9 Things need to Know When Moving to a New Neighborhood

Published on: 15 December 2017 Last Updated on: 24 February 2020

Moving to a new neighborhood can be daunting. Just because a neighborhood looks inviting does not necessarily mean peace of mind. Ever gone phone shopping without knowing the specifications and how it will meet your needs? Shopping blind means you may go home with something less than ideal for your needs.

The same goes for looking for a new neighborhood to move in. You can’t call your agent after moving in a couple of days to say you do not like the place. Before you sign a lease or mortgage do your homework first.

Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to worry about how to find a job based on your geolocation. I mean, online Ghanaian job postings for employers have facilitated the search for jobs.

Nevertheless, searching for the neighborhood of your dreams means you have to consider a lot of other things. For instance, you might want to consider safety, amenities, architectural style, just to name a few.

These are some questions to ask yourself before moving to a new neighborhood. These questions will help you to streamline your search in finding the perfect neighborhood with your specifications.

Question 1

Does the neighborhood have sidewalks?

Reason

A lot of people do not think of sidewalks when searching for a new neighborhood. Sidewalks actually say a lot about the neighborhood. Sidewalks suggest an active presence of your neighbors. It means amenities are easily accessible either by walking or jogging.

Sidewalks also mean the neighborhood is safer. This is because you are less likely to get hit by a car when taking a stroll. The safety of sidewalks makes it extremely desirable especially if you have children and pets.

Question 2

Do you have to take care of taxes and other expenses?

Reason

Most often than not, we focus on buying a home but forget additional expenses. These costs should be an important factor in your decision to move to a new neighborhood. For instance, you may be responsible for your pricey home owner’s association fees when moving to a condo or country club. Some of these fees come with rules so you need to understand these before making a decision. If the association forbids parking of motorcycles in driveways and you happen to own one, it is time to consider.

Property taxes are another important cost people overlook particularly if you escrow and pay as part of your mortgage payment. Property taxes are taxed based on the value of your home. Therefore, they can increase if you escrow which changes your monthly payment. Prepare yourself to make sure your budget can handle such increment.

On the other hand, if you decide to move to a declining housing market, your taxes may decrease. It has its own perks as well. Moving to such a neighborhood means less access to good public services.

Question 3

Does the neighborhood have amenities for you and/or your family to indulge in activities?

Reason

This is a pretty obvious question. Whether you’re single, have a family with children or is retired with your spouse pretty much sums up what you should look out for in a neighborhood. You will want a new neighborhood that has everything to suit your lifestyle.

For families with children, they might be interested in communities with parks, a swimming pool, libraries, and others. A young single person with a dog might want a neighborhood with a dog park or bike trails. If you enjoy a good movie at the cinema and you have to drive a long distance to access one from the new neighborhood you might want to reconsider.

On the other hand, a new neighborhood may not have some amenities. You will have to compromise in some situations. Make sure the necessary basic amenities are within your reach.

Question 4

Does the neighborhood provide you with convenience?

Reason

Convenience is walking to a shopping center nearby and accomplishing several errands within a very short period. Convenience is getting easy access to stores you frequently visit. The biggest convenience is the ease to commute to work daily.

In other words, the more convenient your neighborhood is, the more it affects your happiness. Moving to a neighborhood that has your favorite stores within reach is a plus. Not only do you save money on gas, but you also get to patronize these services at your own time.

Ask yourself this, do I have to double my commute trip to work or to school if I move to this neighborhood? Is it really worth that trouble?

Question 5

What are your plans for the future?

Reason

The neighborhood may look great in the present but may be liable to change in the future. In a neighborhood you move into, living in the here and now may be a good outlook on life. However, it does not necessarily mean a good neighbourhood.

Check with your local planning office about future developments in your area. It is because you may not want to purchase a new home only to find out it’s in the middle of a new community college. Visiting the planning office and inform you of any future construction project that will affect the neighborhood.

So you like the quiet private nature of the neighborhood with mature trees lined up along each side. Probably in the future, these trees will be cut down to build another subdivision. So even if your lot is not directly affected, it may impact the serene environment you’ve come to love. All this may affect your decision of moving to the neighborhood.

Question 6

Is the neighborhood situated in a noisy place or has a bad smell?

Reason

Your well being and health is one important factor when choosing a neighborhood to move into. Visiting the neighborhood several times during the day is extremely important. On paper, the place might be a perfect fit for you, but visiting the place will reveal its secrets.

The perfectly lined trees behind the house may be hiding a major road. Train tracks, restaurants, clubs and all that create noise that may be a menace. These bothersome noises will never go away. So while you may get used to them is a gamble.

In addition, in the eventuality that you want to move from the place, it is usually harder to sell a place with so much noise. While you are listening, you may want to get a good whiff of the air in the neighborhood. A stagnant lake, sewage problems, and even a corner BBQ joint can create some odors that do not go away.

Question 7

What is the crime rate in the neighborhood?

Reason

This is for your own sake and safety. You do not want your new home to feel like you are trapped in a war zone. It is also easier to know the crime rate of the neighborhood as they are many websites available for that.

This makes it especially easier for you to decide if you are stuck between two neighborhood choices. If you find a neighborhood you love and to your dismay, you find it has a questionable crime rat, you should speak to your local police office for more details. It could be just a small area away from your new home acting as a crime magnet.

Question 8

Are they good schools?

Reason

This is a very important question to ask if you have children. The presence of public and private schools from kindergarten to high schools affect the value of a home. If you do not have children, it is very important to understand that the quality of the school system in that area will affect the resale of your home.

Also, good schools may add unnecessary costs to your rent if you do not have children. If you do have children, research about the school by seeking advice from fellow parents in the neighborliness. Most schools give tours as well, so might want to take advantage of this. Also, inquire about school activities and extra-curricular activities the school permits.

Question 9

What is the neighborhood culture?

Reason

So you’ve found a neighborhood that fits your budget, has low crime rates, great reviews and all that, what of the culture? Your dream neighbourhood isn’t about statistics and information, is about how the place makes you feel.

If you are used to a hip urban neighborhood, you may not be happy in a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood. Doing so means you have to compromise on some things if that’s your wish. The bottom line is, you won’t be happy moving to a neighborhood that does not fit your lifestyle.

Make sure the neighborhood you choose has the right culture, then other pieces may fall into place.

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5 Summer Garden Maintenance Tips and Tactics You Have To Know

The summer is a season for critical garden maintenance says the best weed removal experts. Otherwise, your lovely plants, flowers, and trees might suffer from disease or be infested by pests if you don’t perform the much-needed maintenance. But no matter what the summer throws your garden, you can keep up provided you know of some maintenance tasks like the following. 5 Summer Garden Maintenance Tips and Tactics You Have To Know If you are not confident of pruning the trees and plants yourself, hire experts that can help you do the same. The best garden maintenance tips from Tree Service Riverside focus on understanding the individual personality and nature of every tree in your garden. This is why you need to be different in terms of fertilizer applications, watering schedules, and other areas. Let us look at some of the major tips below- 1. Ensure Having A Good Soil: You can add organic matter to the soil, but it must be as varied as possible. For example, you can consider adding manure for nitrogen. Manure is valuable because its nutrients are ready for consumption by the soil and plants. You may also want to consider composting, which is the recycling of organic wastes that speed up soil formation. Finally, you may also want to make use of earthworms in the method called vermicomposting. These organisms can convert manure, green crop residues, and food wastes into usable forms for the plants. See that the nutrient balance is correct by running a test to check for soil fertility. For this, you can hire a lawn professional to inspect and evaluate if the soil is balanced with nutrients, including potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. 2. Remove The Weeds: Weeds are real survivors, and they cannot just seem to stop annoying you. Be able to fight dirty by getting rid of them. At the very least, remember not to leave any roots behind, so do not yank only the leaves or they will grow back. Grab them lose to the ground and then pull them straight up. The best time to remove the weeds is after the rain because the ground is still moist. Just a word of caution though. You should be careful walking around in your wet garden, or else the soil will be compact. If there is no rain, you can water the garden before pulling the weeds. Finally, remove them while they’re still small. But if you want to get rid of them effectively, you should consider hiring weed removal experts. Another thing you should be careful to be the weeds and other grass near the garden sheds and make sure they are removed as well. 3. Watering the Garden: Prevent the effects of the summer heat to your plants and flowers. At the very least, you should keep the temperature at 90°F by using a combination of weeding, watering, and shading. Also, one of the golden rules for summer garden maintenance is to keep the soil moist. So if needed, you should water it twice a day. The best time to water the plants is early in the morning when it can easily infiltrate the soil. Another is the late afternoon especially for soil that looks crusty. For maximum water absorption, you must water at the plant’s base. You may also want to put a shade, such as a protective screen in your garden. It can prevent the water from escaping due to evaporation and reduce the surrounding temperature by up to 10 degrees. 4. Pruning: Pruning’s main objective is to get rid of the problem, such as ailing or dead branches. Always make an angled cut, which must be just above but sloping away from a bud above the point where a leaf is attached to a branch. Do not cut close to the bud or it will be damaged and eventually will dry out and die. Also, do not cut too far above a bud because the remaining stub is going to rot away, die, or become an entry point for plant disease. Tips: Inspect the shrubs and trees for any broken or dead branches. You should also look for branches rubbing together because the wounds from those would just expose more surface area that will require more time to heal versus the clean cuts because they become entry points for disease and pests. So as soon as you notice any broken, rubbing, or dead branches, prune them. 5. Remove Dead Plants: Get rid of dead plants regardless of why they died - natural causes, insect damage, or disease. These plants should be eliminated because they can collect pests to spread around your garden to damage other plants. Use them in your compost pile if they’re still safe to use it. Taking care of your garden using these simple and easy maintenance tips will help in keeping your plants, flowers, and trees healthy all summer. Remember to prune, water, remove dead plants, ensure the soil is healthy and hire weed removal experts for the perfect summer garden maintenance. Read Also : 3 Amazing Flower Street Garden – How To Design How To Choose The Right Containers For Your Container Garden Lawn Care Maintenance Services And Tips

Turn The Tables For Helpless Children With Car Donation In New Jersey

with a car donation in New Jersey, one can turn the tables of life for many underprivileged children. It just needs a noble gesture to give up a used car. It is one thing to grow up with a belief, and a different thing altogether to use that and follow the same in real life. That charity begins at home and we should help those in need are lessons that we receive in the very early stages of our life. And just as we grow old, we tend to forget all those lessons mainly because we either get too busy with our lives or we don’t come across too many opportunities to practice what we have been preached. But, think about this. Will you make the best of the opportunity if you got one in life? Will you be a part of a charity that can change the world of underprivileged children? And will you donate to a good cause if you could? If all the answers are in the affirmative, then there is an opportunity for you to explore. But there is a clause. You have to be the owner of a car. No, not necessarily a luxury vehicle or an SUV. It can just be anything. A station wagon, a hatchback, a Sedan- anything will do. This is because the donation that you will make will not be in cash. It will be a car donation in New Jersey to a non-profitable organization. Why The Need To Own a Car? You just got the answer. It will be a different kind of charity. You will be giving your vehicle up to a car donation foundation New Jersey that works for the betterment of helpless children. The organizations do not accept any monetary donations. What they ask instead is to give the cars up. Definitely, they won’t ask the vehicle owners to give up a car that works or which they do not plan to sell. But families in New Jersey do have more than one vehicle in the family and both usually are not always in the best of condition. So, if you are thinking of replacing the old car or just sell it away and utilize the money for a new car, then you need to sit back and think. You can always afford a new car, but if you do not sell the old car and donate it instead, then you will be doing a huge favor to many underprivileged children. Also, selling an old car will invite hassle which you will not want to take. Donating it will be easier and good deed always comes back to the doer. When you donate your car in New Jersey, be prepared to get some nice return too. Is There Any Surprise For The Car Donor? Charities usually do not bring back returns. That is why they are called donations and the donor should just give something with the intention of giving and not thinking that they will get back something in return. But, when you donate your car in New Jersey to organizations that work for the betterment of needy children and are recognized by the IRS, you are actually signing up for a little surprise reward. All donations that go to IRS recognized organizations make the vehicle donor eligible for tax deductions. They can rightfully claim the deductions and when the donation is finalized, they will get all the papers required to document the donation. The entire car donation process is hassle-free so there are no nasty surprises waiting for the donors at the end. How Does The Car Donation in New Jersey Take Place? The entire process of car donation is simple. Those who are interested to donate their car, can get in touch with the organizations directly either through the website and fill up the online form or they can also put across a call and talk to one of the representatives who are friendly and courteous enough to guide them. Once the decision is made to donate the car, they will fix up a date, time and place convenient to the donor and send over the tow truck to receive the donated vehicle. No payment is asked from the car donor for towing. What Happens To My Donated Vehicle? A cause of concern definitely for the car donor as to what purpose the donated vehicle has been put to. But don’t think too much. When a vehicle is donated to an IRS recognized organization, it goes to the right place. The car is auctioned off and the money that comes from it is used to fund various service programs for the benefit of the underprivileged children. With that money, these children can go to school, enjoy a hot meal or visit summer camps. They can practically do anything that they had only dreamt of doing their entire life. Read More: Invest In A New Car, Without A Financial Liability 5 Ways To Avoid The Rip Off While Buying A Used Car

5 Different Kinds Of Wood Used To Make Furniture

There are different kinds of wood used to make furniture. Each kind of wood offers different characteristics and is used for a variety of reasons. Different types of wood can be used to make the bed frame, the floors, and even the chairs that you sit on. These woods differ in appearance and quality, and if you are looking for furniture for your bedroom with the best quality wood, take a look at bedroom furniture at Luxo Living for some great design choices. 1. Oak Oak is one of the most common types of wood used to make furniture, but it also tends to be the most expensive. The wood is sometimes used to make small pieces like tables and chairs, but it is also very strong and is commonly used to make floors, door frames, and decks. It is a smooth, rich, deep red and has a distinctive smell that is markedly different from other woods. There are some limitations to the use of oak, in that it can only be used outdoors in certain temperatures, and it is susceptible to mold and mildew. 2. Rubberwood Rubberwood is a natural growth from a tropical hardwood tree that is mainly found in South America. It is an evergreen tree and comes in many different colors varying from white to yellow, and can even be found in shades of brown. It can also be used to make small pieces of furniture like coffee tables and writing tables but is commonly used to make furniture for rooms with a lot of humidity. The wood is very resistant to mold and mildew. 3. Birch Birch is another type of wood that is commonly used to make small pieces of furniture. These small pieces can include tables, chairs, and desks. The wood is light-colored and has a distinct sawdust-like smell that is not unpleasant. It can be used to make anything that gets wet since it has waterproofing properties. The wood is easily shaped and can be used to make different types of wood furniture, including bookshelves or cabinets. 4. Walnut Walnut is another type of wood frequently used to make furniture. It has a strong, hard texture that is very resistant to water and other conditions, which makes it a great choice for outdoor furniture and furniture that is put in humid conditions. Walnut is also very durable and makes a great material for everything from small to large pieces. This type of wood is often found in unfinished form since it is usually used in quite large pieces. 5. Cherry Cherry is another wood that is commonly used to make furniture. This wood has a light color and is resistant to mold and mildew, which makes it a perfect choice for indoor and outdoor furniture. The wood is sometimes used to make walls or cabinets but is mostly found in small pieces of furniture. This piece of wood is a popular choice for a wide array of projects and can be used for a variety of reasons. Read Also: Six Main Reasons Why You Need to Care for Environment How to start living off the grid The Effect of Climate Change on Human Health

9 Things need to Know When Moving to a New Neighborhood

Question 1

Does the neighborhood have sidewalks?

Reason

Question 2

Do you have to take care of taxes and other expenses?

Reason

Question 3

Does the neighborhood have amenities for you and/or your family to indulge in activities?

Reason

Question 4

Does the neighborhood provide you with convenience?

Reason

Question 5

What are your plans for the future?

Reason

Question 6

Is the neighborhood situated in a noisy place or has a bad smell?

Reason

Question 7

What is the crime rate in the neighborhood?

Reason

Question 8

Are they good schools?

Reason

Question 9

What is the neighborhood culture?

Reason

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Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

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