Places you have lived
in for some time can feel secure to you because you are familiar with the area
and know the faces that live in your vicinity. However, when searching for a
new house to buy make sure you perform a security check of both the property and
the neighbourhood before investing, as a safe environment is one of the most
important elements for a new home.
In every city and town,
there are particular areas where burglary and theft is more common. It’s worth
checking out the statistics for crimes, as this will also affect your insurance
premium, which could be high if the area is a high risk.
Before you make the major decision to
buy a new home, make sure you take a good look at the local neighbourhood. Go
for a drive or take a walk around the area after you have inspected the
property and see if you have a good feeling about the place. It is a good idea
to visit the area at different times of the week; the atmosphere will be very
different on a Monday morning than a Saturday night for example, and go at night times too.
If you don't feel comfortable or safe
then avoid it, even if it is relatively safe. You don’t want to live in a place
that makes you feel nervous or edgy as moving house is a stressful enough, and
expensive, venture and you don’t want to have to move again in the near future
if you aren’t happy there.
Looking at your potential neighbours’
homes and yards will give you a good indication of what the people in the area
are like. Avoid poorly maintained areas or places where there may be many
graffiti and vandalism as this demonstrates that the community isn’t concerned
with taking care of their surroundings or homes and this will affect the value
of property in the area.
Check the property for good security
features such as fences, spotlights and even alarm systems.
Don’t let this
deter you too much; however as extra security can always be added once the
purchase has gone through.
Also check the local facilities and
amenities to get a sense of community. A community should have a local shopping
parade with convenience shops, grocers and bakers, a pub, and a post office for
example. These are the kinds of places where the locals can meet and get to
know who their neighbours are, and then they’re more likely to look out for one
another and be friendly to the familiar faces they see around.
Change the locks, as you will never
know for sure who might still have copies of the house keys. Arrange for a
Master Locksmith to come and fit new locks to all the exterior doors just to be
on the safe side.
You should take your
time when considering a new area to move into, if you have to be out of the old
premises before you are ready then put your belongings into a self storagefacility and stay somewhere temporary whilst you look around.
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