Location Considerations for Your Move

If you are thinking about moving in the near future, you will want to carefully consider your new location and choose it wisely. Depending on your job, family, interests and activities, there are certain places that you will want to easily access from your new home. It may help to make a checklist for yourself, noting all your necessary places and some of your desired ones. Then use your list as you pursue your house hunt. If you are at a loss about where to begin, read on for some ideas.

Your Job

One of your first considerations as you select your new location is how close it will be to your job. You will probably not want a long commute, and you may even desire to cut some time off of your current commute. This is all the more important if you are a business owner, for you know how often you are called in to solve problems and handle crises. You need to be within an easy drive.

Your Business Supplies

If you are a business owner, you will also want to be close to your sources of business supplies. If, for example, you own a restaurant, you do not want to travel all the way across the city to purchase necessary restaurant equipment and provisions. Again, you should be close enough to your suppliers to make a quick trip when you need to.

Your Family

Of course, your family is a major consideration when you are planning the location of your new home. If you are a caregiver for an elderly relative or spend a lot of time with a particular family member, moving far away would not be a good idea.

Your Friends

The same is true for your close friends. You may have a few people whom you are with almost constantly as you enjoy outings, activities at one another's homes and the support of intimate friendships. Living far away from these friends would likely result in a considerable decline in your quality of life, so think carefully about finding a new home in the near vicinity of your friends.

Your Schools

If you are currently attending classes or if you have children in school, you should certainly consider whether or not you want to move farther away from your school or out of your children's current district. You will not want to increase your own commute to class, and sometimes switching schools can be quite traumatic for children. If, on the other hand, you are not especially satisfied with your children's present schools, you might actually want to move into a better district to ensure a quality education.

Your Childcare Providers

If you work full-time or part-time and have young children, then you probably have a favorite child care provider. Reflect on whether you want to spend part of your morning or afternoon driving a longer distance to drop your children off and pick them up. If not, and if you are not open to changing childcare providers, then you will want to adjust the location element of your home search accordingly to make sure you remain close to your children's daycare.

Your Favorite Shops

While shopping may not be a top consideration in the location of your new home, you should take it into account. Perhaps you have a favorite grocery store that carries all the products you use frequently. If you don't want to make longer trips to continue to shop at this store, then you might want to look for a house that is close by. The same applies to your other favorite shops, including clothing stores, office supply stores, specialty shops and other retailers you feel like you cannot live without.

Your Services

Perhaps even more important than your favorite shops are your regular services. You should think especially of your doctor, dentist, optometrist and other medical professionals. If you visit any or all of them often, then you might not want to live any farther away than you already do. Also decide if you are willing to change hairdressers, banks, libraries, pet groomers, dry cleaners, gyms, car repair shops or cleaning services or at least drive a greater distance to continue using your favorites. If not, then you will probably want to confine your house hunt to neighborhoods within a reasonable distance.

Your Restaurants

The same applies to your favorite restaurants. If you feel that you cannot live without your best coffee shop or bakery or diner, then direct your home search in the same neighborhood. Along with shopping, this consideration will probably be toward the bottom of your checklist, and you will have to weigh its importance in comparison with other concerns (like why you are moving in the first place).

Your Leisure Locations

Another perhaps less important factor in the location of your next home is your normal leisure activities. You may enjoy particular parks, trails, lakes, beaches, swimming pools or playgrounds, for example, or you might prefer a certain movie theater, concert hall or art center. While your leisure locations may not be the top consideration in your move, they should at least be on your list as places you would like to remain close to if at all possible.

Your Transportation

Last but certainly not least, as you reflect on a location for your new house, you should consider your transportation. If you often use public transportation like buses or trains, then you will want to be close to a station. If you typically take advantage of park-and-ride services or carpooling, then you should research the availability of those in a potential neighborhood. If you are committed to bicycling, then your new location should have plenty of trails and bike lanes. Finally, if you enjoy simply walking to your destinations, then choose a spot with minimal traffic and abundant sidewalks and paths.

Choosing a location for your new house is certainly not easy, and you will never find the perfect neighborhood. You will always have to give up something to gain the benefit of something else. Yet if you keep your checklist handy and stick to your priorities, you should be able to focus on a suitable place to call home.