When you're moving to a new city or town or even if you're moving just around the corner, it's important to thoroughly checkout the neighborhood to ensure that you're home is not only a place to rest your head, but a good investment, too.
A growing option, is a planned community.
Planned Communities: Pros and Cons
Planned communities usually exist outside the main center of a city or town, something that started in the thirties and forties, well into the fifties with the rise of suburbia.If you purchase a home in a planned community, you'll find houses may be very similar in design and layout, with same-sized lots and well-designed landscaping. There will probably be some thought put into recreational activities, so planned parks, walking paths or manmade lakes may be part of the community. Those are the pluses. The negatives may include, commute times to work, a strong home owner's association or a contracting company that may set rules as to what colors you can paint the exterior of your home, the maximum length your grass can be or what exactly you can put in your front yard for display purposes. Before you purchase in a planned community, ask up front what the laws and stipulations are. Also, think about the future and ask if there are any restrictions to building additions, adding a front or back deck or a shed in the backyard.
Find out from the real estate company or home contractor what rules exist and if there are any fees attached. If one of the rules is that you must join the home owner's association, then what are the costs involved? Do you have to attend meetings? What exactly will be expected of you?
Also, keep in mind that study that was launched a few years back that stated that suburbanites, those who lived in outlining areas and commuted to work, were 6lbs heavier than their urban-dwelling counterparts. While some dispute this study, with other studies providing the opposite results, keep in mind the recreational activities your community offers. Are there paths and parks available? Can you walk to purchase necessities such as groceries or a pharmacy? Are there restaurants and cafes within walking distance? Think about how you'd like to live and set your priorities before you start looking at planned communities.
Today, a lot of planned communities are gated and have facilities such as community swimming pools or clubhouses. This leads to even more organized communities called Master Planned Communities.
Master-Planned Communities
These communities are taking over the suburban cookie-cutter housing developments that were popular in the 1950's through to the early part of this century. Master-planned communities (MPC) offer a range of housing options, with a wide-range of amenities being part of the overall community plan. It's an option for those who can't afford to live in a city's core or for those who prefer the space and fresher air sometimes available on the outskirts.Developers have been monitoring the trend to move away from the planned communities of the past to a more community-type neighborhood where parks, recreational areas, and consumer conveniences live in harmony; where people can work, live and have a sense of belonging to a community.
Most Master-Planned Communities offer homes at a higher price than other communities, which for some, may be a deterrent to purchasing. Make sure you look at all housing options, as newer MPCs offer a range of options from townhouses to condos to smaller, single-family dwellings.
Some MPCs take the concept of community one step further and include such necessary infrastructure as schools, roads, water and sewer systems, police and fire services, and as mentioned before, recreational options such as outdoor rinks, swimming pools, parks and baseball diamonds.
While for some, MPCs make a lot of sense, there are some factors to consider when purchasing, including commute time and future developments.
Most city planners agree that suburbia doesn't work, mainly because they cause traffic jams and sprawl that deters from quality neighborhoods and communities. And it's definitely something to keep in mind when you're weighing your options. Most people work long hours without having to add another few to the start and end of a day just to get to and from home.
So, find out if there's public transit or a car pool you could join. Go to city hall and ask to see the public plans for development in the area. If further developments are planned (which usually they are), will the current roads or commuter highways handle the increasing traffic loads? Are there plans to build better access or to increase transit options?
MPCs are the next big thing. Before you buy, ask people who live there how they like it. Take a walk around. Get a sense of what life is like there and if the community will provide you and your family with everything you need to build a happy life.
