In a world where reviews seem to rule everyone’s life, how are you supposed to buy a house? There is no system rating of how previous tenants found their years of stay in the property on a scale of one to five stars. The best you can get is an idea of the lifestyle people enjoyed in the neighborhood, but that has more to do with the developments going on surrounding your chosen community.
Perhaps those developments are a better gauge of the experience you will have when you buy house and land packages in the area. Let’s see how they can fit a five-star rating system to help you make up your mind:
How to Spot a Five-Star Neighborhood
Five Stars: Variety and Versatility
Let’s assume all properties get a five-star rating if the community has everything you will need to live the kind of life you want. That community you are eyeing will be a good fit if it offers options to buy land only or house and land. Of course, this is depending on what you need and what you can afford.
As with anything else you purchase, the most expensive is not necessarily the best option. What you want is the best fit. If you want to purchase land and build from scratch, you should be able to do so. On the other hand, if you want a house that will be ready for you to move in, you should have plenty to choose from as well.
Four Stars: Road Systems and Ease of Transportation
Master-planned communities have the idea to bring everything you can ever want as close as possible. This means a school within reach, and perhaps a shopping center too. Moving into a new location need not be a crutch. And if it is, they lose one star on the five-star rating system.
Three Stars: No Easy Access to Integral Parts of the Community
Schooling is an important part of your children’s life. So is interaction with their peers, which they can do in parks and other places for socialization. For emergencies, you should have no problems getting to the hospital. Restocking the pantry will not be a hassle if you have a clear path to the supermarket. Even getting the mail or having things delivered should not present a problem.
If any of these become a pain point when you move into your chosen neighborhood, their possible five-star rating drops to a three-star rating.
Two Stars: Questionable Household Structure
It is important for a family to be in a community that is family friendly. You would not want the promise of a quiet neighborhood but the reality of being surrounded by college students and party lovers. They make for rowdy neighbors. This becomes a problem on school nights. Especially when children should be getting to bed early to prepare them for the next day.
There is also the concern of safety when you are situated beside a household with no legal and steady source of income. This may prompt them to burglarise nearby houses. This could definitely take the neighborhood from a five-star rating to two stars!
You are used to checking reviews and ratings before dining out or choosing a hotel. This same system is not in place when you are house hunting, obviously. But this makeshift system can give you an idea of which properties will give you a five-star lifestyle.
