Tips for House Hunting when Relocating to a New Area

The best part of moving to Halifax is the newness of the whole thing. Getting to know the amenities, finding new parks, new people and a new lifestyle is exciting stuff.

The most challenging aspect of relocating to a new city is finding a place to live, especially if your new city is a significant distance from where you now live. It is a challenge that is, thankfully, not insurmountable.

Secure the Services of a Real Estate Agent

Your number one source of neighborhood information should be your real estate agent. Have you chosen one yet? Let’s take a look at some quick tips for finding an agent in a new area.

Check real estate agents’ websites

Be aware that when you do an online search for “real estate agents in” whatever city you’ll be moving to, the first page of results may be filled with the big real estate aggregator sites, which are useless for your purposes.

Scroll down until the actual agents’ sites start appearing in the search results. You may have to view several pages of search engine results to find a handful of agents to consider.

Take a deep dive into the websites, looking for someone who offers lots of local and neighbourhood information. Since you’re new in city, this information is vital in helping you find your ideal neighborhood.

Call the agents

Calling the agent for the first time is an important step in the process as it presents the first “test” of whether or not to work with the agent. You’ll find that most of the time you’ll get an agent’s voicemail.

Very few of them answer their phones and if you find one that does, give him or her extra points. Leave a concise voicemail telling the agent that you will be relocating to his or her area and need help finding a house. Don’t forget to leave your phone number and the best time to reach you.

Deduct points for any agent that takes over three hours to return your call and disregard any agent that doesn’t get back to you within 24 hours of your initial call.

Get to Know the Area

The problem with being an “outsider” is that it’s difficult to know which neighbourhoods suit your lifestyle.

Sure, you can go online, do a Google Earth search and check out the surrounding areas, but that really tells you little about what it’s like to actually live in the different areas of any city or city. That type of information is best obtained by asking folks who actually live in the area.

Visits to the area before moving present the best opportunity to get a feel for what it will be like to live there. Even if you can’t visit, however, you should use the Internet and your real estate agent to research the following items, if they are important to you:

• Cost of living
• Home prices
• Schools
• Transportation
• Crime rates

Don’t forget to determine commute times from the neighbourhoods you’re interested in and the cost of parking if you’ll work in a downtown building. These outlays can add significantly to the cost of living in a new area.

While most people will tell you that finding a house when relocating to a new area is stressful, don’t believe it. With the right real estate agent to guide you, it should be adventurous and exciting.

Get in touch with me if I can help you with choosing the right neighbourhood and home for you. I’d be happy to help!

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