Whether you’re moving to a completely new area or you’re just wanting to move down the street, your realtor has probably told you the three most important things about your future home: Location, location, location! While commute distance is a key factor in finding your new home, here are just a few more things to consider in your potential surroundings before you sign the papers.
Noise Pollution
While no one wants to be able to smell the sludge dewatering equipment down the road, there is a much more sinister form of pollution you need to consider: noise pollution. It’s important to know if your new home is near an airport, train tracks, or even a local baseball field to understand just how much the noise factor is going to impact your daily life.
Busy Traffic
It’s a good idea when looking for a new home to find somewhere within a commutable distance to work, but what you might have forgotten to consider is the traffic during rush hour or the times you’ll be on the road. If you only look for homes in the evening or on weekends, you’re not going to get a good idea of how long it will really take you to get to work, which might be frustrating after moving in.
School Zones
If you don’t have children, you might not be considering how close your new potential home is to school zones, but you definitely should put that on your list of things to check out. School zones often mean a lot of traffic during rush hour, in the afternoon, and even on Friday nights if you’re near a high school. Pay attention to what roads will most likely be blocked off on your morning commute, and if you can’t find a way around it, you might want to consider a different location.
Wherever you decide to live, it’s got to work for you and your lifestyle. By paying attention to the surroundings of your potential new home, you’ll get a better idea of what it will really be like to live there.