How important is location in the homebuying process?

There’s a saying in the real estate profession: location, location, location. As a new home buyer, you’ll want to integrate those words into your search process because location will play an integral role in your selection. Going beyond the home itself, factors like area schools, neighborhoods, quality of life, surrounding businesses and developments, and roadways will also play an important part in your ultimate decision. Don’t make the mistake of falling in love with a home that’s built twenty feet away from a proposed power line, or a beautifully kept home in a neighborhood where the rest of the properties are run-down. Do your research, check out the specifics on location before making any buying decisions, and you won’t be sorry.
Where your new home is located is probably more important than the home itself, since structures can be changed but the location—and its surroundings— cannot. Start from the top down during your selection process, looking first at the city or town, then at the communities, the neighbor hoods and subdivisions, and ultimately the specific locations of the homes within those neighborhoods or subdivisions. Where your home is located can be just as important as its appearance and size. If you ignore location issues like proximity to a particular school district, a job, or a bus line, even the nicest home will lose its luster when you become dissatisfied with the surrounding neighborhood.
Once you’ve determined which city, town, or suburb you’d like to live in, you’ll want to identify one or more neighborhoods that suit your tastes. Look at factors like crime rates, school quality, commuting time to and from work, and amenities offered by the neighborhood. Do you have a family with young children? Then you’ll also want to make sure there are other children in the neighborhood. Just as you created your home ‘‘hot button’’ list, you can list all of the criteria that are important to you and focus only on neighborhoods that meet those criteria.