8 Ways To Test-Drive

a Neighbourhood

While Sheltering in Place

When you’re in the market for a new place to live, finding the right neighborhood is everything. But with shelter-in-place orders in full effect and we are encouraged to “Stay the Blazes Home” exploring a new neighborhood can be a little more challenging. Thankfully, with some online detective work and the right tools, you can learn a lot about a neighborhood without leaving your home.

Check out these tips on how to explore other neighborhoods virtually in the homebuying process. You may find a spot that better suits your needs without ever leaving your living room!

1. Check out neighborhood publications and local social media

An active neighborhood community will sometimes have a print publication or local social media groups that connect residents. These can provide information on local events and activities that will give you a better feel for the neighborhood.

Browse Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for groups or accounts that document what's going on in the neighborhood where you're interested in moving. You can even interact with locals in the community who can give you their opinions of their locale.

2. Take a walk with Google

Want to take a stroll around your potential new neighborhood without leaving the couch? Google Street View is a great way to ‘walk’ the street and neighborhood virtually.

Every listing on realtor.ca features a link to the Google Street View for that address.

Another way to access Google Street View is to go to google.com/maps, type in the address of the house you're interested in, and click on the photo of the property in the menu to the left of the map. If Google Street View is available for that address, you should be able to click and drag the image to move down the street.

Search engines like Google also let you filter for videos when you search the neighborhood name. To narrow your search try adding ‘review’ to your search terms, and also ‘neighborhood association’ for better results.”

3. Browse websites with neighborhood data

You want to gather as much information as possible on your next neighborhood, and there are a lot of websites that can help you do that.

Realtor.ca provides:

Neighbourhood Reports that include info on whether or not the property is: car friendly, quiet, has parkes, is pedestrian friendly, has restaurants, shopping, school info, transit, cafes, etc.                

Statistics such as Demographics, Population by age group, population growth/projection, education marital status, languages, household income, children at home, ownership, construction date, occupations

Most Realtor websites include information on Walk Scores.

Check out the Assist 2 Sell blog on Neighbourhoods in HRM as well as Communities in HRM as well as our blog HRM Interactive Maps

Halifax.ca city profiles about everything from cost of living to weather to average home prices, and its forums give useful insight from community locals.

Yelp provides not only reviews on local cafes, restaurants, and nightlife, but also unfiltered reviews from local residents.

4. Search other real estate listings

To learn about the typical architectural styles and ages of homes in a neighborhood, browse online listings on sites like Realtor.ca. Is the neighborhood full of split entry homes or hundred-year-old Victorians? Looking at the homes for sale will clue you in.

5. Call a real estate agent

It’s also a good idea to get in touch with a real estate agent.

If you've identified a home you're interested in, contact the listing agent for more information about the neighborhood. A professional Real Estate Agent will be sure to have an insider's perspective on the area and extensive knowledge on homes there.

6. Investigate schools and educational data

Relocating with your family? Then you will want to research schools in the area. A good resource is the Halifax Centre for Education, which provides data on K-12 schools in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

7. Check crime rates

Safety is a priority for both buyers and renters, and crime rates can give you a picture of how safe or dangerous a neighborhood is. Low crime rates are not only safer but can also help keep property values high.

Websites such as Halifax Crime Mapping can provide crime data from law enforcement agencies.

8. Plan your daily commute

You can try to get a feel for the neighborhood by monitoring traffic and your potential work commute. You can ‘test-drive’ the commute using commuting tools that predict traffic like Google Maps. These tools will predict the level of traffic during your commute hours and give you an idea of how long it'll take to get to work.