When it is time to relocate, your client is not just moving into a new home, they are moving to an entirely new neighborhood with different sights, sounds, adventures and offerings.

Neighbors and neighborhoods can make or break a living experience, and yet are so easily overlooked when a client’s only focus is finding the perfect house.

Before your client moves, it’s important that you encourage them to do their research and look into the neighborhood, meet the neighbors and get a sense for what it would be like if they chose to settle in a specific area.

To get started, here is a brief list of things to consider when helping a client make their final decision.

Meet the neighbors.

• Encourage your client to walk around the neighborhood in the evening, see who is out and about and introduce themselves. You can do this as well! Asking a few locals about the neighborhood is surely the easiest way to glean an impression and get the insight your clients need.

Pay attention to what the location offers.

• Although it is all about individual preference when selecting an area, it is beneficial to ask some general questions to really define priorities. Do your clients want to be close to public places or would they rather be away from potential noise and crowds? Does walking distance to neighborhood recreational areas, restaurants or grocery stores sound nice, or is a drive acceptable to get to those locations? Helping your clients consider these questions is how you ensure their future home-owner happiness.

What is the view and landscape like?

• From newer neighborhoods to more established ones, the scenery can offer big differences in the visual arena. Your clients may be excited about a newer neighborhood location to watch the surroundings evolve, grow and develop or they may be interested in an area that has been in existence longer, with lots of full-grown trees and well rooted landscaping. Either way, the view of their surroundings can mean a lot or very little to a client, but it is another element that should not be overlooked.

Consult with the city.

• A client may believe they’ve found the perfect sanctuary of solitude—no neighbors as far as the eye can see and perfect tree cover to protect their privacy. However, so much of that can change with city plans or local building permits being issued. When that is set in motion, land begins to be cleared and altered for new projects or breaking ground happens to make way for new homes. Help your clients ask the right questions to discover what the city plans are for the area, so they know what is in store around their potential future property.

Look into local crime.

• Encourage your client to look into crime and offender statistics and consider these as they prepare to make a final decision. A house may seem perfect and financially feasible, but the location could be less than ideal when it comes to crime. It can be an awkward topic, but a good one to bring up so your client can be well-informed.

While these are just a few ideas to get started, we know that working with clients has opened your eyes to all sorts of preferences and priorities. We’d love to hear from you on what insights and questions you present to help your client select the ideal neighborhood for them!