Scouting Out Neighborhoods Before a Home Purchase

So you're found the perfect house. Right price, right size, no looming maintenance problems. But before you take out a mortgage and sign on the dotted line, there's one more thing you need to be sure of: is it in the perfect neighborhood?

Everyone knows the old saw about "location, location, location" being the key factor in real estate. But sometimes, a location may not be all it seems: That charming craftsman bungalow only minutes from the expressway might have an unending drone of traffic to drown out your backyard barbecues. Those rolling orchards across the street could be zoned commercial. And that quiet residential street might be that way because half of the homes have been foreclosed and are empty.

When checking out a neighborhood, it's not enough just to do the old standards. Check out the schools. Visit at different times and days to see how the mood and atmosphere changes. Talk with potential neighbors and see what they say about the area. You need to dig a little deeper.

Although knocking on doors and talking with potential neighbors is probably the single best thing you can do to evaluate a neighborhood, it's not completely reliable. Some people may be reluctant to cast the place they live in a bad light or speak poorly of their current neighbors. They might not be bothered by some of the things would concern you, or may simply be unaware of pending developments that could impact the area.

With that in mind, here's some additional tips for checking out a neighborhood to make sure your dream home doesn't come with unpleasant surprises.

Check out the community's master plan and zoning: Particularly if you're buying in a township, this is key. What sort of future does the township envision for those wide-open farmer's fields? A big block of commercially zoned farmland even two miles away could have a major impact on your property if a shopping mall goes in there. An unusually broad right-of-way for a two-lane road could indicate the county sees it becoming a major thoroughfare. And if the township plans on extending water and sewer to an area now served by wells and septic, you could find yourself paying huge fees to connect or even pay for the expansion itself.

Look at the map. You want to see what's in your neighborhood, not just by driving around, but by taking the big view. A look at Google Earth or Mapquest could reveal some interesting details about the surrounding area - like a prison, landfill, wastewater plant or airport. On airports, pay particular attention to which way the major runways point - a mid-sized airport serving business jets and air cargo may do the bulk of its traffic at certain hours of the day - so you'd never notice it was there until the jets start zooming out in early evening.

What are are the traffic patterns like? Try to visit your potential home at least once during rush hour or the times you're likely to be driving to work, so you know what to expect. Are there major backups or traffic jams on your route? Is it unusually difficult to make a left-hand turn you'll need to make every day? Remember, this is the traffic that's going to be part of your daily routine - make sure you know what to expect.

Are the homes in good repair? Even for modestly priced homes, there are neighborhoods where the owners keep up their property and ones where they do not. Fresh paint, door and window hardware in good repair, sealed driveways, well-trimmed lawns - all these indicate a neighborhood where, even though property values may be modest, people are responsible homeowners and neighbors.

What's behind the trees? When looking at a home in summer, trees and other foliage may block your view of nearby properties. When the leaves fall, you may be surprised to find they were screening a trailer park, backside of a warehouse, lights from a parking lot or something else that changes the mood of the area.

Check police reports: The local cops can tell you if the area you're looking at gets a lot of police calls or has other problems. Another sign of trouble is an unusual number of homes with large dogs - which are often kept for security reasons. And security bars over doors or window is a definite red flag.

Take the big tour: Don't just drive around the immediate area - venture out a mile or so and see what the lay of the land is. You may be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised by what you find - a collection of cool shops and restaurants tucked away in a small neighborhood, or an aging industrial zone awaiting cleanup.

Not all of these factors may be deal-breakers for you - you may be just fine with a small industrial zone a quarter mile away or a nearby expressway with audible road noise throughout the day. The key thing is to know what's there and what you're getting into - you're going to be living in this home for at least the next few years, so you want to minimize any unpleasant surprises you might be living with.