Seeking the right community for your next move?
Try this novel approach. List the qualities of a neighborhood you’d hate. Then flip the negatives into positives. This should yield a string of adjectives describing your perfect hamlet.
Does your list say you would loathe a treeless place in an urban area where old, high-maintenance homes predominate? Chances are you’d do better in a new suburb where the greenery has been preserved.
Why is the “neighborhood I hate list” such an effective tool? Because most people focus more on negatives than positives, real estate specialists say, they’re more acutely aware of the downside of living on a heavily traveled road than of the virtues of a quiet cul-de-sac.
Neighborhoods vary widely. But, fortunately, your life story is laden with clues about where you would be happy residing, says Leslie Levine, the author of “Will This Place Ever Feel Like Home?” (Dearborn Financial Publishing). Her book offers counsel to those who expect to move soon or have just done so.
Levine urges people who are uprooting to look back into their personal histories, recalling why they considered one lifestyle appealing and another less so. For instance, someone who detested living in a high-rise condominium tower in his 20s will probably be no happier living in such a building in his 50s. “Some places will never feel like home,” Levine says.
Many home purchasers focus too little on the area around the dwelling they plan to buy. “Selecting the right house is just the tip of the iceberg. You should also concentrate on the area around the home, making sure you’d be comfortable there,” says Leo Berard, president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents, a professional group.
Here are some pointers for prospective purchasers:
– Consider the less-than-obvious aspects of a locale you’re contemplating.
“Every neighborhood is going to have peccadilloes you can’t see,” Levine says. “People see a beautifully manicured, up-to-date street and automatically think it’s great. What they may come to find out later is that it’s a sterile place with no energy–like a nice postcard without anything written on the back.”
She suggests a walk through a community to chat with local residents. “It’s OK to ask about the intangibles,” Levine says. For instance, you might pose questions such as these: `Are people really friendly here? Can you go across the street and borrow a cup of sugar?’ “
– Use your ears if you’re seeking a peaceful area.
One college professor thought he had lucked out when he found a handsome maroon-shingled house within walking distance of his campus office and directly across from a park that served a student dorm. What he failed to factor into his purchase decision, however, was the reality that students played basketball in the courts across the street virtually all year long. And the continuous thumping of the balls kept him awake many a night. To make matters worse, each day he heard the roar of passing trains.
“I’m very noise sensitive. Living in a place like the professor’s home would bother me,” says Berard.
– Take a slow Saturday night drive through a locale you’re considering.
It’s one thing to experience a potential neighborhood at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday and quite another to find out what it’s like near midnight on Saturday. Are some of the residents on this supposedly peaceful avenue in the habit of holding clamorous late-night soirees? “You might dread having some crazy neighbors who party on weekends,” Berard says.
– Factor in your affiliations and personal fancies.
Most home seekers consider a neighborhood’s proximity to their job sites, good schools and other everyday amenities, such as a supermarket. Yet it’s also important to remember more subtle factors that could make or break your life there.
Perhaps you are a devout follower of your religious faith. Will there be a welcoming place of worship near your new home? Likewise, a fitness enthusiast will likely opt for access to a superior athletic club. And a book lover could feel stranded living too far from a top-quality bookstore or library. Your offspring, too, may have developed strong and focused interests that can’t be served just anywhere: sailing or horseback riding, for example.
It’s well worth your time to discover whether a new locale satisfies your individual needs and preferences, Berard says. That could mean taking an extra day off for an in-depth tour of the general area you are contemplating buying.
– Find an agent who will ask you as many questions as a Gallup poll.
Before he begins showing property to clients, Berard asks them to complete a questionnaire on their preferences and needs. The survey covers everything from their need for medical facilities to their interest in cultural amenities.
Few agents use such a formal survey. But many good agents spend several hours with their clients asking about their lifestyle preferences.
– Remember that virtually all moves represent bumpy transitions.
Thirty percent of those who move each year do so involuntarily, estimates Levine.
People aren’t easily transplanted, especially when the move is prompted by domestic discord or an unexpected job transfer. But even a move triggered by a promotion or the opportunity to move to a higher-income community will likely come with mixed feelings.
Conventional wisdom has it that it takes two years to feel totally at home in a new community–no matter how well-selected. But the typical household needs five years to become fully comfortable, especially when a long-distance move is involved, Levine says. “There are always some unspoken difficulties and losses involved with moving.”
