If you’re in the market for a new home, here’s an idea to keep in mind by the time you get to the 11th hour (or earlier) of negotiations…just before you sign an offer.
Drive through the neighbourhood several times, and at several times.
What you don’t want to do is make an offer, have it accepted and close the deal on a home in a neighbourhood that for all intents and purposes looked fine then, and after moving in you find that you missed something.
It doesn’t have to be anything bad that turns people off a neighbourhood after they move in; it can just be that they find it’s not the neighbourhood for them, and not the neighbourhood they expected.
So at the risk of creating suspicion, do some drive-bys — in the morning, during the day and at night — to get a sense of whether that “perfect” home is in the neighbourhood you expected. Maybe parking the car and walking around the streets will make you look more welcoming to anybody who thinks you’re casing the neighbourhood for other seasons.
This is in addition to other neighbourhood checks, of course. Things like making sure you know where all the amenities are — supermarket, drug store, dry cleaner, hair dresser, walk-in clinic, corner store, coffee shop…and whatever else is important to you.
Even if you don’t have children, research the schools. The quality of school district can have an effect on home prices in a neighbourhood market.
The time to do this homework is before making an offer, ideally, and definitely before the deal is done.