We have now talked about 3 important aspects to consider when conducting your home search – Renovation Potential, Space and Storage, and Bells & Whistles. Our last installment in this blog series addresses ‘The Neighbourhood’. It is important to feel comfortable in your new neighbourhood, as well as to consider the signs of whether the value of the neighbourhood is going up or down. Here are some things to think about.
Proximity. If it is important to you or your family to be able to walk to coffee shops, school, or transit make sure you are in the right place to be able to do those things. You also want to take note of how much space there is between the property and its neighbours – do you like being able to talk to your neighbour over your fence or do you value a little more privacy than that? Mentally go through your routine and imagine yourself out in the yard – will the location of this property work for you and offer the level of privacy you are comfortable with?
Surroundings. Take a look at the other homes in the neighbourhood – are the yards neat and presentable or do you see junk or old appliances in carports and yards? You want to move into a neighbourhood that the other home owners care about as much as you will.
People. You probably don’t want to be the only family with kids on the block – or if you don’t have kids, you may not want to be surrounded by them, so it’s a good idea to take note of whether you see toys or swings etc in the yards around the home you are looking at.
Economy. Evidence of renos at multiple homes in the neighbourhood can be a sign that the value of the area is on the increase, as does new retail stores popping up. A new grocery store or chain of some sort indicates that the company did their research and saw value in the location. Have you ever heard of the “Starbucks Study“? On the other hand if stores are closing down, there are a tonne of rentals or houses for sale…it is worth doing a little more digging and find out if the neighborhood is on it’s way out.
Check out our great Neighbourhood Pages to learn a little more about the local neighbourhoods here in Kelowna. If you have any questions about where your family may want to call home, please feel free to contact us.
**Adapted from Bob Vila’s Home Choosing Checklist
