Buying your first home is a time of great excitement but it can also be very stressful – having to think about things that you have probably not thought about before and get to grips with all of the home buying lingo that is used – for example you need to try to find the right mortgage for you, find a local company such as this building survey Birmingham based company to make sure that you have conveyancing sorted and of course – find the right home for you.
As the saying goes buying a property is all about location, location location. But most first time buyers simply do not have the budget to have the right home in the perfect area – there are very few people who can really afford the exact property of their dreams, whether it is a rambling country estate, or a perfect townhouse in Chelsea. So, when it comes to choosing where you want to live, how do you go about researching the area?
The first thing to think about is what do you want from an area? The needs and requirements of someone who has a young family or is planning one imminently is different from a single person who has no intention of raising a family in the near future. So when you are searching for an area it is first of all a good idea to have a look at what you want from an area first and make a list in order of importance.
For example, you may want to have good transport links for your daily commute – whether you drive and want to live near a motorway, or want to catch a bus or train, you may want to look at how easy and affordable this will be.
For families, things like schools are one of the most important considerations – research the schools that will be in your catchment area and have a look through recent OFSTED reports. You could even speak to people who have children at the school to see what they think of it.
Recreation is also a factor and you may want to be within easy reach of trendy bars and clubs for socialising, or you might want lots of family friendly places, such as parks nearby. As well as this look at the amenities such as shops in the local area.
Once you have looked at this and found some areas that might interest you it is a good idea to get a deeper feel for the area. Have a walk around at many different times of the day to see if you can get a general feel for the place and the people that live there. The police also publish crime reports so it is worth looking at the crime rates in the area too.
Once you have done all of this, it is much easier to narrow down your search and give estate agents an idea of what area you are looking for as well as your budget – happy house hunting!
