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| Evaluate Areas |
Americans may talk a blue streak about their roots, but statistics
show that our society is one of the most mobile in history. Families
outgrow houses, career changes often dictate one move after another,
and moving up to a more luxurious home is a basic part of the American
Dream. In short, the search for optimum housing is one of our national
obsessions.
The average first-time buyer in this country stays in the same home
for less than five years. But no matter how often the move, the criterion
for a new home remains the same: location, location, location. This
old saw of the real estate industry is still true--one sees it reflected
in the much higher prices paid for homes on desirable streets and
located in the more prestigious areas of a town.
If you're looking for a home and already have a particular area in
mind, you have a good starting point and can concentrate on the five
basic criteria for choosing one community over another:
- Tax base
- Quality of public school system
- Services: garbage collection, sewers, police, fire protection,
and so forth
- Accessibility to the workplace
- Available recreation facilities
TAX BASE. The important question is where the tax dollars of
a community come from and what you get for your tax dollar. In many
towns property tax is the chief source of revenue, so the property
tax rate will be higher than it is in a town that has a high proportion
of business and industry that helps offset the cost of service for
its residents. Do some research on your own and check out the tax
situation, including any recent assessments, the needs of the school
system, zoning changes affecting real estate development, the condition
of town buildings and equipment, and any recent cutbacks in ser- vices
and recreation facilities.
SCHOOLS. This factor is of prime importance to any home buyer,
whether married or single, with or without children. The quality and
condition of the public school system will affect your tax rate and
certainly the future desir- ability of your home to any potential
buyer. Find out class sizes, ratio of teachers to pupils, special
programs offered, and the number of courses offered at the high school
level. Check out how the students rate on standardized national tests
and how many go on to college. We strongly recommend that parents
visit the school personally, attend classes, and ask lots of questions.
SERVICES. Most well-established communities provide all or
most of the basic services: garbage pickup, water and sewers, social
and library services, fire and police protection. But some don't and
residents must pay for private garbage collection and other services.
Check to see whether this is the case in your town, and whether the
roads are regularly plowed in winter, what the extent of police protection
is, and if the local fire department is staffed with volunteer or
full-time, paid employees.
ACCESSIBILITY. Few people want more than a one~hour commute
to get to work, although in today's climate of high~priced suburban
housing many are forced to go far beyond it. Good access to the workplace
determines property value, and communities in close proximity to where
the jobs are rank high in desirability and price. Proximity to commuter
railroads, buses, and highways is ~ obvious necessity.
RECREATION. This factor influences small children or teenagers
are especially sensitive to the availability of local recreation facilities--ball
fields, parks, playgrounds, pools, indoor municipal facilities.
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Equal Housing Opportunity 
