Beacon

Here are a few things to consider when you’re ready to make a move.

Will the neighbourhood suit your changing needs over time?

Great neighbourhoods cater for diverse needs and different life-stages. If you’re planning a family, you’d do well to consider child-care facilities and schools in the area.  If you already have children, don’t just consider their current needs.  “They grow so fast” – it’s an old adage but so, so true. Will local facilities cater for your children’s pre-school, primary and secondary social and educational needs?  Or will you have to move somewhere else? What about when the kids leave home? Does the neighbourhood provide smaller homes that would suit you then, or will you be forced to leave the area, perhaps losing touch with friends and neighbours?

 

Are there places to meet and socialise?

Does the neighbourhood have a good local park, play area, library or cafe?  These enable safe, casual interaction with others in the area.   Neighbourhoods with such facilities tend to be safer because locals get to know and look out for each other. Lifelong friendships and support networks often develop.

 

Is it safe?

Neighbourhoods that are designed to let people to “see and be seen,” with good lighting, low or see-through fencing and homes that open onto streets and parks, are safer neighbourhoods.  You can “look out” quite literally and keep an eye on people’s movements in your street, and watch your children on their way to and from school. Does the neighbourhood have good walkways, wide pavements, adequate pedestrian crossings and cycle tracks so that you and your family can safely walk or ride a bike?

 

How reliant will you be on your car for doing everyday things?

Cars are expensive to run.  And they don’t just cost in dollars; they have significant environmental costs too: they deplete limited fossil fuels, pollute, and emit greenhouse gasses. When neighbourhoods include shops, businesses, schools, and recreational facilities, residents need to travel less.  This means less congestion, less pollution and considerable savings in fuel and running costs (and less time sitting in traffic!).  A good bus or train service that connects with other neighbourhoods, your workplace or the city centre, is important too. This will reduce your reliance on expensive, and environmentally damaging private transport. If you drive less and walk more you are likely to be healthier, too.

 

Is it compact and complete?

Does the neighbourhood include different kinds of housing? Apartments and terrace-style housing are an important part of neighbourhood diversity and flexibility.  Not only are they often more affordable and easier to maintain than stand-alone houses, but their higher density can help to provide the critical mass of people necessary to support a thriving local centre and public transport system.

 

Will it maintain the value of your investment?

What sort of condition are neighbouring houses in?  Are they well-maintained or rather shabby?  The quality and maintenance of surrounding homes will inevitably affect the value of your own.

 

Is it a concrete jungle?

Are there plenty of green spaces? Are there attractive plantings and trees, well-maintained roads and paths? Neighbourhoods with large amounts of impermeable surfaces (like concrete) means that stormwater is not absorbed into the ground when it rains.  This can cause run-off flooding and pollution to neighbouring streams and waterways. 

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