EXIT Realty Foothills Advises on How To Choose a Neighborhood

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Jessie Eide
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EXIT Realty Foothills
909.593.0502
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EXIT Realty Foothills Advises on How To Choose a Neighborhood

5 Tips on How to Analyze a Neighborhood

La Verne, CA (Grassroots Newswire) 2/1/2011 --A couple of years ago it was easy to determine what a good neighborhood looked like. All you had to do was check on the school district and make sure there were no abandon houses. These days it is a little more difficult.

U.S. News had some advise on choosing a neighborhood, and I wanted to share it. With all the foreclosures and the Great Recession, the suburbs now outrank the urban cities in terms of poverty. With that being said, it is important to not only buy a neighborhood you like but one that will keep its value. Remember you can always change a house to match your tastes but it is very difficult to change a whole neighborhood.

1. Imagine your dream neighborhood. Write it down! What does it look like? Can you walk to downtown? Is it a quiet cul-de-sac? Is it tree-lined?

2. Look at the Public Services. Are the streets clean? Are the parks taken care of? Has the library had to cut its hours? These are the first thing that is cut when the city is hurting for money. And with everyone cutting their property taxes, every city is hurting. These points will help you decipher if the city is in financial trouble.

3. Look at the Schools. This is always an important issue when you have kids but if you don't it is still vital. Why? because when you want to sell, the new buyers will likely have kids. You can find great schools at the GreatSchools.org website. You could also visit the PTA in a neighborhood you are interested in. The parents will definitely tell you how well the school is doing.

4. Examine Clues. Are businesses shutting down? Are there For Sale signs everywhere? Are there a lot of cheap rentals in the area? This are all warning signs. Think about what you do every day. Is your routine plausible in the new neighborhood. Do you need a friendly barista to serve your coffee every morning? Then it is important to like the local coffee shops. Do you ride your bike or walk every morning? Then there needs to be bike/walking paths.

5. Talk to the Neighbors. Neighbors make or break a place to live. Find out what they are like. They can tell you all the ins and outs of the neighborhood.

It is important to do some legwork before purchasing a home. Keep in mind that you can always modify the house but the neighborhood is hard to change.

For more information about EXIT Realty Foothills, please call 909.593.0502. EXIT Realty Foothills is located at 1339 Foothill Blvd, La Verne CA 91750.

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