If you’re moving between provinces, or even just from one end of a province to another, then you’ll likely need to do your house searching remotely. This can come with challenges you wouldn’t typically have if you were moving somewhere closer to your current home. One of those challenges is picking out the right neighbourhood. If you haven’t already been to the region you’re moving to, it’s hard to know where the best neighbourhood to move to is. We’ve put together these tips to make your remote neighbourhood search more manageable for you!

1. Find a REALTOR® Comfortable Working Remotely

If you want the best chance at finding the perfect place to live, hiring a professional real estate agent is the best way to go. They know their areas well and would be able to choose some neighbourhood to closely match your needs. However, not every REALTOR® is comfortable working with clients remotely. There could be many reasons for this, such as not having experience with the technology to do this.

If you’re looking for a REALTOR® that will be able to help you remotely, the real estate agents at Royal City are highly capable. We invest in the best technology to provide you with the services you would need for your remote house search, and our agents are well-trained with these tools.

2. Know Exactly What You Want and Need

Before beginning your search, it’s crucial to know precisely what you’re looking for both in a home and in a new neighbourhood. Having a list of needs and wants will make it easier to find what you’re looking for. More importantly, you can also hand this list to your real estate agent so they can have a good idea of where to look for you. This will prevent a lot of time spent guessing what you want and looking at neighbourhoods that aren’t even close to what you need.

3. Do Some Online Research

Once you’ve narrowed your search down to a few neighbourhoods that are looking good at first glance, it’s quite easy to spend some time doing research online. If you have kids, you can search up which school they would be attending and look into reviews and ratings for that school. If you’re concerned about safety, you can also look up crime rates for the different neighbourhoods you’re looking into.

4. Get the Opinions of People Who Live There

If you have questions you cannot answer through your own research, get in touch with people who live in the area. While you probably shouldn’t be looking up specific people to give them a call, there are plenty of ways to get in contact with others online. For example, there are plenty of Facebook groups dedicated to buying and selling homes and some neighbourhood-specific groups. You can also find online forums for specific locations and ask questions there. Talking with the people living in those areas is a great way to get honest feedback about those neighbourhoods.

5. Take a Short Trip

If possible, the best way for you to know whether you’ll enjoy living in a new neighbourhood is by going there yourself. Taking even just a weekend trip wherever you’re planning on moving to scope out neighbourhoods is a fantastic way to get a feel for these locations. It would be ideal to plan this trip either before you’ve narrowed down your options or once you’re trying to decide between just a few locations. Driving around can help you initially choose some locations to look into or help you make that final decision.

Moving somewhere new can be a difficult process, especially when it’s somewhere far away from your current home. Hopefully, these tips can make your moving experience a little easier!