When you're searching for a new place to live, consider a number of factors that go into choosing where your next home should be. If you plan carefully before relocating, you'll find the move to be much less stressful.

Narrow Down a Target Area

Consider what will be most important to you when deciding on a different living area. You probably already know what you don't want in a new location, such as living too close to a noisy airport.

Create a list of items that your new town or neighborhood needs to have in order for you to be most comfortable and happy living there. Write these necessities out before you begin looking for a new home. This will help you restrict your search to a target area you know checks off most or all of your boxes.

Your Priorities

Assessing your main criteria in deciding where your new home search should begin will save you a lot of time and let you zero in on the area and kinds of homes you really want. Decide what's most important about both your location and the type of home you envision moving into, whether you purchase or rent a private house, townhouse, condo, or apartment.

Consider what you want in a neighborhood or city, including:

• Proximity to what's important to you. You may need or have a strong desire to live close to other family members, public transportation lines, hospitals, doctors, restaurants, shops, parks, lakes, gyms, cultural attractions, playgrounds, or entertainment venues.
• Area facts. Check out the safety of your target area by looking at crime statistics online, reading the local newspaper, and speaking with people who live there. If you have school-aged children, consider how good the area school districts are to narrow down the neighborhood you'd like to live in.
• Identify the qualities you want and need your new living space to have. Perhaps you need a certain number of bathrooms and bedrooms, a fenced-in outdoor space, a home with accessibility modifications, plenty of natural light, or a finished basement. Do you envision living in a private house, a townhome community, or a large apartment building?
• Your budget will help determine how much you can afford to put toward a home purchase or spend on monthly rent bills. Create a spreadsheet of your monthly and yearly expenses to help you calculate whether you should rent or buy a home and how much you can afford if you apply for a home mortgage.

Look at Prices Beforehand

Whether you're choosing to move in or near Los Gatos, California, or an area within driving distance, working with the right real estate agent will help you choose the location that's best for you. Your real estate professional can also assist you in deciding whether you should rent or purchase a home at this time. You can research prices for either purchasing or renting a home in your target neighborhoods before you take the plunge.

Make Your Move

When you've assessed your priorities carefully, determined how much you can spend on housing, and narrowed down where you can live most comfortably, it's time to look at homes and move ahead to a happy future.

If you've moved on and are looking to sell the family home as part of a divorce settlement, contact Shannon Rose today.

Guest Author

Charlotte Meier | homesafetyhub.org