If you have children, your Columbus home search may have special considerations. Naturally, you’ll want to find a home in a good school district. You may also want a home with a fenced backyard, with close proximity to neighborhood parks.
But in order to find the ideal home for your family, you’ll want to keep a few more tips in mind!
Kid-friendly neighborhoods have common elements you should look for:
- Backyard swing sets, play forts
- Toys and bicycles in the yard
- Basketball hoops
- Neighborhood playgrounds
- Low-traffic residential streets
- Streets and sidewalks in good condition
- School bus stops within a reasonable walk
- Children!
The best way to learn about the kid-appeal of a neighborhood, is to observe it at the beginning and ending of a school day. Are children walking to the school, or to the bus stop together? Is there a crosswalk safety attendant? After school, are kids socializing in yards or playgrounds?
Public safety is also a prime concern, and there are a few ways you can check a neighborhood’s crime activity. Websites like www.mylocalcrime.com give you at-a-glance summaries of recent crime reports. And to screen for the presence of registered sex offenders, visit the Electronic Sex Offender Registration and Notification Ohio Database.
What about the home itself? Lead-based paint is common worry for parents and expectant mothers. As a rule of thumb, it’s generally assumed that any home built prior to 1978 may contain lead-based paint. However, it may not be feasible to rule out all homes that were built before 1978, especially since many of them are in prime neighborhoods. Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate your risk against lead-based paint exposure and other common hazards. Visit the City of Columbus Healthy Homes website for a practical guide.
We’ve given you a lot to think about, but there’s more! We have a ton of home buying tips for you in our FREE e-book , “How to Buy a Home Like a Pro.” These pointers could literally save you thousands of dollars, so please take advantage of it!
As your Exclusive Buyer’s Broker, we represent you, and only you, in the home buying process! This means we will always go the extra mile to help you find the right home. We work in your best interests at all times – at no cost to you!
Contact us for help with your home buying questions! We are with you every step of the way…all the way home!
Andrew Show
Broker, CEBA, CEBA-M, CNE, CSP, ABR-M, e-PRO, GREEN
Buyer’s Resource Realty Services
Serving Metro Columbus, Ohio with Exclusive Buyer’s Agents
7100 North High Street, Suite 204, Worthington, Ohio 43085
614-888-4110 | 888-888-4110 Toll Free | 614-839-4110 Fax
https://www.buyershome.com/
