Three Tips for Finding the Right Neighbourhood

So you’ve made the decision to begin looking for your next living arrangement. You’ve thought about what styles you like, planned the type of dwelling that suits you, dreamed of that perfect open concept plan. But before you can settle on all of the inside touches, considerations need to be made regarding what’s outside of the house. This article will show the right mindset and questions to have when approaching your neighbourhood search.

How Do I Fit In To My Neighbourhood?

Throughout Ottawa, there are so many varied and beautiful neighbourhoods. Between all the up-and-coming business districts, historic neighbourhoods, and bustling city centres, pinpointing the exact one can be a huge task. But taking the process in small steps makes it much more manageable. The first step toward getting your house should start with examining your current situation, and determining what you need out of your neighbourhood. If you have a child or pets, then a neighbourhood with pedestrian-friendly walkways would be a great fit. If you own a car, that gives you the freedom to choose from a wider amount of options, whereas if you must rely on public transit, you may have to settle for researching areas that have well-kept transit systems. Figure out your highest priority interests and keep in mind both your likes and dislikes in a living area to find the place that speaks to you the best.

Where Can My Budget Get Me?

Budgeting for a new home depends heavily on your income, your credit, and the types of financing available to you. By studying local pricing, and pricing history, you can get a general notion of what areas are good matches, as well as which direction the value of the houses in that area are trending. Your property will increase or decrease in value, and your neighbourhood’s health is telling for which direction it might go. Any indication of growth is valuable, as one should treat a new home as an investment, instead of simply a new purchase.

What Tools Do I Have At My Disposition?

A real estate agent is one of your most important reference tools for zoning in on your best bets.  They can help with the finer details, such as what the school districts are like, price ranges of certain areas, and civil stats, like crime rates and area demographics. They will be familiar with the neighbourhoods that they service better than anyone. Finally, personal visits to a neighbourhood will never lead you astray. Internet searches and phone calls can only create a partial sketch of an area. Therefore, once you have narrowed your list down to your top few choices, personally investigating each of them will provide a fully-fledged painting of which could be your future home.

Phoenix Homes can help make the neighbourhood search easier! Call us today at 613-723-9227.