Researching Your New Neighborhood The Easy Way
In the home buying process, you may feel that you want to jump right into searching around for your home, but remember that there are a few facts that you have to keep in mind along the way. A home can seem perfect, but be sure you do your research first.
Check for Crime
First and foremost, you need to check the crime in the area, especially if you are moving your family. You can look into public records for any given area to see the crime rate. Be sure that you check the past crime rates as well. This is a good way to see if crime has decreased or increased.
Property Taxes
Property taxes are another example of an expense you may not hear about until closing. Do the research first to discover the difference in property tax. Sometimes it may be better to move to another area, with the same features you like and have lower property taxes.
Market Value
Market value is important to research as well. If you see a home you like in a particular neighborhood but are not too keen on the price, do the research and find out for yourself. Public records can reveal a lot about a home, and you may find that the seller is trying to sell for more than what the home is worth. This gives you more than enough to start negotiations with your offer.
Closing Costs
Closing costs are not something that you should research on your own. Get the help of a
realtor or
real estate agent so that they can not only go over the closing with you, but calculate your costs for closing as well. This can help you save way ahead of time so that these fees do not sneak up on you.
