Relocation and Buying a Home

Relocating can be both an exciting and stressful time. It means choosing a new place to live, making new friends, working with new people, and learning how to get to new places. You can increase your chances of relocation being a positive experience by asking the following questions prior to buying a home.

How long will the drive to work be? Is it more important to have a larger, less expensive home that is farther away from work, or is having more free time (because of a shorter commute) more important? Will public transportation be available in case you need or choose to use it? How heavy is traffic in the area you're considering moving to?

What will your neighbors be like? Are they friendly? How far away are essential places like gas stations and grocery stores? Is there a community improvement or crime prevention program in place?

If you are buying a home, is your future house roughly the same value as the surrounding homes, or is it significantly worth more or less? If it is worth less, then the neighboring homes might help increase the long-term value of your home. If it is worth significantly more, they may cause your home to be worth less than it might otherwise be when you try to sell it.

Are there disturbing noises or lights such as a street lamp shining through your bedroom window or a train that passes nearby? What is the quality of the local schools? Do they have programs that interest your children? What about the local churches?

How old is your house? Is it a fixer-upper? Will you have to pay more in utilities due to inadequate insulation? Will you need to spend a lot of time keeping up the yard?

Unless you enjoy loading up all your belongings often, you'll want to buy a home in an area you feel comfortable about. Asking the preceding questions can aid you in doing just that.