Raising a Family: How to Choose a Family Friend Neighborhood

How to Choose a Family Neighborhood to Raise Kids In

Are you looking to choose a neighborhood that’s family friendly? Read on to learn how to choose the best family neighborhood.

Moving houses is rated one of the most stressful life events you can experience.

Moving with children adds another very important (and stressful) criteria to your house selection search. It must be in a family-friendly neighborhood.

As soon as kids are in the picture, your priorities shift. It’s no longer enough to have a beautiful house in an average area location. Now you’re looking for the whole package. But what exactly is the whole package when it comes to a family friendly area?

Are you looking to choose a neighborhood that’s family friendly? Read on to learn how to choose the best family neighborhood.

The Right Neighborhood

An important part of finding the right home is finding a neighborhood that fits you.

Everyone has a different kind of family set up. Some family homes consist of a single parent and one child, while other families have multiple children and may include a grandparent.

Other factors like having children with special needs will play a part. Along with this, the activities your children are involved in, like competitive sport, will alter your priorities when searching for a family home.

During the hunt for the perfect home, it’s tempting to focus on finding the most modern fitted kitchen or the best pressed ceilings. Of course, features like these will bring you happiness at home but when you have kids, there are a number of other factors that become important.

Doing your research and putting in the time to find a neighborhood that’s right for you is a big part of securing your future home-ownership happiness.

Keep reading to find out more about what to look out for when deciding on the right family neighborhood. For any questions you have, please visit this service.

What Makes a Perfect Family Neighborhood?

The neighborhood you choose to live in with your children will need to tick a few boxes. We’ve laid down some helpful pointers to look out for when deciding where to live as a family.

Kid-Friendly Amenities

This first point highlights the importance of being located in close proximity to various child-friendly amenities.

An element of a perfect family neighborhood is that it allows you to get out the house and visit spaces that you can enjoy as a family. Family outings to the park, playgrounds, or museums are a great way to relax and bond as a family.

One way to discover this about a neighborhood is to drive around to check if there are parks nearby. You should also take a walk through the area and look out for signs of other children. Trampolines, swing sets, and kiddy bikes are sure signs of kids in neighboring houses.

Good Public Schools

Keep in mind that your commute to and from school will become a big part of your daily life. As your child gets older, they’ll have more after-school activities and may need to spend more time at school.

After checking out the local schools, it’s helpful to ask around for recommendations. You can then consider whether there’s one within walking distance. Your child may be old enough to cycle to school too. If not, then check whether the school bus route goes past your area and how long this journey takes.

School traffic is another important factor to keep in mind. If your day includes a lot of school driving time, you’ll want to work that into your decision.

Kids Playing Outside

Driving around your potential area after school or on weekends is another good way to suss out a neighborhood and get the feel of the place. A great tip is to walk or drive around the area at different times of the day, in order to really get a sense if other children are out and about.

Signs of a family-friendly neighborhood include kids walking to and from school and kids playing outside before or after dinner. These are both good, clear indications of a kid-friendly neighborhood.

Who are your Neighbors?

In contrast to trampolines and kids on swings, a bunch of houses sporting “Grandpa and Grandma’s House” signs suggests a lack of playmates.

Remember that a neighborhood full of seniors may not be family-friendly, especially if you have young children. Older people can lose patience with loud, rowdy kids. The last thing you want is to get in trouble with the neighbors because your kids make a noise when they play outside.

Families with other young children are the best neighbors you can wish for. Not only are they more understanding of screeching kids, they’ll also be keen to help babysit and hang-out.

Gaining the support and friendship of other families in the area will make a huge difference to you and your kids. Along with this, check out the average age of other children in the area. If you see nothing but pre-teens hanging out, it may not be the best fit for you and your toddler.

Neighborhood Pool

A community center or a local public pool are wonderful additions to a neighborhood.

In summer, having an accessible pool nearby will probably be the best part of your vacation. A neighborhood pool will act as a cheap, fun and healthy hangout for you and your little one for years to come.

In addition, a local Y is the perfect spot for baby playgroups, toddler classes, and summer camps. Some areas also sport newcomer’s clubs, which can really encourage your sense of community as you first settle in. Moreover, you can check these Top 3 benefits of playgroups for children in case you are confused about sending your kid to playgroup.

Commute to Work

It’s well-known that the length of your commute is a central element that makes up the quality of your daily life and overall well being. People who have long, tedious daily commutes are more likely to be stressed, depressed, and live an overall lower quality of life.

Along with this, if your commutes constantly cut into your child’s bedtime routine, you may want to rethink.

Even if the house is great, a long daily commute will end up wearing you down and will take time away from the most important things in your life.

The Next Steps

After reading this, you should feel more prepared when it comes to selecting perfect family neighborhood homes.

As you search for the neighborhood and house that fits your wish list, remember there’s no perfect place. The perfect place simply doesn’t exist. But you’re bound to find one that’s pretty great.

So, what are the next steps? For more information about finding good investment homes and the perfect family neighborhood, please chat to us.