Making the move to a new neighborhood can be a little tricky. Unless you camp out at all hours of the day, noticing the true ins and outs of a street or block can be difficult to assess. To squelch your stalker rating, try looking for these 5 things when you visit a new apartment or house.
The money blog Mint Life is always looking out for well being in all aspects of life. This time around they've shared a few tips and tricks to assessing a new neighborhood on the fly. They mention the need to look for the following things:
• Look for maintained yards.
• Check the condition of the local school grounds.
• Are there other For Sale signs?
All of these things are indicators that the folks in the neighborhood in question are able to maintain their spaces. It shares a bit about the health of the neighborhood and how many people want out and on to greener pastures. To see the full list and the reasons why, head on over to Mint Life to get a little more explanation.
Image: Flickr member Mykl Roventine licensed for use by Creative Commons
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All of these things pale in importance to walkability and crime stats in my book. Seems kind of crazy to have left those two easy-to-look-up things off the list?
megans law! check the registered sex offenders list before you even bother check out the neighborhood.
Knock on doors and see what sort of reception you get. No joke. If you're buying in our very urban neighborhood and you go door to door in the early evening before the sun sets, you will be greeted by people in the neighborhood who will be glad to tell you about all of the good and bad things. IMHO, any neighborhood where you can't easily talk to a few members, and where you can't get a couple of people to tell you about the good, bad, and ugly, it really isn't worth living there. We didn't know this going into buying our first house, but we just got lucky. Now, when we know someone is looking at a house that is for sale, we'll go out of our way to talk to them and answer any questions that the agent legally can't.
Besides the classism implicit in "If the neighborhood mixes single-family with apartment buildings, corner stores, gas stations, and other businesses, it is a sign that the zoning is not strictly single-family. Worse yet, it could mean zoning rules are on the books but not being enforced. Some controlled mixed use is a positive trend, but we all know the difference when we see it." --SORRY, I'm an apartment dweller who's infringing on your nice little suburb!
Other than that, the MAJOR thing that I've found is, (even if it involves apartment buildings or strictly houses) is seeing if people are out and about on the streets, just for exercise. That shows how safe the streets are, and how comfortable the residents feel with their own neighborhood.
Just_kazari: don't take it personally! I'm renting in a mixed development area as well, but I'd never buy here. Renters tend to be more temporary and therefore take less pride in the neighborhood. It's pretty easy to compare where I live, maybe you live in an area where people care more?
Check out noise levels (I am pretty noise sensitive). Each time we have begun to look for a place, we check out potential areas in the evenings, at nights and on weekends, to see what the noise level is. Better to know in advance than be rudely surprised once you have bought/signed a lease/moved in.
Don't move next to me. My yard looks awful. (But that's because we're in an extreme drought and green grass isn't as important as drinking water)
I joke that you know the "up and coming neighborhood" has come when you can walk to a dermatologist specializing in botox.
When I lived in Nola, the rule was to NEVER move into a neighborhood where the old ladies weren't sitting out on their porch. Men hanging out on the corner is sometimes a good thing, in that they watch the neighborhood and as long as you aren't doing anything you need not be doing you would be fine. I would not live close to a strip mall that has a liquor store, check cashing store, AND a night club. Someone having a bad night after visiting 2 of the 3 makes some sort of crime more likely.
My Dad always says to check out the cars in the neighborhood - I suppose this is a lot like the checking out the lawn - they don't necessarily have to be fancy, but are they well maintained and operable?
Also, next time I move I'm going to give consideration to both car AND foot traffic on the street. (rush hour commuters? kids coming home from school down your street? late night diners or bar goers passing by?)
Also, what are the age demographics of the neighborhood? I live in an area with young couples and dogs (houses and apartments - not all apartments are rented, some are owned units). It's nice to have people walking their dogs at all hours - feels safer. Only danger is a little more dog poop than the last place I lived! Other downside is younger people having parties later at night that sometimes end up migrating outside. Not too big a deal, but something to think about depending on how dense the housing is in a neighborhood (/how close you will be to the party (and its noise, any smokers, etc.) you're not involved with).