Location, location, location. When it comes to home location is a hugely important part of buying one. In fact, location is so important it can drive up the price of a home by thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. How do you know when you have found just the right neighborhood? One that fits your lifestyle and needs. While there is no way to be sure if you love a neighborhood until you have lived there for a while, you can get a much better feel for it and its potential livability by testing it out before you put an offer in on a home.

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Here is How You Can Test Drive a Neighborhood

Live Like a Local

The first step in trying out a neighborhood is to spend some time in it. The best way to get a good feel is to book an Airbnb in the neighborhood you hope to live in. If you have a particular home in mind as close the house as possible is the best strategy.

Spend time exploring the neighborhood in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night. Pay attention to all of the details around you like: the traffic, noise levels, are there people walking on the sidewalks, kids out playing, etc. Walk around at different times of the day as well as drive to get the best feel.

Related: Best place to live in Louisville

Go Through Your Daily Routine

Head out early before work and drive from the neighborhood to and from work for a day. Also take a trip from the neighborhood or street to the grocery store, to run errands, go shopping, run kids to practice, and any other activities you do on a daily basis to see if these drives are something you can do.

Also, test out getting from the neighborhood to any hotspots and fun activities you like to do. You don’t want to live in a neighborhood where you feel like once you are there you don’t want to drive anywhere to get out and have fun.

Check Out the Neighborhood Popular Activities

Is there a café down the corner? Take a morning on your overnight stay to pop in and check it out. Ask your realtor if there are any popular restaurants nearby and take the time to go have a meal. If you are interested in nightlife check out venues nearby a couple of different times with your friends to see if it is a place you all enjoy hanging out. Get a feel for social life in the area to see if you can see yourself getting comfortable there.

More: Louisville Relocation Guide

Stalk it on the Internet

There are many different websites on the internet that give you statistics about neighborhoods in any place across America. Take some time to google the neighborhood. Look at the statistics for crime, schools, walkability, good food, etc. Take some time to read local chat threads and get honest reviews from people that live in and around the neighborhood. Just make sure to read lots of opinions so you can get a general popular consensus not just one group or type of person’s opinions.

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The more you know about a neighborhood before you purchase a home the better. It is never fun to discover you really don’t like where you live after you buy a home. No neighborhood is going to be perfect, but it can be very beneficial to research it before you move in.

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