Murrieta Real Estate Choosing Your Murrieta Neighborhood Back to Communities - Murrieta Homes

Murrieta Neighborhoods

Once you have decided on the type of Murrieta home you want, your next step is to choose a Murrieta neighborhood where this type of home exists.

Choosing a neighborhood is as important a decision as choosing a home. In fact, you probably have heard it said that the most important criteria in determining Murrieta real estate value is location. You can update, remodel or improve a home, but neighborhoods tend to remain the same over long periods of time. Most Murrieta real estate has been developed over the last 5 or 6 years so you will find most Murrieta homes in excellent condition.

A neighborhood largely determines how you will live, from the stores you shop at to the friends you make and people you meet. It is a refuge from your workday world. It even has an impact on the Murrieta home you choose: the resale value of Murrieta real estate depends on its neighborhood. Is a home in a safe neighborhood where people want to live and raise their families? Are the schools good? Is it convenient to shopping and jobs? Are Murrieta homes selling quickly? A rule of thumb you can follow is that if houses in a neighborhood stay on the market fewer than 3 months, consider that a desirable area; if houses take 6 or more months to sell, look somewhere else. Murrieta is well known for good schools and safe neighborhoods, so relax and choose the neighborhood that suits you.

How do you go about choosing a neighborhood? This part of buying a Murrieta home may seem overwhelming, especially if you are moving into a new area from out of town. Even if you are looking for a home in your hometown, you may find yourself exploring unknown Murrieta neighborhoods where there are homes you can afford to buy.

The simplest way to start is to draw up two lists, one labeled Must Have and the other labeled Would Like. If it helps, you can rank them by importance to further define your priorities. In this way, you start your search with a good idea of what you would like and what you will not accept. From the beginning, this focuses your search.

Facts about the Murrieta Community

One of the best ways to learn about a neighborhood is to talk to the owner's of the Murrieta homes near your target area. According to a local Murrieta real estate executive, speaking to neighbohood representatives can give you information that you cannot obtain from a real estate agent.

Murrieta real estate agents often speak with home buyers looking for information about the community. Agent's provide details about the neighborhoods in Murrieta, facts about the city in general and the history of relationships with neighboring cities. While agents may steer prospective home buyers to the appropriate Web sites for information about property taxes, schools, crime and jurisdictional matters such as county and state roles, their primary help to potential residents is the knowledge of and insight into the neighborhood.

Web sites for the city, county and state as well as any local Murrieta website are a good place to begin your Internet research. You can learn about the area, individual properties and the jurisdictional hierarchy. Visit the town or city site to gather information about the specific neighborhood and property, including the name of the city council member; the ward and precinct; the police beat; the local school; the polling place; the census tract; and even the garbage, trash and recycling pickup schedules. Then visit the county Web sites to learn about individual properties and their assessments, property taxes and tax history.

Starting with the Basics

What are the basic signs of a desirable Murrieta neighborhood? In your research about a neighborhood, you should look for:

• Value appreciation —Murrieta real estate in a good neighborhood will have a history of appreciating in value, which you can check by investigating resale prices.
• Low crime —Contact the Murrieta police department for crime statistics by neighborhood and by block.
• Good schools—Schools dictate the property taxes of an area, and quality schools indicate interest in educational values, which translates into a stable neighborhood, whether or not you have children in school.
• Residential zoning that is consistently enforced —You do not want to live near an industrial factory or a waste land?ll.
• Pride of Murrieta homes and neighborhood —Look for well-kept homes and lawns as well as a neighborhood watch program.
• Clean streets and public parks and facilities —This indicates a sense of community pride.
• Homeowners associations —They are watchdogs for neighborhood character and consistency.

You also may want to check out other factors, such as:

• Ethnic makeup of the neighborhood —Are you a member of an ethnic group and would like to live in a neighborhood where language, food and customs re?ect your ethnic background?
• Diversity of the local residents —Do you want and do you want your children to live in an area where you will meet people of different backgrounds, cultures and ages?
• Socioeconomic status of the inhabitants —Will you feel more comfortable living among neighbors of the same socioeconomic status as yours?
• Ages of families and children in the area —Do you have children or plan to have children who will need playmates?
• Cultural attractions, including libraries, restaurants and theaters — Is going to the theater or eating out on a regular basis an important part of your lifestyle?
• Shopping access —Is it important that groceries, drugstores or hardware stores be nearby? Do you want to be able to walk to or send a child to the store for a bottle of milk?
• Transportation availability —Do you need convenient public transportation within the neighborhood? Do you have access to a car? Would you like to use your car less often?
• Local politics and political/sociological values, which affect school and community issues —Do you want to be certain that local politics and politicians exert a positive in?uence on the community and its institutions, such as schools, libraries and parks?

You can learn about many of these factors, including the positions of local politicians, by reading a local or regional newspaper–often a weekly–or searching for the town's chamber of commerce Web site. Some newspapers in large urban areas also may feature a weekly column about the towns and counties surrounding the city.

If you need any information on Murrieta Real Estate or Property please check our Murrieta Homes section on this website or contact us at any time.