Say you have finally landed on a house you really fancy and you would very much like to place an offer and close the deal as soon as possible – before some other buyer comes along wanting to buy it. How sure are you that this is the place you would want to call home? You might have gone through all the other necessary processes, including carrying out home inspection and everything on your home buying guide checklist has been ticked off.
The ultimate home buying guide though, will very much depend on who your neighbors are and the general atmosphere of that said home at various times of the day. Normally, houses are viewed during the day; but this may not be enough because the “noisemakers” may not come around until much later in the evening or even at night.
This is why it is absolutely important that you view the house at different times of the day just to get a general feel of the surrounding atmosphere. The daytime will give you a chance to see the actual house and spot any flaws; but when it comes to your neighbors and the neighborhood, you can best judge it during after-work hours.
Drive by the house at around 4pm and see how it feels as kids are leaving school and some parents are beginning to come home from work. Does it get rowdy? Is it a place you would trust your child to go out and play? This is important because if you have kids or plan to have some in the future, this is the very same neighborhood they would be coming home to from school. It should not only be safe, but also sociable enough such that kids can comfortably play together outside.
What about at around 10pm? What is the general feeling you get from that neighborhood as you drive by? You would be able to feel an atmosphere of tension and what this should tell you is that the area may not be that safe. Would you feel comfortable taking a late night walk by yourself or with a loved one?
Such questions should be on your home buying guide and they should inform your final decision. How noisy do the neighbors get, particularly on Friday or Saturday nights? If they do hold constant parties, how rowdy are these parties? Do the neighbors’ kids use their garages to practice for their “bands” or play loud drums?
It is very easy to get wooed by a house during the day, but the nighttime is pretty much the only time you can truly judge the general atmosphere of that area. And not just any night because Monday nights may be quiet, Wednesday nights may also be fairly calm; but what happens when the weekend approaches and everyone is in the mood of relieving some work or school-related tension accumulated all through the week? Will things still remain as calm?
Of course, if you were to ask you agent concerning that area, there are very few chances that they will bad-mouth it. After all, they do want to make a sale just so they can get their commission. This is why your after-hours inspection of that neighborhood should personally be carried out by you.
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