Three Little Known Questions You Must Ask Before Choosing a New Home.

Choosing a new home for you and your family is a big decision. While this is certainly an exciting time in your life, it’s important that you take a deep breath, step back and ask a few important questions before considering a purchase. Below are three important questions that even experienced homeowners forget to ask themselves. Make sure you consider them before choosing a new home.

How will my commute be? It doesn’t matter if you are moving across town or across the country, you must think about how your new home’s location will impact your time away from home. Location is everything so making sure you’re not too far from work and family is paramount. For example, it may not seem like a big deal that your commute will now be 20 minutes longer each day, but think about how that may affect you over the course of a year, or two — or twenty-five. Thirty minutes extra each day is two and a half hours of home time lost each week. Weigh out the pros and cons and choose an appropriate distance.

Is our new neighborhood the right fit? The neighborhood you choose, and the people that live there, will impact your happiness. Think about it: if you are a young family who likes to have large social gatherings and you move into a neighborhood of retirees who like peace and quiet, you could be setting yourself up for problems with neighbors who don’t like the sounds of loud social gatherings upsetting their quiet little corner of the world. The same can be said for the opposite. If you are a senior who like peace a quiet, moving into a neighborhood with many young active families may not be the best decision you can make.

How is the turnover rate? If you selected a neighborhood has a high turnover rate, there’s a good chance that something is wrong with the area. Take a look into how long the average tenure of a home is in your area. If many of the houses on your street had new homeowners ever 5-6 years, that warrants some investigation. It could be just coincidence, but it could also be something more troubling. Do your research.

Purchasing a home is a big decision, and taking the time to find answers to important questions will go a long way to making your final purchasing decision a rewarding one.