Spotting A Great Broker

Posted on: 29 May 2016

If you are a new parent or if you are about to be a new parent, and you are looking at homes for sale, you have to look at each home you tour with a different set of eyes. Instead of looking at a property as a single person or married couple with no kids, you have to take your child or children into consideration.  That means you need to look for certain things in the house, yard, neighborhood and school closest to your possible new home. Here are just four things you want to pay attention to/ look for as you search for a home for sale for your new little family.

Stairs

Stairs are a major hazard for babies and toddlers. While that does not mean you should not consider a house with stairs, it does mean you have to look at house styles, such as a split level with lots of stairs, in a very different way. For every access point to stairs, you will need a baby gate to protect your little one(s), including basement stairs and secondary stairs to the upper level and attic of the house. If you are willing to do that much babyproofing, then you can look at houses that have more than one floor.

Noise Levels

A good rule of thumb for knowing how much noise you will encounter while living in a particular house is to ask the real estate agent if you can see the house on the weekend or after five in the evening. These are the times when noisy neighbors are most likely to be at their noisiest, since they will be off from work. With a new baby, you will want things to be as quiet as possible, and noisy people or a noisy location is not good. (The house could also be close to train tracks or an airport, which would not be very helpful to new parents either.)

The School District

When you buy a home, you intend to live in it for at least a few years, if not for a decade or two. Most new parents want their children to go to a nearby school for convenience and safety reasons. Some real estate companies actually have a ratings system with regards to schools and the districts in which they operate. Even though your firstborn may not be attending school for another five or six years, you still want to know that the school down the block is a good place for him/her to go and that it is easy and safe to get to. Ask your agent if his/her realty has such a ratings system for local schools.

The Neighborhood in General

Do you see a lot of shifty characters milling around while you tour the home? Is the neighborhood really run down? Are there security bars on the windows? All of these are sure signs that you may not want to buy this house, especially with a new baby in tow. Your real estate agent typically can provide you with a report on the safety issues in a neighborhood, as well as property values. You may want to request those reports before you ask to see the houses in which you are interested.