Buying a home requires you to do your homework. There are many factors that make a home more appealing than the others, and one of those factors is location. Many experts say that location should be your number one priority when buying a house, but why is that?
When we’re talking about the location of a new house, we’re also talking about the neighborhood. Every location has a different neighborhood – the people, crime rates, distance to public services, schools, and workplace, noise and air pollution levels, and many more are also different.
In this article, we’re going to talk about several signs of a bad neighborhood. If you encounter any of these signs, then you should be more alert before you’re closing on a house.
Too many houses are on sale
Finding a house on sale can be very easy or difficult depending on what you’re looking for. Again, location can be the biggest difference here. When you see a lot of houses on the market, and they’re all from the same neighborhood, then you should know that there must be a catch.
I want to state here though that there is nothing wrong to see several houses being sold on the same street. But you see a line of houses on sale at the same time, then you should be wary. Usually, this happens because a lot of households decide to move out at the same time, or no one wants to buy these houses.
Abandoned or dilapidated houses
Similar to the above sign, if you see many abandoned or dilapidated houses, it can be a sign of a bad neighborhood. There must be some factors that make people just straight abandon their houses. Whatever the reason is, it is a red flag, and you certainly don’t want your new house to be located near abandoned houses.
The people
The quality of a neighborhood is decided by the people who live in it. If you’re driving in a neighborhood late at night and see people partying without a care in the world, then surely you don’t want to live near them. The same case with a neighborhood with a lot of rentals for college students, chances are the area will be loud due to late-night parties.
People fighting and hating each other is also a pain. You don’t want to hear people bickering at each other at all. Bad people also tend to neglect their pets or don’t want to take responsibility for them. So drive around and see if there are pets being tied up outside or barking dogs or neglected pets. These animals can be a reliable sign of a good or bad neighborhood.
No parking zone
This is a big deal-breaker for some people, especially those who rely on cars a lot. If the neighborhood doesn’t have nearby parking lots or enough space for parking your car in front of your house, it might be not worth it at all. This is also important if the streets are busy, a lack of a garage or parking spot can be a huge problem.
Nearby certain city services
City services are great, they are just the kinds of services that you expect to get from the tax money you pay. But not all city services are neighborhood-friendly, I’m talking about a power plant or landfill.
Homes located near city services such as those are expected to lose 6 to 7% of their value over time. Things can be worse if a neighborhood is deemed hazardous due to the nearby city services. Other problems you need to be aware of are noise and light pollution caused by a nearby prison or power plant.
It is tricky when talking about city services because a lot of people are relying on these services. But the fact of the matter is no one wants to live near them. Avoid buying a house close to major city services if possible.
Conclusion
Neighborhoods are varied and consist of all kinds of people. Some neighborhoods even have their own culture due to being close-knit, while others, not so much. If you learn all the signs of a bad neighborhood, you can avoid many big problems in the future.
