Relocation visit

[Midpack]

Having moved lock stock and barrel 22 times... all of the advice above is correct.
Rule #1 Stay away from realtors (they'll tie you up forever) While we do plenty of independent research before and during the home search, I'd definitely work with a realtor I was comfortable with in the end. If it takes 2-3 tries to get a realtor I am comfortable with, so be it, just as I would with any salesperson.
Rule #2 Don't look for houses (there will always be a perfect house) Huh? I agree it's important to try to narrow down neighborhoods first if that's what you mean. But the odds of then finding a perfect house are almost nil unless you build from scratch. Buying homes involves compromise(s) 99% of the time. Even if one partner finds something close to perfect, spouses often can't even agree on what's "perfect"...
Rule #3 Talk to the people Agreed, I've always gone back to homes we were about to purchase and introduced myself to a few neighbors to see what they're like/what they think about the neighborhood. And if there are restaurants, bars, stores nearby I will hang out there and talk to people if possible.
After picking the general location... State, Town, Neighborhood...
Then the people... You'll know.

I've only moved 10 times, but I find the above questionable as well.

 

[W2R]

The odds of finding a perfect house are almost nil unless you build from scratch. Buying homes always involves compromises 99% of the time.

I feel like that's the case around here, anyway. Part of the reason why I haven't moved yet, is that I am searching for my dream house this time. I want it to have an attached garage!! Not having a garage was one of the compromises that I had to make last time, and I am still not happy with it. But the house not only has to have an attached garage, it has to meet many other criteria that are just as important. If I don't find such a house, I'll just stay put.

Around here, building from scratch isn't generally viewed as such a great idea since much of New Orleans is built on reclaimed swamps, and some areas have a lot of subsidence. It's hard to feel confident about how stable the soil is or isn't until a structure has been on it for several years and the land around the house (built on pilings, hopefully) has or hasn't sunk. That can entail its own problems and money-pit level expense.

After picking the general location... State, Town, Neighborhood...
Then the people... You'll know.

Agreed! But I think that realtors can be very helpful in gathering information about neighborhoods (other than about the people). Individual people can move away, but the overall type of people in a neighborhood often doesn't change very fast.

 

[nuke_diver]

Extended visits when relocating is very smart IMO. We will probably even go so far as to rent a place for 6-12 months when we relocate before buying a house just to be sure.

I can't top W2R's advice either, do all the things that you'd normally want to do if you lived there (weather, culture, shopping, dining, sports, health care, etc. - whatever is important to YOU). It should give you more insight than if you treat it like a (splurge) vacation or go without some thinking/pre-planning.

The only thing I'd add is think of everything you think you WON'T like about the new location, and expose yourself to them.

• If it's climate, visit during the worst time of the year from your POV, summer heat & humidity or winter cold/ice/snow.
• If it's an area with significant population fluctuations (students, tourists, seasonal industry), go when it's most crowded or most sparsely populated if either are a concern for you.
• And probably not an issue in most large cities, but I lived in a rural area (population 90K in the "Bible Belt") where religion was a big barrier for large numbers of locals. The first thing most everyone we met asked us is what church we went to? If we gave the "wrong" answer, even wrong Christian denomination (much less another religion or non-churchgoing), we were pretty much outcasts - I don't care to live in a place like that, though it appeals to some.

Just some examples, but I'd try to confront whatever seasons/conditions you're apprehensive about. The better seasons/conditions should exceed your expectations.

Best of luck...

The climate thing is something I definitely plan to do when we start getting serious about moving since the weather here is nearly perfect

 

[Bamaman]

Anytime I want to know about any place (or anything), first thing I look at is Wikipedia. They often go over the whole socioeconomics of the area from every angle.

And I would be looking at all houses in my price range on Zillow.com.

But there's no substitution for getting feet on the ground.

 

[Amethyst]

Oh, how do the "seniors" endure it? I doubt I'd make it halfway through such an onslaught before pleading a case of the vapors and claiming we require our naps! Then again, those sorts of communities, with their organized play, don't appeal to us. No matter where we end up, the neighbors will end up thinking we're "nice enough, but keep to themselves."

Our last"search" was in FL, two years ago... considering different senior communities. It's a dog eat dog battle of realtors, trained to capture the client, and hold him/her there for as long as possible. Leading the tour around the property, the clubhouse, the pool, tennis courts and the unbelieveable listing of 2,000 different activities. Two or three hours of wearing the customer down and brainwashing.

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