so-scenic routes.

Kellson Team offer Southeast Valley free tours. Contact us for more information.

Home Buying Process

1:	Get free consultation
2:	Decide to buy
3:	Get your loan approved
4:	Shop for a home
5:	Make an offer
6:	Get a home inspection
7:	Clear required conditions
8:	Sign final paperworks
9:	Move in

Buying a Home

1:	Home Buying Tips
2:	Home Shopping Tips
3:	Choose a Neighborhood
4:	Reasons to Buy a Home
5:	Role and Responsibilities
6:	Negotiation Strategies
7:	Choose a realtor
8:	Move in Process

Links
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