If you’ve recently made the decision to buy a home, you may have already started looking at properties. However, before you choose your home loan in KC, it’s important to decide the best place for you to live.
This choice is mostly based on your lifestyle and where you see yourself in the future. When choosing a location for your home, take into consideration:
- Commute time
- Quality of life
- Resale value
Commute Time
“Location, location, location.” Finding a home in a centralized location in relation to your place of work and other services is a huge factor when deciding on a place to live. Take test drives from your potential neighborhood to places that you will be frequenting, like:
- Your workplace (and your spouse’s)
- Grocery and other shopping
- Gym
If you find that the commute to your preferred locations is too long, you may want to consider living in a metropolitan area. If you would prefer not to drive, check how “walkable” your neighborhood is and what kind of public transportation is available.
Quality of Life
Do you want to live in a suburban area or is the city life more your cup of tea? Living in a suburb or city generally means you will be closer to restaurants and nightlife within walking distance. Settling down in an urban area will put you closer to:
- Recreation complexes
- Parks and other outdoor activities
- Shopping and other services
You can also check local newspapers and websites to find out what’s happening as far as upcoming development or other issues in prospective neighborhoods.
Resale Value
If you plan on moving in a few years, you will want to think about resale. Buying a house in a bad school district or on a busy street can be a disaster when you are ready to sell your home. If this is the case, families with children may be eliminated from your list of potential buyers.
Even if you don’t plan on having children while you are in the home, purchasing a home in a good school district is an important way to make sure your home maintains its value. Maintaining the value of your home is vital. It can help prevent you from owing more on your home loan in KC than what the home is worth, or going underwater.
