Deciding on your dream home goes a lot further than just picking the perfect house. What about the neighbourhood surrounding it? When it comes to purchasing property, there’s a lot that can go into picking your community. So much so that it can have a drastic effect on your quality of life.
Let’s take a look at some of the things you should consider before settling on which neighbourhood you’d like to live in.
Step 1: Determine your needs
Before you begin to sift through each and every neighbourhood on Vancouver Island, ask yourself what it is you’re looking for. Here are some questions to consider:
What type of home are you interested in?
Whether you want to purchase an apartment, townhouse, or detached home, will affect your lifestyle. Try to read into what each kind of complex can offer you and your family.
Are you looking for something older or brand new?
As beautiful as character homes can be, they oftentimes require more work than their freshly constructed counterparts. Newer condos, on the other hand, may end up being smaller than what you’re looking for.
Do you want to be in walking distance of commercial areas?
Ask yourself whether being nearby amenities is important. If you’re alright with driving, you’ll be able to consider neighbourhoods further away from downtown Victoria.
Are you planning on raising a family?
Whether you already have young ones or are planning to have some in the future, this will dictate where you’ll want to live. Being by a local school is crucial for young families. In the same vein, you may want to be nearby parks, community centres, and other public areas.
What are you trying to avoid?
If there are any deal breakers as far as what you won’t be able to put up with, highlight them now. If noise and other distractions are going to get you down, try one of Victoria’s family-friendly neighbourhoods, such as North Saanich or James Bay.
Step 2: Get some help
Now that you know what it is you’re looking for (even if it’s only a rough idea), you can start to filter out any communities that don’t fit the bill. If you’re new to an area, it may be in your best interest to work with an experienced real estate agent. We here at Pemberton Holmes know to take your dream and turn it into a reality. Contact us today for any assistance or questions!
Step 3: Pick a few parts of town
Whether you’re working with an experienced professional or not, now comes the time to pick out possible parts of town. Select ones that best suit your needs and then go from there. You’ll need to do a bit of research, but as you begin to narrow it down, it will become easier.
Step 4: Do Your Homework
Once you’ve picked out a few parts of town you may like to live, start digging up any info you can. Look back at the questions you asked yourself in section one, and see how these neighbourhoods stack up. How close is the nearest school? Is there any recreation in the area? What are the crime statistics of this community?
Step 5: Stop by in person
Head on over to the communities in question and take a look around. Whether there’s an open house or not, you’ll be able to get a good sense whether the neighbourhood is a match. Can you imagine yourself living here? If so, you may want to proceed. If something seems off putting, it could be time to look elsewhere. See if you can interact with any of the neighbours, whether that’s at a local shop or cafe. This will give you a good indication of how happy people are with the area and if you believe you and your family will fit in.
Step 6: Seal the deal
If everything checks out, you will have successfully discovered where you want to live. Now all you need to do is find an open house.
Contact us at Pemberton Holmes if you’re interested in getting started!
