There is no substitute for actually spending the time to review your contemplated house purchase prior to entering into a Purchase Agreement. Many purchasers will not look beyond the well maintained lawn, the flowers and the paint colour to consider the other positives and negatives of buying this particular house on this particular street in this particular neighborhood.

Take the time to look at the rest of the street and the streets nearby. Do the homes exhibit any “pride of ownership” or are they starting to become “run down”? Does the City have anything planned for that street or that neighborhood? What are the plans for the neighborhood school?

Do a “drive by” at several different times of the day to see what the neighborhood is all about, how much traffic is on the street, etc.

If you’re really cautious and outgoing you might even consider introducing yourself to the neighbour and asking about the house and the neighborhood in general.

You might be surprised what you find out. Sometimes that new knowledge might make you look elsewhere and other times it may make you more determined to buy.

Whatever the outcome, at least you’ll have more information to make a more informed decision about the largest purchase in your life.