How to Scope Out the Neighborhood Before You Move In

By Elana Goodwin on February 27, 2017

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When it comes to choosing an apartment or house off-campus to live in, you want to be sure you’re going to move into a good neighborhood. Don’t let the price of a rental be the only deciding factor — check out the neighborhoods you’re considering renting in before you sign on the dotted line and make sure you’re picking a safe and pleasant neighborhood to live in.

Here are some tips on how to scope out the neighborhood before you move in.

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1. Talk To Your Future Neighbors. The easiest way to scope out any neighborhood and get the inside scoop is to talk to your future neighbors. Knock on doors, try to catch people on their way out, or stop others walking on the street to ask about how they like living there, what issues they’ve run into, if they’ve had any experiences with crime or feeling unsafe in the neighborhood, and for any other impressions or things they’d have liked to know before they moved there.

Who better to know the vibe of the neighborhood and what living there is really like than those who live there now? Plus, by talking to the people in the neighborhood, if you do end up choosing to live there, you’ll already have made some headway in getting to know your neighbors.

2. Look Up the Crime Rate. Of course, knowing the crime rate in the area doesn’t mean you’ll be able to do anything about it and the price of the rental you’re considering may be too good to pass up, but you’ll still want to find out how much crime occurs close to the apartment or house you’re checking out as it may be a deal-breaker for renters.

As a resident of that neighborhood, you’d want to feel safe and comfortable walking around, even at night, and if you don’t feel secure in the place you’d be living, you should keep looking for somewhere else to live. That being said, if the landlord of the house or apartment you’re looking at has made efforts to offset crime in the area and make their rentals secure by ensuring their properties all have good, reliable locks on the windows and doors, and that the mailboxes can’t be tampered with, you should scope out the neighborhood further and not write it off right away.

If you’re looking at a unit in an apartment complex, you’ll want to check to see if there’s an outer door to the building in addition to each unit’s doors that has a lock too and possibly even a buzzer so only known and invited guests can easily enter the building. Also, find out if there’s some sort of outdoor lighting or a security system in the complex so you’ll feel even safer if you were to move into that building.

Even if there’s crime in the area, if the property manager has taken steps to show they’re committed to the safety of their residents and take their home security seriously, the apartment or house may still be worth considering.

3. Take A Walk. Another great way to scope out the neighborhood is to simply walk around. Drop by and walk the streets and explore the neighborhood at different times of day to see what it’s like, how busy it is, whether the street lights are working, etc. If you do end up moving there, you’ll already know where things are, what the surrounding streets are named, and whether you feel safe walking alone, no matter the time of day.

4. Do Some Research. If the price for an apartment or house seems too good to be true, it very well might be. Perhaps that neighborhood is known for having residents’ cars broken into, or maybe it’s extremely close to a bar, which means it’s bound to be loud at early hours of the morning. Before or in addition to looking at the apartments or houses in-person and talking to neighbors, do some research online to learn more about the neighborhood you might move into.

You can use GoogleMaps to look at surrounding residences on the street and see if they’re kept up well and also check property records to find out if the street’s majority population are renters or homeowners. If it’s renters, the neighborhood may feel more transitional and the homes may not be as kept up as if there were more homeowners in the area, which may be something to think about.

Additionally, you’ll want to find out if there are any communal spaces you may be sharing if you’re looking into moving to an apartment complex, as that may be a plus. Lastly, scope out what local businesses are nearby, if there are any parks in the neighborhood, and how accessible is public transportation and parking. These are all factors to consider when scoping out a neighborhood before you decide to move in.

It’s always a good idea to find out as much as you can about a place before you move there — so use these tips to scope out the neighborhood you’re thinking of living in before you move in.

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