The Perfect Neighbourhood

The Perfect Neighbourhood Theresa Grant Real Estate Columnist Deciding where to live can be a daunting task especially if you have choices to make between competing properties. Of course, in most cases it will come down to your individual needs, which differ from person to person and family to family. Most people tend to start with size, is there enough room for everyone? How many bedrooms and bathrooms are there? Then they look for location. How many needs will be met by a particular location. Here is where people think about travel time to work, kids walking to school, running out to the corner store and things like that. If you are purchasing, the insurance company will want to know how far you are from the nearest fire hall, yes that affects your rates on Ontario. Can you walk to work, or will you have to drive? If you need to drive for work, you will want to know how far you are from the highway. How long a drive is it from your potential new home to get to work. Time is of huge importance as people do not want to be stuck in traffic when they can be at home with their family. Are you a recreational family? If so, you will want to check out what is available in a neighbourhood that you are considering. Do you need to consider schools for children? Schools more often than not can be a deciding factor for many people. I have had people come through an open house with maps of neighborhoods, wanting to know about the local school and what rating it has. Some are already aware of the local school’s rating and that is why they are looking at a particular house. They want a precise school district and everything else is secondary. After work and after school activities will play a role in whether or not the location is a good fit. Often, I hear parents saying that they are so busy with multiple kids and various sports, classes, etc... That they are run ragged by the end of the week. If you like to dine out or pick up something fast on the way home, restaurants close to home will be important. Equally important will be distance to your family Doctor, pharmacy, gas stations, grocery stores as well as big box stores. All of these things go into making up the ideal community. I have always found that when you have multiple choices and a few really seem to fit the bill, one of the best tools you can use to help you is the good old pros and cons list. It can become crystal clear in seconds which property would best fit your lifestyle. One thing that people really do not do enough is knock on the doors of your potential neighbours. You will get a good idea of what it might be like to live in that neighbourhood based on what the people who already do, say. If the people whose doors you knock on are rude and snappy with you, think about having to deal with them in the future. For the most part, the residents of any neighbourhood will give you an honest evaluation of what it’s like to live there. From that, and all of your due diligence, you can make an informed decision. Questions? Column ideas? You can email me at newspaper@ocentral.com