If you are considering moving to a new neighborhood, whether it's across the street or across the country, we recommend doing three things:

1. Use the Internet! You can find almost anything on the Internet....population demographics, crime rates, home sale trends, data on schools, satellite pictures of the area, the list is endless. The Internet is a great place to begin your research. For some tips and tricks on using the Internet to research a home or neighborhood, please visit our Real Estate & The Internet page.

2. Ask an agent. A good real estate agent knows the area. We drive around neighborhoods, we read the news, we talk to people. A good agent can tell you a lot about a neighborhood. You should know however, that real estate law prohibits us from discussing certain things. We can't tell you if a neighborhood is "good" or "bad". YOU have to decide that. We can't discuss racial, religious or economic status of a neighborhood. But we can point you to places to find answers and can provide you a lot of great info on potential neighborhoods. We just have to stick to facts, not opinions.

3. Drive around! We strongly encourage our clients to simply drive the neighborhoods they are interested in. (Obviously this may be impossible if you are relocating from a significant distance.) Try to drive the area at different times of day, during the week, and on weekends. Doing this can give you an excellent understanding of what an area is like. Sometimes nothing beats seeing the neighborhood in action...

If you do all three of these things, you find yourself a neighborhood expert in no time!