How To Find The Right Neighborhood For Fun

There are so many things to think about when looking for a new home. You have strong feelings on the type of house and its amenities and have considered the location of schools and shopping relative to your areas of interest. Another thing you may want to consider is the neighborhoods fun factor. Is the neighborhood you are considering set up for the kinds of activities you enjoy?

Many newer neighborhoods have homeowners associations that put a lot of restrictions on the homeowners who live there. These can range from the expected such as height restrictions on grass and limits on where vehicles can be parked to more restrictive limits like not allowing flag poles or basketball hoops or goals. Before buying a home in one of these neighborhoods, it is best to make sure you understand and can live with all of the limits.

If you are in the market for a new home and are considering a neighborhood with an association, you might want to make sure they allow fun. Limits on items like basketball hoops, play sets, decks, grills, children’s toys etc should be carefully considered if you have or are planning to have a family. Many a fond memory can be made while bonding with your kids under the basketball hoop in the driveway.

Neighborhood associations often limit the number and type of vehicles that you can park in your driveway, often to the exclusion of RVs and boats. Trees, fences, gardens, and pets are also commonly regulated. Something to think about if you wanted a hammock between two trees in your backyard or a dog to throw a ball with.

Many people are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. If you are interested in utilizing a state of the art solar and wind powered moisture evaporation system for your laundry, you’ll want to make sure clotheslines are allowed. If you are considering using a solar panel or two to run your water heater, you’ll want to check on that as well. Some people are interested in walking, biking or using electrical golf carts to do their regular shopping. There are neighborhoods built with this in mind. If your interests run in this direction, it is worth asking around to see if you can find one. At the very least, you’ll want to see if these things are possible or allowed in the neighborhood(s) you are considering.

You also want to consider the amenities in and around your neighborhood. If you like to go for bike rides or long walks, you’ll want to look around for safe walking and/or biking paths. If you like to commune with nature, then a neighborhood that backs up to a nature preserve might be just the thing for you. Some neighborhoods offer community gardens, others might have a recreational facility. Most will have playgrounds, but if this is a consideration for you, be sure to check the location in relation to the house or houses that you are considering.

There are lots of great houses out there. Finding the perfect house for you can be quite the task. Finding the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood is even more challenging, but well worth the effort. After all, you are going to be living here, you’ll want to make sure you’re going to be able to have a little fun.