A Sense of Place: How to Find Your Perfect Home
If you're looking for a home in New Hampshire, you've
already made one good decision. According to Morgan
Quinto Press (headquartered in Lawrence, Kan.), New
Hampshire ranks high as one of the safest and most livable
places in the United States. According to its study, New
Hampshire is the second safest state, behind North Dakota,
and the fifth most-livable.
This study — and others like it — weigh very specific criteria
when evaluating cities and neighborhoods, factors such as
crime rates, cost of living indexes, weather, health care
facilities, city services, unemployment rates ... and even more
obscure statistics like the number of books in libraries.
Of course, finding the perfect place for you is a more
personal and subjective matter. And narrowing down your
search demands that you ponder your lifestyle preferences
and how you would prefer to spend your time. Ask yourself
how far you're willing to commute. Do you prefer rural,
suburban, or urban settings? Do you like wildlife or "the wild
life?" Do you prefer farmers markets or grocery stores? Are
you looking to work the land or the ability to land a job easily
if you ever get laid off?
Most people base their home purchase on their commute.
And that's important.
Some things you should consider are access to major roads,
public transportation and the likelihood that your company
may move.
Commutes, however, are much more than a matter of miles.
Consider the condition of the roads you'll need to travel. For
example, a seemingly quiet road can turn into gridlock during
rush hour, adding many minutes to your commute. Perfectly
fine roads on sunny days may be impassable in winter
because of severe frost heaves or poor snow removal.
You may want to make the drive a few times at different times
of day and experience a simulated commute for yourself
before you make an offer on a home.
Two other factors you should consider when choosing a
neighborhood are safety and the school system. This is
important for obvious reasons; after all, you want a safe and
beneficial environment for your family. But even if you don't
have children take a close look at the school system. Why?
Because safer neighborhoods with good schools generally
retain or increase their property values.
To research schools, examine the pupil-to-teacher ratios,
academic scores and ranking, high-school graduations rates,
the percentage of the population who graduated from high
school, the percentage who graduated from college,
spending per student, and property taxes. Many sources on
the Internet will give you this information. For example, you
can get a detailed school report at www.bradshomes.com.
If you don't have access to the Internet (or the inkling to use
it), your real estate agent should be able to give all this
information in one convenient report.
Considering safety is a broader issue. Indeed, you can surf
the Web for reports detailing crime rates and FBI statistics for
various cities and towns. Or go directly to the local police or
sheriff's departments and ask for an honest assessment or
official report. Indeed, as a safety issue, check out the quality
of local police, fire, and emergency services.
You can also make some educated safety guesses on your
own. For example, houses on busy streets pose more of a
traffic-safety risk, especially for children and pets. That much
is obvious. But also be wary of side streets that act as
shortcuts. They may pose a threat too, as hurried motorists
try to cut a few minutes from their commute.
As a matter of safety, houses in the middle of developments
are generally more secure than those on the edge. Not only
do they get less traffic, they may be less of a target for would-
be criminals.
While considering the human threat, also consider relative
environmental threats — both natural and man-made. Is the
neighborhood in a flood plain?
Are there EPA Superfund or hazardous waste sites nearby?
This can be a lot of information to digest. But then again,
finding the perfect place to spend your life will be one of the
most important decision you make. Don't do it alone. Ask
your agent for help.
Good agents are very knowledgeable and subjective about
the neighborhoods they cover. They know what prices are
reasonable, where the good schools are, and many of the
intangible considerations that not only make a town more
livable ... but make it perfect for you.
