Choosing where to build your home is the first step to making your dream home a reality. I’m sure most people have asked their friend, “would you ever live here?” when driving through a suburb, or have thought “wow, this place looks pretty”. With so much land and so many houses on the market, it can be overwhelming to know where to start the next chapter of your life.

Hopefully, these 10 tips will help you understand what makes a home in a good location and clarify your decision.

1. Neighbourhood

Make sure you do an analysis of the suburb. Desirable locations are often times in close proximity to a variety of amenities including quality outdoor spaces or nearby parks, local community hubs, shopping centres/strips and great schools. If you’re an outgoing person, you could even knock on doors and have a chat with the people who currently live in the suburb, to see what they think about the area.

2. Future

Are you looking for a home to settle down in for 10 years? Are you looking to grow your family? Will there be renovations? These are the questions to ask yourself to make sure you can max out the value of the house and make sure it has the potential to meet your expectations and dreams now and into the future. Try not to focus on needs that are more short-term and think about the lifespan of the home for you and your family.

3. Safety

Research the crime rates in the area. This might sound like a pain, but at the end of the day it can ultimately affect your hip pocket. In addition to the potential safety concerns, if an area is statistically shown to be more prone to crime and/or property damage, it can affect how much it costs for an insurer to provide home and contents insurance. According to South Australia Police crime statistics from July 2018 to March 2019, the top 10 safest suburbs in South Australia are Mount Osmond, Erindale, Glenalta, Rosslyn Park, Upper Sturt, McLaren Flat, Stonyfell, Craigburn Farm, Teningie, and Auldana. From this same data, the following suburbs had the highest crime rate Elizabeth, Port Adelaide, Adelaide City, Smithfield, Oaklands Park, Kilkenny, Elizabeth South, Modbury, Ridleyton and Salisbury. To alleviate any concerns (and to reduce your premiums) if you live in a high-crime area you should consider installing additional security measures such as deadlocks and alarms. Having family members nearby, particularly elderly family members, may also be a safety consideration to make. It is also worth considering the likelihood of natural disaster such as bushfires and flooding, termites etc. in the area.

4. Family-friendly

Quieter streets with minimal traffic are generally safer for children. Think about the surrounding amenities that you can access with your kids at all stages of life and as a family day out. Popular schools may also attract a higher number of families moving into the zone, so even if you aren’t planning on your kids attending a particular school, it could mean that there’s a higher number of young families in the area or that the suburb is in higher demand than others.

5. Development

Future amenities can improve property value for when you are looking to sell in the future. A quick online search can bring up results for any plans to build shopping centres, community hubs or any other amenities. Also, consider the amount of sunlight that will come through depending on the low or high side of the road. You can get a much lower price if the house is located on a busy road or next to a highway.

6. Proximity

A good location for homebuyers often has nearby transport links, well-ranked schools, and community involvement. Consider how accessible public transport is, the traffic at peak times, and knowing how far your loved ones are from you. According to recent surveys, Adelaide has an average daily commute of 56 minutes, which is considered short compared to some other states, such as Sydney with an average commute of 71 minutes.

7. Community

Bear in mind, you are also choosing the community when you choose the location. Whether you want to live north, east, south, or west, here is a general mental picture of how the location can meet your needs:

• Urban and city fringe living: Bustle of vibrant nightlife, entertainment scene, great top-rated eating options, a shorter commute to work if in the city. Also comes with smaller homes/apartment living.
• Coastal living: enjoy walking along the beach, popular brunch spots, good work/life balance.
• Suburban neighbourhoods: Lots of shopping centres/strips, transport links, access to many schools, lower traffic, mostly quiet and perfect for those looking to start a family.

8. Test runs & ask locals

From looking at the community Facebook pages to driving through the suburb and soaking up the vibe could really test if it would suit and complement your lifestyle. Go to viewings or display homes and ask local real estate agents who are familiar with the suburb their turnover rates to give you pointers. In the current climate, it can also be worth asking any local agents if they have off-market listings in your desired locations to see if you can get a leg up over the competition.

9. Personal commitments

Think about your hobbies and which you hold as most important – whether that be gym, church, school, shopping etc and make sure you will have easy access to these in the future. In an ideal world, it would be amazing to find a location that ticks all the boxes but if you can’t, rank them in terms of highest priority and find somewhere that contains at least your top few. Overall, Adelaide is somewhat easy to navigate and depending on where you settle, nothing is ever too far from reach.

10. Review your budget

Talk to your bank or broker to determine what you can afford in the long run before you start looking for a place. Know your limits and set yourself a realistic budget to account for purchasing both the land and building the new home if you choose to go down this route.

Looking for more tips? Read our recent blog that talks about further key home location considerations. Lofty also offers house and land packages with an extensive range of beautiful home designs and locations to choose from. With a house and land package, you get the ultimate two-in-one solution and convenience. It all starts with a conversation. Get in touch with us today.