If you're looking to find the perfect neighborhood to go with your next home, there are a few excellent online tools you can use to see if the local schools, cities in the area, and specific neighborhood characteristics are up to your standards.
HomeFair doesn't offer much in terms of maps and visuals, but it does give you a lot in terms of data about the areas you might be interested in.
Some of the available tools include:
It's a solid option for a quick rundown of the area you are considering.
Niche.com is an all-in-one neighborhood research tool that helps you pick where exactly in a city you want to live. You can compare schools, safety, cost of living, night life, and more, all graded on an A to F scale.
You can also get detailed information on places that will show you the population, the median home value, how many people rent versus own their homes, and there's even an "area feel" option. This gives you a two word rundown of what the area is like, using phrases like "sparse suburban" based on factors like population density, type of housing, and what amenities are in the area.
Trulia is the king of maps. While this is technically a site for purchasing homes, you can also use it just for evaluating areas.
For example, it has many maps with layers that can show you what the statistics are for crime, schools, commuting times, the risk of floods, the risk of fires, and other related information.
The Neighborhood Scout site has all the extensive detail that investors require, making it an excellent resource for anyone interested in homes and neighborhoods, including first-time buyers.
You can get a report on any neighborhood you want including seeing how many alerts there have been about schools, crimes, and other data. After this free report, it does cost extra to see more, but you get extensive data.
While the layout may be less than eye-catching, this neighborhood search tool is full of useful information you can use to evaluate neighborhoods. This one also uses maps. For example, you can look at maps to see previous election results to get a sense of the politics of the region, you can see how many government workers there are in an area, how much air pollution it has, and other data as well. The tool is full of charts on crime, weather, and much else besides.
If you’ve found the right place and are ready to move forward, contact us today and speak with a mortgage consultant from our team.
We are a direct lender and a broker who will work one on one with you to exceed your expectations. If we don’t have a product that makes the most sense for you, we’ll find the lender that does. We’ll make sure you have the best loan at the best price. Choose Lend Smart- it’s the smarter way of doing business.
