If you’re a parent who is planning to relocate to South Carolina, an experienced real estate agent can help you accomplish your goals. Working alongside someone who lives and works in the community you’re considering is a definite plus. Even with a great agent on your side, there are some things you’ll want to take care of yourself, such as making sure the neighborhood is a good fit for your family before buying a house.
Whether you’re a single parent, married, in a blended family or have young or older children, nothing is worse than buying a house, then learning that you don’t like the neighborhood. A real estate agent can provide helpful information. However, you’ll want to explore certain things out on a firsthand basis, as well.
Check out these issues before buying a house
Here’s a list of top priority issues to help determine whether a neighborhood “passes the test” before buying a house:
- Safety
- Children and/or pet-friendly community
- Access to commuter roadways, if necessary
- Local amenities
- Emergency resources
- Schools
Within each of these categories, you’ll want to ask questions and conduct research to help you learn as much as you can about a neighborhood before you make an offer on a new home.
Let’s delve into each issue a bit further
It’s fairly easy to find out what the crime statistics are in a particular neighborhood. However, there’s more to safety than mere statistics. Before buying a house, it’s wise to try to speak with a few neighbors to ask if they feel safe in the community. It’s also a good idea to determine how far away the nearest first response teams are, such as ambulance, fire departments or police. This covers the “emergency resources” part of the test as well.
If you have children or pets, you’ll want to make sure the neighborhood you’ll be living in is a family-oriented place. For example, if you have children and dogs, you might not want to purchase a home in a town where the majority of the population are retirees or in a place where HOA rules don’t allow pets.
Depending on your family’s lifestyle, a neighborhood may or may not be a good fit for you. Do you spend a lot of time doing outdoor activities? Are your kids involved in sports? Are you in need of a specific type of support group? Perhaps your favorite pastime is going out to eat. Make sure the town has the amenities you’re looking for before buying a house.
Finally, always learn as much as possible about the schools in the district of the neighborhood where you’re considering buying a new home. Even if your family homeschools, you might interact with local schools for clubs, sports or other resources. If the local schools don’t fit your family’s needs, you might want to look elsewhere for a house.