Read Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home Online

Authors: Ilona Bray,Alayna Schroeder,Marcia Stewart

Tags: #Law, #Business & Economics, #House buying, #Property, #Real Estate

Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home (16 page)

BOOK: Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home
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How Safe Is It?
 
If you’re planning to live in your new home for a long time, make sure you feel secure there. Bert Sperling notes, “Smaller cities tend to have lower crime rates than large ones; that’s part of the tradeoff you make for being part of a vibrant urban scene. Still, crime in large cities is often centered in certain areas, which you can avoid.” Crime statistics for cities (but unfortunately not for neighborhoods) are available at
www.homefair.com
. Under “Reports,” click “Relocation Crime Lab.”
The most accurate place to get neighborhood crime stats is from the local police department. Often you’ll have to visit in person, though some larger cities put the information online. For examples, you can check out these cities by going to the website and searching for “crime statistics”: San Francisco (
www.sfgov.org
), New York (
www.nyc.gov
), and Atlanta (
www.atlantapd.org
).
Safest Cities in the U.S.
 
These cities had the fewest violent crimes per capita, according to recent FBI statistics:
1. Irvine, California
2. Amherst, New York
3. Cary, North Carolina
4. Gilbert, Arizona
5. Sunnyvale, California
6. Thousand Oaks, California
7. Glendale, California
8. Provo, Utah
9. Bellevue, Washington
10. Simi Valley, California
 
 
 
Not assume an okay-looking neighborhood had low crime.
Before buying her first house, Talia says, “I came close to buying a place in another neighborhood. It had looked fine when I was driving around. But my agent suggested I contact the local police station. I did and discovered that because this neighborhood was surrounded by areas where crime was much higher, it actually got its own share of break-ins and assaults. The crime rate was too high for me to feel comfortable living alone. I shifted focus to another area, where I now live and feel safe.”
One crime issue that’s easier to research online concerns registered sex offenders. Nearly every state has passed a law, usually called “Megan’s Law” (after a young victim of abduction and sexual assault), requiring state governments to distribute information about sex offenders living in different communities. Many states have websites giving offenders’ addresses. Search for “Megan’s Law” and the name of your state. But take the information you find with a grain of salt—not all of these websites are regularly updated, and some contain inaccuracies or misleading information.
Will the Services You Need Be Nearby?
 
The existence or proximity of schools, parks, shopping, and more could make or break your neighborhood decision. Fortunately, finding these is a relatively straightforward research task, with such websites as:
•
www.moving.com
.
Provides free school reports and other demographic data, under the “Real Estate” tab.
•
www.usnews.com/usnews/health
.
This is an annual report called “America’s Best Hospitals,” supported by
U.S. News & World Report
. Also see
www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov
, by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
•
www.mapquest.com
.
To estimate your commute time, go to the “Directions” section of MapQuest, enter your work address and an address from the neighborhood where you might live, and receive a time and distance estimate.
 
Is It Zoned for How You Want to Use It?
 
After liberating yourself from your landlord’s rules, you might be less than excited to discover that the home business you’d always dreamed of starting is prohibited, or that you can’t turn the garage into an in-law cottage. Local zoning rules or other city regulations (even criminal laws) are usually to blame. It’s also worth knowing what general uses the neighbors are allowed.
First, find out from the municipal planning and building department what zoning category each neighborhood you’re interested in falls into. A classification called single-family residential is the norm. But some neighborhoods with ordinary houses might actually be zoned for multifamily residential, transitional, or a mixed use such as residential plus commercial. One of these other classifications might be good for you. For example if a home business is in your plans, mixed commercial and residential might be perfect. But these alternate classifications can also be a problem, particularly when it comes to your neighbors’ future plans. Multifamily zoning, for example, might mean the house next door could be replaced with an apartment building.
Also realize that zoning ordinances usually deal with more than how the property can be used. They typically dictate the minimum square footage of a home and sometimes its maximum size, how tall it can be, and where it can be placed on the property. A home may have to be set back a certain distance from the street and be a certain distance away from neighboring homes. This can affect your plans to add an extra room or deck.
It’s the Law!?
 
There’s probably a story behind these:
• University City, Missouri: You’re not allowed to have a garage sale in your front yard.
• Texas: A hitching post must be placed in front of all houses on third-class roads.
• Boulder, Colorado: You can’t put indoor furniture outdoors in your yard.
 
 
Research the zoning and other municipal rules further—ideally with the help of your real estate agent or attorney—if any of the following are true:
•
You intend to operate a home business.
In an area zoned residential, take a careful look at the local rules—they don’t always give a clear thumbs up or down. Some, for example, prohibit home businesses in general but allow exceptions. Also talk to other local home-business owners about the restrictions, and whether their neighbors have raised any fuss.
 
RESOURCE
 
Planning on starting a home business?
Find all the information you need, including more tips on zoning, in
Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business
, by Fred Steingold (Nolo). Also check out
Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn
, by Stephen Fishman (Nolo), which discusses issues like when you can deduct general home maintenance.
 
•
You plan to remodel the house or garage or add other structures (even a fence, pool, or child’s tree house).
Rules for changing an existing house can be notoriously sticky and require permits. Local view ordinances may restrict your ability to add a second story. You might talk to a local architect in advance—they’re used to dealing with, or getting around, the rules.
•
You plan to park a boat, RV, or large vehicle in your driveway.
Some city planners may have decided this doesn’t look so good.
•
The house has historic landmark status, or looks like it should.
Once a house is designated a historic landmark, any remodeling—even basic things like a new paint job—may be subject to rules on style and color. Still, owning a historic home can be personally satisfying and offer high resale value if you restore it.
•
You plan to cut down a large tree.
Yes, your landscaping may be a topic of separate regulation, excluding shrubs and flowers.
•
You have any other special plans for the property.
Local rules are limited only by the imagination of the local government, and bizarre ones sometimes pop up in response to one homeowner’s inappropriate actions, like putting up too many holiday lights.
•
Vacant lots are widespread in the neighborhood, or you see a lot of new construction.
You’ll want to know what might legally be built there.
•
You plan on keeping any farm animals such as roosters or a goat.
They may well be prohibited.
 
Is It a Planned Community, With Restrictions on Homeowners?
 
If you move into a community interest development (CID), you may find your choice of house paint colors limited to white, white, or white—and that’s just for starters. Such communities often regulate how individual homeowners are expected to treat and use their property (such as fence style in a detached house or curtain color in a condo or co-op). A home located in a traditional subdivision consisting of lots may also be controlled by subdivision restrictions.
For now, just realize that these sort of restrictions exist, and plan to research them further if you look at a CID.
How Good Are the Local Schools?
 
If you have children, or plan to, then the quality of the local school district is probably high on your list. But even if you don’t plan on children, you should be concerned with school quality, because the
next
family who buys your home might want children. And they’ll pay more if the local schools are great.
To get statistical information about how schools perform in your state, check your department of education website, usually accessible from your state’s main Web page. Other good online resources include:
•
www.greatschools.net
.
A national, independent nonprofit organization that helps parents choose schools, support their children’s education, and more. Use the “Research & Compare” tab to access not only basic stats on class size and teacher experience, but also reviews written by parents.
•
www.schoolmatters.com
.
This site, run by Standard & Poor’s, is mostly for people interested in public policy, but it offers information about student performance, school finance, and community and school demographics.
•
www.homefair.com
.
(Under “Moving Tools,” click “The School Report.”) This site lets you access information about “educational climate” and student/teacher ratios. If you provide your personal information, they’ll tell you SAT scores, percentage of students going to college, and more.
 
BOOK: Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home
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