Narrow your home search by identifying neighbourhoods that are right for you. This helps keep your search focused and efficient. Your local REALTOR® can offer neighbourhood information to guide you in your search.

When evaluating a neighbourhood you should investigate local conditions. Depending on your own particular needs and tastes, some of the following factors may be more important considerations than others:

 

	Types of schools
	Types of properties and their market values
	Traffic
	Future construction
	Proximity: where is the house in comparison to schools, employment, hospitals, shops, public transportation, high ways, airports, parks, stadiums, and cultural

 

 

FIRST-TIME HOME BUYER STRATEGIES:

 

If you’re a first time-buyer, your search should focus on homes that meet your primary needs in the best neighbourhood that fits within your price range. You can maximize your home purchase location by incorporating some of the following strategies into your neighbourhood search:

 

	Upcoming neighbourhoods: Look for communities that are likely to become "hot neighbourhoods" in the coming years. They can often be discovered on the periphery of the most continuously desirable areas. Check for planned future development such as additional transit; new community services such as pools and theatres; and chain stores planning to move in. Look for a home in a good neighbourhood that is a bit farther out of the city. If commuting is a concern, purchase a home that is close to public transportation.
	Neighbourhood demand: Look at the neighbourhood demand by asking your real estate agent whether multiple offers are being made, whether the gap between the list price and sale price is decreasing and whether there is active community involvement. You can also drive around neighbourhoods and see how many "sale pending" and "sold" signs there are in a particular area.
	Co-ownership: Look into purchasing a condominium or co-op, rather than a house, in a desirable neighbourhood. This way you still may be able to purchase in a prime area that you otherwise could not afford.