Dream Team

As anybody who has ever bought a house before knows, real estate is quite expensive! Many buyers, although elated that they’re about to be homeowners (either for the first time or in new digs), also realize that they need to budget carefully for their move so they don’t get overextended during their new-home honeymoon.

What do you need to know in order to be able to move on a budget — and get it all done without losing your mind? Here are things to consider.

Assess your time vs. money situation

The economics of moving your household are pretty simple: If you have the time to do it all yourself, then you won’t have to spend any money. Or, if you have enough money to pay for other people to move you, then you won’t have to spend any of your own time.

So the first thing to think about is how valuable your time is and how valuable your money is right now. This will likely be different depending on your life stage, what you do for a living, and how much time you have available to you for your move. If you’re a first-time homebuyer in your 20s with no kids, then it might make sense to do more of the moving yourself; if you’re a move-up buyer in your 40s with a big household, then you might want to think about using your time to make enough money to pay movers.

Don’t eliminate options without doing some research

One insidious thing about trying to budget for a move is that it’s not always apparent which option is actually more expensive. By the time you pack up your entire house, spend your money on a truck, and fill it up with gas as you drive — are you really saving that much over a flat-fee moving service? Possibly, but quite probably not.

Look into all your different options and consider all of the different expenses and components that go into them. This is probably going to take some research; a full-service moving company is obviously going to do more for you than a flat-fee company, but how much, exactly, are those differences worth? Would it make the most sense to pack your stuff up yourself and hire movers to haul it to your new place?

While you’re exploring your options, make sure you’re checking review sites like Yelp so that you know what kind of quality you can expect from any moving services you might hire. Evaluate how much hiring a truck and paying for gas and mileage could cost you. And think about alternate options, like a PODS (portable on-demand storage) module that you can fill up with your belongings for a truck to haul away.

Platforms like TaskRabbit can also be good ways to facilitate a move if you don’t want to go with a full-service or flat-fee mover. Maybe instead you can hire a couple of people on TaskRabbit to help you shlep boxes.

Time your move as best you can

You’ve probably heard the saying “timing is everything,” and that is also true when moving. You could save a significant amount of money by timing your move to coincide with low-demand times of the month or of the year.

Summertime, for example, is a pretty expensive time of year to move. Lots of other households are trying to take advantage of both the weather and the break from school to make changes in their lives, and if you can wait until the fall or winter to move, then you’ll probably get some better rates from any moving companies you talk to.

Moving companies also tend to get booked up toward the end of the month, when many leases expire, so if you can time your move at any other time of the month, that can also be helpful. Weekly timing also can affect your budget; weekend moves are almost always going to be more expensive than moving on a weekday. And even the time of day matters, when you factor in a rush-hour — if you rented a truck and you’re stuck in traffic with it, you could incur a late fee, so try to avoid moving during peak traffic hours.

Get rid of as much as you can

Minimalism might be having a bit of a moment right now, but even if you’re a packrat, you have to acknowledge the wisdom in the concept that you won’t have to pay to move things that you don’t own anymore. When you’ve determined how much time and money you can spend on your move, and you’ve figured out when you’ll be moving, it’s time to start narrowing down what to move as much as you possibly can.

Start with any big items that don’t appeal to you as much as they used to, or that won’t fit in your new place, or that you don’t need anymore. There are all kinds of ways to get rid of things today, including Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace; take pictures of your items and advertise them online.

You can always donate anything that nobody buys, but you just might make enough money off of your virtual garage sale to help pay for movers … especially once you’ve reduced what they have to move.

Don’t pay for boxes

When you’re moving on a budget, boxes are one of the very last things you should pay for — there are so many ways to get free boxes to move your things, and they can really add up if you’re buying them new from the truck-rental place.

Where can you find cheap or free boxes? Try your workplace, first and foremost. If you work in an office, there are probably boxes for printer paper that work well for moving. Restaurants get food delivered regularly, and that food arrives inboxes. Grocery stores and liquor stores also often have repositories of boxes, and if all those fail, you can always beg your friends on social media for any boxes they have handy to spare.

Use what you have for packing materials

Bubble wrap, like boxes, is one of those moving expenses that feels especially painful; it’s disposable and literally only used to get your belongings safely from one place to another. One easy way to save money is to use the fabrics in your house — sheets, towels, blankets, coats, sweaters, and so on — to wrap breakables like your dishes or vases.

This does work well, and your items will arrive intact at the other end; however, you may find yourself with quite a bit of laundry to do as you unpack from your journey. You’ve been warned!

Consider USPS Media Mail

You wouldn’t think that mailing yourself your belongings would be a very cost-effective way to move, but that’s probably because you’re not familiar with USPS Media Mail. This is a service that allows you to mail certain educational-material items, such as books and movies, at a very reasonable rate. (Unfortunately, comic books do not count.) The Media Mail rates are based on weight, but once you do the math, you might discover that mailing the bulk of your books and movies will allow you to rent a smaller vehicle and save a lot of money.

Do what it takes to get your deposit back

If you’re renting, then you probably put down a security deposit on your place. What are the odds that you’ll get it back? This can be an easy way for landlords to earn money; people are tired after packing up all their things, and one of the very last things you want to do is scour the house you’re going to leave.

But don’t get lazy and hand over that hard-earned security deposit to your landlord. It’s already been sitting in their bank account, accruing interest that’s not yours — now it’s time to get that money back and make it work for you instead.

Write it off if you can

You might have heard that you can write off a move for work on your taxes. This was true until 2017 when the tax law changed; now, the IRS no longer lets taxpayers write off moves for employment on their federal return — but some states, such as California, still allow residents to write off a move. Look into your local state laws or check with an accountant to see if you could get some kind of break for your move.

If you’ve been a homeowner before, you know that just like your vehicle needs regular maintenance like

oil changes to run well—so does your home. It can be easy to ignore or put these things off, but a well-

maintained home will save you money from costly repairs in the long run, and make your home easier to

sell when the time comes.

While this list is comprehensive, it’s not a complete list of all the things your home needs.

Monthly

Annually Organized by Season

Spring – There’s a reason it’s called “Spring Cleaning”

Summer – Shift your focus to the outdoors and enjoy the sunshine

Fall – prepare for winter during this in-between season

Winter – cozy up and stay warm

Every real estate brokerage is pretty much the same — right? Even though this seems like common knowledge among buyers, the truth is that the real estate brokerage where your agent hangs their shingle can have a pretty big influence on your home buying experience. Some brokerages excel at holding buyers’ hands while others really leave you to your own devices and depending on which style you’d prefer, you can find a brokerage that caters specifically to what you need. Here are a few things that an average buyer can expect from their real estate brokerage.

Provide financial resources

Buying a house can feel daunting, especially for first-time buyers who haven’t jumped through all the financial hoops and might not know how they’ll ever be able to afford the mortgage. If that sounds like you, then seek out some financial preparation and education classes through your local real estate brokerages. These are sometimes hosted at the brokerages’ offices or in libraries or other community spaces, and you can learn about government grants and loans, different types of mortgages available, the average price of a home in your area, the costs associated with buying a home that you might not have considered, and much more.

Connect you with a mortgage broker

Real estate brokerages have likely had contact with most (if not all) of the mortgage brokers in your area, and they are intimately familiar with which brokers are best qualified to work on which mortgages, which ones are most responsive (and least responsive) and which ones will stretch above and beyond to close a deal and make sure a buyer gets a fighting chance at putting an offer on a home and getting everything arranged for the closing table. When you reach the point in your home purchase process where you’re ready to talk to a mortgage broker, a real estate brokerage can help point you toward the very best person for the job.

Provide information about neighborhoods, schools, and more

Many buyers have a general idea of where they’d like to live, but they have some flexibility around the precise neighborhood, block, and street. There are probably some suitable places for your future home that you’ve never seen or encountered, and real estate brokerages excel at providing information about the neighborhoods where you might want to live. Many brokerages offer detailed data and even guides for schools, crime, activities, and more, and they can help guide you toward the one neighborhood among many that will suit you and your household to a tee.

Access listings early

A lot of preparation goes into putting a house on the market, from deep cleaning and staging to photographs and writing the listing description, all before the house is ever listed for sale. Brokerages are keenly aware of all of those homes because their agents are working on the listings, and some brokerages offer a “pocket listing” service that can connect buyers with homes before those homes are ever listed for sale. In an exceptionally hot market, this can be a huge resource for buyers because they might not have to compete with as many other people to get under contract.

Provide convenient open house events

Going around to physically look at homes can be one of the most fun parts of shopping for a house, but it can also feel physically exhausting, especially if you’re doing it every weekend. Some brokerages offer convenient open house events, where you can walk through several homes in the same neighborhood or even on the same block, or will book shuttles between homes for buyers, or virtual tours where you can sit in a room inside the brokerage and digitally walk through homes before deciding to visit them in person.

Educate your agent

Though there are plenty of seasoned agents who prefer to work exclusively with buyers, they tend to be the exception; many agents who work with buyers tend to be in the early stages of their real estate careers. How do you know that your agent knows everything they need to know? The real estate brokerage where your agent works is responsible for making sure that the agent understands the implications of recent legislative changes or market shifts, and this can make a huge difference to the buyers who are working with those agents. When you’re interviewing agents, it’s not a bad idea to ask them what kind of continuing education their brokerage offers and whether they have ever taken advantage of those offerings.

Streamline the transaction process

There are a ton of details involved in buying a house, and those multiple tiny tasks can feel overwhelming for first-time buyers especially. Some brokerages leave it up to individual agents to manage the transaction processes, in which case your experience as a buyer will be very much contingent on that single agent’s level of skill and organization. Others have standards and procedures that they expect agents to follow throughout the transaction, including keeping you updated as to the current status and what’s next. There is even administrative staff at some brokerages that solely manage the transaction portion of the real estate business, providing a continuous point person for you who will always know exactly what’s going on and what you still need to do.

Suggest appraisers and inspectors

It’s usually the buyer’s responsibility to handle the appraisal and inspection — because the mortgage lender is the entity that requires those things, and the mortgage loan is between the buyer and the lender. You might not know the first place to start when it comes to hiring an inspector or an appraiser, but your real estate agent will definitely know some qualified professionals through their brokerage. Just like mortgage brokers, most real estate brokerages have had contact with the majority of inspectors and appraisers in your area, so they have a good idea of what to expect and can help prepare you accordingly, too.

Help you move in

Nobody really enjoys moving, and some brokerages recognize this pain point and do their best to alleviate it with services, vouchers, or other perks that make things a little bit smoother. Full-service concierge brokerages will arrange for your utility transfers and change of address with the post office, arrange for movers to pack your things and shlep them to your destination, hire someone to come over after you’ve been there a week or two and make any minor repairs you might not have noticed until you were living under the roof, and more. Even if your brokerage isn’t a full-service concierge business model, brokerages often have strong ties to movers and have heard all the horror stories in the area, so they can point you the best option for you.

Host neighborhood events

Real estate brokers probably know a lot of people in your neighborhood because they helped those people buy their homes. Many brokerages celebrate their communities and help connect their clients to one another by hosting regular events, usually once or twice a year, where people can casually drop in and out. You can meet the neighbors, have a drink or a bite to eat, enjoy the entertainment, and take advantage of your brokerage’s network in the nicest possible way.

Hook you up with contractors

It’s not always easy to find a contractor under the best of circumstances, and of course, emergencies happen in the very worst of circumstances, when you don’t have time to research and vet the electrician or plumber you’ve summoned to your house. Ask your real estate brokerage for a list of trusted professionals they refer to clients so that you’ve at least got a jumping-off point if something happens after hours in your new home and you have no idea what to do about it. And real estate brokerages can also be good resources for other projects, like adding a room to your house or building a deck outback.

Is every real estate brokerage the same? Not remotely; they all prioritize different facets of the business and provide different services for both buyers and sellers. It’s not a bad idea to ask your agent about why they chose their brokerage and whether there are any buyer resources you should know about as you’re interviewing real estate agents, both to learn more about your agent and to know what benefits are available to you from the brokerage.

Style is as individual as human beings are, but we can generally agree that there are some style trends that should be left in the past — some in the very recent past, others long ago — because they make your rooms look, well, terrible. And dated. Before you jump on the latest home decorating bandwagon, consider how these super-popular decor trends have fared and imagine whether you’re still going to think your latest design obsession looks cutting-edge in a year or three.

Clutter

We’re not saying that it was ever a good look to resemble a hoarder, but there was a time where just the “right amount” of clutter was a decorative goal. That eclectic, bohemian look involving lots of different items and patterns and … stuff … just all over the place is officially over. And thank goodness, too, because keeping all those tchotchkes dusted and the surfaces cleaned is tough.

… And too much minimalism

Just as bad as too much clutter is the bland, too-neutral hotel-room look. Hey, clean lines and white or neutral everything is awesome in moderation, but when they are all over your house with no color or pops of interest to draw your eye, it can make your place feel soulless and flat.

Matching everything

Pop quiz: What smells do you associate with a room with curtains or valances that precisely match the furniture upholstery? If “musty” and “mildewed” made your list, congratulations — you passed! When everything is matchy-matchy, it makes your house look like it was decorated decades ago and then inhabited by someone with no intention of changing anything ever.

Edison bulbs

Look, these were cool for a little while, in that whole minimalist-industrial kind of way — but the light they emit is harsh, and there are so many better light fixtures (and bulbs) that will make your home shine. Pack the Edison bulbs away, please.

Fake plants instead of real

Some silk plants are very well made and impossible to differentiate from real plants at a glance … but those are few and far between. Most of them age quickly, getting dusty and ragged around the leaf edges, and when there are so many houseplants you could be nourishing suited for every light level and size of the room, why go fake?

Obsessions with monochrome

Just like matched patterns, homes that are done all in a single color only help to date that home, depending on the color. People are going to associate the all-gray look heavily with 2017 and 2018, for example, and you can probably think of other instances of color taking over a dwelling.

Appliances and bathroom fixtures with color

Another color that’s going to be forever associated with an era is avocado green with the 1970s when you saw fridges, stoves, bathtubs and sinks and showers and more in the shade. The cherry-red KitchenAid stand mixer on your counter is one thing, but please reconsider before opting for fixtures with color.

Macrame

Maybe it seems like we’re picking in the 1970s, but decorators tend to agree this was a distinctly awful era in home decoration, so this won’t be the last time a trend from that decade appears on this list. Macrame everywhere is another easy way to make your house look immediately dated.

Plastic furniture covers

Sure, they protect your furniture — but at what price? They’re not comfortable to sit on and they look awful. It’s a good way to make everyone who sits down in your living room feel like they aren’t at home.

Vertical blinds

These don’t generally do a great job of blocking the light, are a pain to open and close, and don’t look all that nice when they’re either open or closed.

Inflatable furniture

This has been around since the 1960s, but it was suddenly revitalized in the ’90s and so you still see it here and there from time to time. It’s impossible to sit on with bare skin (especially in the heat) and it’s not all that comfortable, either, so there’s no sense in indulging in the inflatable trend if it comes back again.

Linoleum anything

Linoleum was really popular when it came out in the middle of the 20th century, and it’s easy to understand why it was a hit: Easier to clean than other flooring options and offered in bright, inviting patterns. But it doesn’t wear well, shows damage prominently, and will end up making your kitchen or bathroom look shabby or sad in a few years.

Industrial style

There’s no reason to eliminate all the exposed brick and metal aesthetic from your life, but the industrial look is another one that’s going to be specifically pinned to an era before much longer. Softening up those industrial-driven spaces with more traditional furniture and fixtures can go a long way toward giving your decor longevity.

Shag carpet

This is another trend firmly linked to the 1970s, and there’s a good reason why it really hasn’t experienced a revival since then — it’s incredibly inconvenient. It gets dirty at the drop of a hat and is impossible to clean; even vacuuming it can be problematic. Maybe at some point in the future, new advances in microfibers will make shag carpeting both stain-proof and self-cleaning, but until that day comes, opt for a style that has more staying power.

Wood-paneled walls

Wood has a lovely texture and looks in nature, but too much wood in one place is overwhelming and can make rooms feel cavernous and uncomfortable. This includes veneers and shiplap! Use wood to accent your rooms and in your furniture — or even on the ceiling — but walls and walls and walls of wood could be too much.

Wallpaper borders

These were all the rage for a time in the 1980s and 1990s, either applied where the wall meets the ceiling or at about waist height to divide walls around a room. With so many better options in paint and wallpaper available today, there’s no reason to use a border.

Animal prints

Some people absolutely love animal prints everywhere, and many of them are adolescent girls who throw them all over their rooms because they simply don’t know any better. It might be unfair, but that’s why a home entirely decorated in animal prints seems a little immature.

Animal remnants

Whether or not you hunt is beside the point, which is this: Your home is not a hunting lodge (most likely), and animal heads and skins or other parts used to decorate your house should be used in strict moderation, if at all. Many who eat meat still experience discomfort in a room full of hunting trophies, and they might not feel welcome in your home.

Tile countertops

These look fine, but cleaning them is a pain (especially the grout) and they’re associated with a particular period in kitchen and bathroom decor. A single slab of marble or granite will serve you much better than tile.

Glass block walls

For a while, homes were being built with those blurred glass blocks to allow light to pass through walls while still physically delineating boundaries. You can get more light with skylights, fixtures, or even a bulb upgrade in this day and age, and considering you can still kind of see through the glass, it makes sense to eschew these blocks in favor of something else.

Pine everywhere

We’ve already established that wood paneling is too much wood, and homes decorated in that trend where all the furniture and cabinets are pine tend to suffer from that same feeling of overwhelm.

Popcorn ceilings

These are much maligned in decorating circles, and for good reason. For a while they were ubiquitous, but thankfully they’ve been phased out in favor of other ceiling styles, and now they’re not only ugly but dated.

Words on walls

The decals made them so easy, and everybody else was doing it, but we’ve all seen the homes where someone went just that edge overboard with the inspirational quotes and words on walls. Instead of plastering your house with word decals, choose decorative items that are meaningful in a similar way but that spark a conversation instead of trumpeting your viewpoint.

Elaborate window treatments

Valances and swags have come in and out of style, but if you want your window treatments to seem timeless, opt for something simple and classic over an elaborate, trendy mess. Simple curtains or even wooden blinds that fit the window correctly and cover the entire window can go a long way toward helping your house look constantly up to date.

Carpet in the bathroom

Here’s the thing: Yes, at one point it was trendy, and we all know it feels nice to step out of the shower or bath and onto something that isn’t a hard tile floor, but that’s what bath mats are for. There is no earthly reason to cover a room intended for human waste disposal with a material that’s impossible to sterilize. Just don’t.

If you’ve always rented before, then you might not have put too much thought into which neighborhood you were planting your (temporary) roots. After all, most leases are up after a year, so you can change your mind in a matter of months. Buying a house, however, is a different story: if you don’t want to pay capital gains taxes, then you’ll have to stay there for at least two years, and depending on which concessions you made when you bought the place, the neighborhood can affect everything from the home’s appreciation to how easy it is to sell.

Before deciding where exactly you want to buy a house, you’ll want to consider the following questions. Once you’ve outlined the criteria you require in a home, start taking to agents about which neighborhoods meet your needs better than others — and remember that many of the best agents focus on very specific neighborhoods, so you might want to talk to several agents to get the widest scope for your home search.

What do you like about where you live?

If you already live in or around the area where you want to buy a house, then you’ve got a big advantage already because you have some idea of what the neighborhoods are alike, and you’ve had some experience living there yourself. One good way to start narrowing down the neighborhoods where you want to shop is to consider what you like about your current neighborhood and other areas where you’ve lived. Make a list of the features and amenities that you most appreciate and that you’d like to experience again as a homeowner.

What do you wish was different?

On a similar note, think about the quirks in the different neighborhoods where you’ve lived that you were happy to leave when your lease was up. Maybe you didn’t realize that the sewage plant was right down the road, or perhaps the weekend bar and restaurant traffic in another neighborhood was simply too much to deal with. The previous list might have felt like a bit of a love letter to your former living situations — consider this your opportunity to level the playing field and remind yourself of the dealbreakers in those neighborhood relationships.

How important are each of these factors to you?

You’ll be adding to this list as you go, but it’s time to start ranking all of the different items, both your favorite neighborhood features and the ones that you would prefer to live without if you have your choice. As you add more items to the list, try to place them in the proper order so that you have a sense of how to rank neighborhoods once you get to that stage of the process.

What’s your budget?

Depending on where you live, this might not be as important as you think (or fear) — there are often opportunities to get your foot in the door with entry-level-priced homes in upscale neighborhoods, but you will need to have a good sense of how much you can comfortably spend and what price range is more of a stretch for you and your budget. To maximize your purchasing power, you’ll want to save up as big a down payment as you can and get your credit into as good as shape as you can. If you haven’t already started getting financially fit for your home purchase, it’s a good time to start.

Do you have kids? Pets? Will you in the next 5 to 10 years?

One big mistake that buyers make is shopping for the neighborhood that fits the lifestyle you currently have, not one that you’ll grow into as you become a homeowner. You never know exactly what life is going to throw at you, so planning (for example) to move into a better school district in a few years when the kids are older might not be a smart idea. What will you do if you lose your job or your household takes some kind of pay cut and you actually can’t trade up into a better school district when you planned? Try to think about where you want to be as a household and family, in your career, and in your social life in the next few years, and that includes the non-human members of your household.

Are you in a committed relationship? Do you date? How will that affect your choice?

A studio apartment in the neighborhood with the most vibrant nightlife in the city might seem like a great entry-level housing choice — but if you think your future plans might involve moving in with a significant other, then it might be better to opt for a place that has enough space for your significant other’s things. On a similar note, if you want to date, then perhaps moving to an area known mostly for its population of families might not be your best move.

What type of home do you want?

If you have a dog or kids — or a penchant for gardening — then you probably would prefer a single-family home or even a duplex over a condo. Consider how you’re going to clean and maintain the space if you’re going to be upgrading the house you live in: Are you willing to do it yourself, or do you have the budget to hire help? Think about the types of homes that fit your lifestyle the best and then consider which neighborhoods have a good supply of those types of homes. When the time comes to start searching, it’ll be less frustrating because you’ll know exactly what will work (and what won’t).

How far are you willing to commute?

Some people find a certain zen in driving while others prefer public transportation, and there are even those who would rather not deal with vehicles at all, walking or biking or working remotely. Your preferred method of getting to work is going to dictate (at least to some extent) which neighborhoods will be a good fit for you and which ones you might love except for the big, hairy commute, a dealbreaker for most people. While you’re thinking about your traveling-to-work needs, it also helps to consider other companies in proximity to the neighborhood that might be good future fits for you so that you don’t feel stuck in place. And of course, if you’re used to working remotely, you’ll need to vet the neighborhood for good home internet and plenty of libraries, coffee shops, coworking spaces, or other areas where you can establish your office away from the office.

Where will you get groceries?

Food deserts in urban areas are a real thing, but there are also places where your main options for grocery shopping might be upscale specialty stores, which could be a problem if you’re used to subsisting on canned soup and spaghetti. When you start narrowing down your list of possible neighborhoods, look at the grocery options and consider where you’ll shop if you were to buy a house there. After all, there’s no sense in establishing wealth as a homeowner if you’re going to start spending all your discretionary income on takeout because getting groceries is too onerous where you live.

How important is walkability?

Not every neighborhood is all that walkable, but walkability also isn’t all that important to everybody. If you didn’t include walkability in your list of things you like (or dislike) about where you currently live, now is the time to think about it: Do you enjoy walking to parks or trails, breweries or wineries or bars or restaurants, coffee shops, and so on? If walkability is a big part of your life, or if you’d like it to be a bigger part, then factor that into your home shopping process.

What kind of crime are you willing to deal with?

Nobody wants to live in an area that’s considered “high crime,” but depending on your personal circumstances, you might be willing or able to tolerate more crime while maintaining your own safety. One thing to keep in mind about crime maps and statistics around different neighborhoods is that they typically map reported crime, and they also usually measure crime as a percentile within the county. So in counties that have very low levels of crime, a neighborhood with one or two incidents might be labeled as “high-crime.” If you’re doing research around crime, keep in mind the overall crime levels of the county or reporting area, and also look at tools that can differentiate between violent crime and other types of crime.

What parks or recreational facilities are nearby? Tourist attractions?

Parks and recreational facilities are nice things to have near your home, but many people have mixed feelings about living near tourist attractions, such as concert venues, national landmarks, sports arenas, cultural facilities, and so on. If you’re thinking about moving to a neighborhood that has a noted attraction, it’s a good idea to talk to some of the locals about the pros and cons, and maybe try renting in the area for a little bit before you commit to buying a house there. And research where the parks and recreational facilities are, down to which streets have the best access, so you can be fully educated about the best sales opportunities in the neighborhood.

Is there an HOA? What are the rules?

When you start narrowing your search down to a handful of neighborhoods, it’s wise to look into the homeowner’s associations (HOAs), if there are any. You’ll need to follow the rules and regulations while you live there or face fines that are sometimes hefty. So if there are any rules that you don’t think you can follow or that raise a red flag for you, it’s a good time to consider eliminating that neighborhood from your options.

Is there a new development planned?

New development is one of those factors that can be wonderful or terrible. If a new high-rise or strip mall is about to block a neighborhood’s or street’s view from a natural feature, then residents tend to think it’s terrible, but if the development includes a hot new restaurant or a public pool, then they might feel differently about it. You can go to the city or county office for neighborhoods where you’re looking and ask to look at the new development permits or talk to some of the locals about the big project breaking ground on the main corner of a neighborhood you’re considering.

What’s the market like?

Even though a home is an investment, this probably isn’t the first consideration on your list — nor should it be. But you do need to consider how a neighborhood’s market is doing in comparison to others; there might be two very comparable neighborhoods in all other respects, but home prices appreciate much faster in one than in another. In that case, you might want to look a little bit harder in the higher-value neighborhood so you have more equity to use when you trade up in a few years.

How does it trigger your five senses?

Humans tend to prioritize sight over our other senses, but it’s always a mistake to discount how a neighborhood sounds, smells, and even feels when you’re shopping around. Take a walk through the areas that are on your shortlist at different times of the day and pay attention to how you feel and why. For example, newer neighborhoods with fewer old-growth trees might feel unbearably hot in the summertime at high noon; maybe the wind blows the odors from the sewer plant toward the neighborhood every evening; perhaps there are trains or airplanes that disturb your sleep.

Are there any red flags?

By this point, you’ve probably accumulated a list of things you like about at least one neighborhood — but don’t discount any red flags or things that you might seriously dislike about the areas under consideration. It’s easy to get rose-colored glasses on when you’re doing something fun like browsing neighborhoods, but you’ll kick yourself later if you don’t take those concerns seriously now. Make a list of things you don’t like about any neighborhoods on your list, and do a little digging into each item to see whether it’s a real dealbreaker or whether you can live with it.

What do the locals think?

The people who actually live in the neighborhood are one of the best sources of information about what it’s really like to live there. Tap into those resources if at all possible: talk to the servers at the diner, the librarians or city, and county clerks, the retail store employees, people you meet walking around at the park or just on the street. If you’re a parent, take your kids to a local playground and strike up conversations with some of the other moms and dads about what they like and dislike about the area. You might not learn anything new, but the locals might give you some real food for thought.

Can you stay for a while?

Now that you’ve thought about all of these different factors of choosing the right neighborhood, spend some time there and see if it really is a good fit for you. A local brokerage can help you find a rental if you can take your time making a decision, which is the perfect way to learn everything about a neighborhood and understand whether you’d enjoy living there. They can also help you find a vacation rental or another short-term option if you can’t rent long-term but still want to check out the neighborhoods in advance.

Choosing the right neighborhood is the most critical decision when it comes to buying a house — apart from which house to buy. When you know which neighborhood is a good fit for you, then you’ll find the home search experience much less challenging and frustrating. One of the best resources for educating yourself about neighborhoods is a local real estate brokerage, which typically has agents who specialize in many different neighborhoods and can provide you with the details you need to pick the right neighborhood for your next home purchase.