Choosing the right neighbourhood or location is as important as the home you live in. Your community or neighbourhood impacts significantly on your lifestyle by virtue of its proximity to work, school, transportation, shopping and recreation, along with family and friends.
Living in a urban setting that’s dominated by students and young professionals, within walking distance of the transportation services, community centre, great restaurants, shops and entertainment offers the opportunity for a different lifestyle than a quiet suburban setting where you might have more need for a car to get around, and find a high concentration of families and retirees.
Before you begin to search for a home, it’s a good idea to establish what kind of neighbourhood you would best enjoy living in and what kind of lifestyle best suits your needs.
Start with a good map of the general area – either printed or virtual– and make a list of potential neighbourhoods in which you could consider searching.
You may want to be near the nightlife. You may want to be near schooling. You may want to choose an area based on specific places of worship or cultural offerings.
If you are moving to begin a new job, it’s important that you have someone on the ground working for you to collect data and market information. Recruiting the right Realtor® from the start of your moving process is a great move.
If you have friends, relatives or co-workers who live in a particular area, it’s a great idea to ask them what they like about the area they are living in; this will help you decide if it’s right for you.
There’s lots of things to consider when deciding to move, especially to a new location. So, we have compiled a TOP 10 LIST of things you need to consider and important factors when considering a new neighbourhood:
- Safety. How safe is the neighbourhood?
- Access to public transportation and major highways.
- Distance to work or school and travel time either by car or public transportation
- If you have children, where would they attend school? Take some time to carefully research the schools in the neighbourhood. What parks and play areas are nearby
- If you require day care, what facilities are available?
- How is the traffic in the area?
- How is the grocery shopping and other necessary services such as banks, post office, dry cleaners, pharmacy, cinema and restaurants?
- What kind of recreation facilities are available in the neighbourhood? Where is the nearest branch of the public library and community centre, if these are important to you?
- If you are a walker, have a dog, or just like to enjoy open space is the neighbourhood accessible to scenic walking trails, off-leash areas or green space?
- If you have health issues and need to be close to a medical clinic/walk-in clinic or hospital, is the facility close by?
If you are looking to relocate to another province due to work or school, the Internet offers many sites that provide listings of homes for sale. Regardless of where you are moving to, speak to your local PEI Realtor, they will have connections with Realtors across Canada and will be able to refer you someone suitable to help you find your new home.
She/Her and why this is important
Melanie Press, Broker | Realtor®
902 394 7071 | melanie@impresspei.com | realtorinpei.com
Photo Source: Canva
This article is not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently in contract with other members of the PEIREA. Using this article in full or part without permission is a violation of copyright laws. Copyright © 2019 Melanie Press Real Estate at Impress Island Realty
Impress Island Realty is a Licensed Real Estate Brokerage and Broker Member of the PEI Real Estate Association (PEIREA)