SEARCHING FOR A RENTAL OR FOREVER HOME

Due to today's complex and competitive housing market, ensuring that your future home and community checks all of your boxes can become a side note to your home search, mainly driven by affordability. Many Americans do not have the luxury of being as selectiveas they wish when searchingfor their rental or forever home. Most would agreethat choosing a home and community is one of the most paramount decisions in life.

Finding the right location can seem daunting and an impossible task. As you evaluate your prospective community to ensure your needs are satisfied, you should consider the following:

1) Location...Location…Location: Does your propertysearch include a premier or sought-after location where it would be a worthy place to live or raise a family, and what determines a premier location? Is it a community within a high-ranking county or state school district? If so, statewide math and reading level assessments often determine the placement of your district school within the state's ranking. The state's assessments measurestudent standardized test scores for Math and English, school quality, school safety, and the total number of academic institutions within the same district.

1) Lifestyle: When we have in mind where we want to live or raise our family, the local amenities of a community are significant to our decision-making. Where is the nearest grocery store, and whether it has quality produce? Where is the closest park for recreational activities? And most importantly, is the surrounding area safe? The best communities have access to parks/recreational activities, restaurants/eateries, fresh produce from grocery stores and markets, and the ability to feel safe when out with your loved ones.

1) Close to transportation: Sitting in rush hour traffic during the work week and even on the weekend will have you contemplating whether you should give the gas-guzzling vehiclesitting in the driveway a rest and take public transportation. The best neighborhoods provide easy access to clean, safe, and reliable transportation options. Whether you desire to take a break from your vehicle and utilize the train transit options or if you do not own a vehicle, living within a community that has mass transportation can be a lifesaver.

1) Walkability/ Walkable communities: Living in the south, the phrase "walkability" can seem like an oxymoron. The neighborhoods are spread out and usually include a massive highway infrastructure in between. If you live in the suburbs or a rural area, mass transportation might not be an option for those who do not have a vehicle.However, the "walkability" of your neighborhood, including well-lit sidewalks, is just as important as local safety, mass transportation, and lifestyle.

1) Access to Medical Care: After your interminable search to find the perfect community for yourself or your family, the aspect often overlooked is access to quality medical care. The nearest hospital might often be miles away in an emergency, leaving you and your loved ones stranded and often with a hefty ambulance bill to the nearest hospital. Living near a local hospital, clinic, or 24-hour emergency clinic is as essential as other community amenities. People often disregard the significance of having access to a highly rated medical facility until an emergency happens. Until it does, medical accessibility is at the back of our minds, and we are often left dealing with the aftermath of an inadequate medical facility duringan emergency. The bestcommunities have close access to top hospitalsor secondary emergencycare with high ratings.

Where you and your family decide to live is a significant factor when buying or leasing a property. Your occupation might determine your quality of life, but most importantly, it is determined by where you live and your local community. Most of the U.S. population does not have the luxury of scrutinizing and being particular about where they live. However, if you have the opportunity to be selective, make sure the quality of life for yourself or your family is your primary concern. The best way to determine if you are making the right decision is to adhere to the list above. Even if you are single with no children, you deserve to live in a community where there is safety, access to fresh produce, and access to public parks, among other amenities.