Tuesday 1 October 2013

Security Checks for a New Neighbourhood

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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