Building a custom home can be such an exciting part of life, but there are so many things to think about. One of the big things is, where do you want your house to be? From the age range of the neighborhood to school districts, there’s no shortage of factors to consider. In this blog, we help you think about all of these important factors before you break ground on your new home.
After you’ve found the perfect neighborhood, give EnRich a call! EnRich Construction offers custom home building, residential construction, and remodeling services in Columbia, Mo, so whether you’re starting from scratch or decide to tackle a ‘fixer-upper’, we can help you out. Have questions? Give us a call, we’d love to talk to you about the services we offer.
HOW TO CHOOSE A NEIGHBORHOOD FOR YOUR HOME SEARCH
School districts
Real estate agents will recommend researching education statistics to start your neighborhood search. It’s found that test scores are a good indicator of things like parental involvement in schools. Schools with higher test scores are known to have more parent and community involvement.
But test scores aren’t everything. Think about what your child wants as well. Just because a school has slightly lower test scores than the next doesn’t mean it won’t be a great fit for your kids.
Home Value
The location of your home itself can impact the value significantly. If it’s on a busy street, in a shabby area, or too close to community gathering places, this could detract from the value of your home.
The commute to and from bigger cities is important as well. If your home is near a highway onramp, it could increase your home value. But, if it’s close enough to hear the cars at night, it can decrease the value.
Property taxes
Property tax is a tax on your real estate, including the land and the value of your home. The funds collected from property taxes are used for libraries, public schools, road construction, and a handful of other things. It’s just a fact of homeownership in the United States. Essentially, the higher the value of your home, the higher your property tax. It’s something to keep in the back of your mind while you hunt for the right neighborhood since that can increase or decrease your home’s value, which affects the taxes you pay.
Proximity to other places
You will want to look around the neighborhood to see what’s around. You don’t want to break ground on a brand new home, and then find out the nearest grocery store is 20 minutes away and your office will be quite the commute in the mornings.
Also, being a close distance to retail centers is important to increase the value of your home. If your home is no less than a mile away from the closest retail center, it can significantly increase your home’s value.
The age range of neighbors
If you are looking for a nice, calm, and quiet neighborhood for your family, be sure to look at the age range of the residents in the neighborhood. Ideally, you’d have neighbors that are in a similar life stage as you and your family. Younger neighbors can lead to louder neighborhoods, and that is not ideal if you have a family or have an early bedtime.