A home is the single biggest purchase most people will ever make. This makes it essential that you carefully consider all of the relevant factors when deciding what home to buy and where you want to live. Location is obviously one of the biggest factors. You can always update or remodel if you’re unhappy with other aspects of your home, but the one thing that you cannot change is the location. With this in mind, here are some important amenities to look for when deciding what area you want to live in.
Grocery Stores and Shopping
When searching for homes for sale, one of the first things many people look at is the proximity to local grocery stores and other shopping. Not having a grocery store within a few minutes of the home shouldn’t always be an automatic deal breaker. Nonetheless, it is convenient as you obviously don’t want to have to travel for half an hour or more just to quickly run out and pick up a few things.
Schools
If you have school-aged children or are planning to have kids anytime in the near future, you will definitely want to consider your options for schooling. This means looking at the distance from the house to local elementary, middle, and high schools to make sure that you won’t have to drive too far or your kids won’t be stuck on a bus for a long time. Just as important is the quality of the schools in the area since you obviously want to ensure that your kids get a good education.
Roads and Transport Links
Unless you work from home, you will definitely want to consider how close the home is to major roads or transportation links. The location will play a major role in how long of a commute you have to and from work, every day, and how easy is to access other parts of town.
Public Transportation and Bike Lanes
If you’re someone who prefers to take public transportation or enjoys cycling to work, you will also want to consider what the local options are like in each area. For instance, how far away is the nearest bus stop or another hub? Are they bike lines in the area that are easy to get to and connect to other parts of town?
Restaurants and Entertainment
This last one is generally not as important, but it is still something to consider. If you enjoy going out to eat, watching movies at the cinema, or hanging out with friends at a bar, you may want to choose an area that is more centrally located and has more local options.
While the area isn’t necessarily the most important thing when choosing which house to buy, it is still something you need to consider carefully. After all, if you don’t take into account what local amenities are important to you, you may quickly find that you regret your choice.
