https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:36:09 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829925 Thu, 21 Jun 2018 10:18:06 +0000 looch 2829925@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Budget was the first factor, I mean, we could only afford what we could afford. Once we determined the town, I wanted to make sure that we were in a place where we couldn't hear the train running through and that the neighborhood was owner occupied. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829882 Thu, 21 Jun 2018 07:50:55 +0000 Littlebit7 2829882@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We live right outside nyc so this will have an urban slant to it. When we were thinking about leaving manhattan we considered a mix of a few nonnegotiables. A third bedroom, outdoor space, FreshDirect must deliver there, walkable community (no car needed) family friendly, short commute to midtown, budget. We didn’t want suburbs.<br /> We didn’t really care about parking onsite, amenity building, doorman, gym, </p> <p>Where we ended up we got all of our non negotiables but had to sacrifice natural light, we still have a flight of stairs, we have neighbors above and below. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829828 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 21:05:10 +0000 wrkbrk 2829828@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: We wanted a close drive to work (3 minutes), and the ability to walk to bars, restaurants, shops, the park, Starbucks. This meant a somewhat urban area in our town which we were fine with - bonus is housing prices are cheaper than in the burbs. Downside is private school but we are ok with that as we only have one child. We live in the oldest historic neighborhood in our city, and due to the reasonable property values, were able to build our dream townhouse! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829746 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 14:58:01 +0000 Foodnerd81 2829746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jennlin821: I relied a lot on reputation (like, literally hearing random people talk about where the good schools are), friends who have moved recently, and local best high school lists. I didn’t do a ton of research beyond that- figuring as long as the schools were regarded as “good” we could make it work. I do like that our town has its own high school, compared to the next town over that filters in to a regional high school a little further away- but even that, I’ve later wondered how good it is since it means my kids will be with the same group of students for 12 years and I worry about fitting in and stuff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829693 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:32:59 +0000 catlady 2829693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is timely because we literally just bought a new home. </p> <p>At first, the decision we had to make was whether to stay in our current city (we bought here pre-kids) or move to a nearby suburb. This decision really affected our financial situation because our city is insanely expensive.</p> <p>We ultimately decided to stay, and our main reasons were:<br /> - Short commutes (i.e. more time for our kids)<br /> - Walkability &amp; local amenities<br /> - Diverse and well-funded schools<br /> - A liberal, civic minded environment for our kids to grow up in</p> <p>In terms of choosing a new home, we did want some things upgraded from our current one, so we chose:<br /> - A quieter and prettier street<br /> - A location that makes the walk to school possible/shorter (for all grades, K-12)</p> <p>I will admit that it was a tough choice to stay here and we had to sacrifice a lot. We could have gotten a gorgeous house with a huge lot in the suburbs, but we ended up with a small 2nd floor condo with no outdoor space instead. We've loved living here all these years though, so I'm really hoping it ends up being worth it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829650 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 11:09:00 +0000 pachamama 2829650@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: My mom gave me family land as my inheritance because my town is so expensive I couldn't afford to buy, and she wanted me to be close. So she gifted me a vacant plot. I am the 4th generation to be near my family's land and it makes me so so happy and proud. My aunt lives next door and owns 3 properties near me. But it's in town in a very vibrant small city, near parks and good schools. I built when I was 25 and it was the best thing I have ever done next to snagging my sweetie husband. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829646 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 11:05:22 +0000 Alba4 2829646@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>-budget<br /> -proximity to train (While neither my husband nor I commute into NYC, we still wanted the option to walk/short drive to the Metro North station. )<br /> -schools<br /> - larger home &amp; yard ( we went more north so that we could afford an acre and a +2,000 sq for home)<br /> -charm ( it was easier to pull the trigger once we found a home we thought was cute and functional)<br /> -potential (We bought our home before we had kids. It had enough bedrooms, a finished basement, etc so that it could be our home for raising a family. We bought knowing fully well that there was much to improve upon, but knowing we could customize and make it what we want little by little). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829586 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 10:03:16 +0000 Mrs D 2829586@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Schools and location where highest for us.</p> <p>Lot size, layout, homes was probably next in line.</p> <p>I supposed budget was overriding...like we only looked in subs we could afford.</p> <p>When we bought our house we were the first home sale in 5 years in our sub, since then it has seen 15-20 home sell. Its been great - it was not something we predicted when house hunting but has definitely worked in our favor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829583 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 09:56:51 +0000 catgirl 2829583@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Budget - it sucks that this had to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, factors but it was. We are moving back to our home state after being gone for six years. We had been priced out of a lot of areas we were interested in (from the actual home prices as well as taxes). </p> <p>Commute - I stay at home so we had to focus on DH's current commute but also the areas he would likely work in the future if he looks for a new job. We also wanted to be within a certain distance from both of our families - they are the main reason we are moving back. </p> <p>Schools - we wanted to feel comfortable with the education our DD and any potential children would receive. Wanted an area that values education. </p> <p>After those things it was just a matter of liking the house, yard, etc. We are currently under contract on a house and set to close and move next month. It's in a town with amazing schools that we never thought we could afford. It's a very modest house compared to most of the town, but that doesn't bother us. It is on a relatively busy road, which I'm not thrilled about, but the backyard is great. (Also the busy road is only two lanes, one each direction, and the speed limit near us is 35, it just sees a lot of cars during rush hour - so it's not like a four lane highway). </p> <p>Our budget was not going to give us everything we would have liked to have so we tried to remain very realistic. In the end we both feel it was the best house we saw in the two months of looking. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829570 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 09:44:04 +0000 Sams Mom 2829570@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jennlin821: I know a lot of teachers in the school districts we looked at and the one we ultimately chose. I also looked up class sizes, teacher retention if possible, drove by a lot of schools. Spoke to friends that kids enrolled in the ones I looked at if I knew them or they were a friend of a friend. </p> <p>I competed against all of the schools I looked at in high school sports so I already knew what high schools I wanted our children to be funneled into from the neighborhood elementary and middle schools. </p> <p>It's hard because there isn't a set reliable resource to look at to pick a school. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829563 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 09:33:07 +0000 Modern Daisy 2829563@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started with the school district. It’s near where I grew up, close to both of our jobs and one of the best in the country. The house we just sold was in a great neighborhood but on a busy street with loud highway noise. It was also far from the downtown action and being so close to highways was congested getting home at night. This time around we at least wanted a quiet residential street in a real neighborhood but got lucky and ended up on a cul du sac closer to downtown and both of our jobs. We of course had to sacrifice a lot, it’s at the top of our price range and needs work, but after years of chasing kids away from busy road and not being able to hear each other over the highway noise we had enough. Plus it’s not like we’d spend the money on Reno’s right now anyway with the kids being so young and destructive. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829558 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 09:27:11 +0000 jennlin821 2829558@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How does everyone research schools? And in researching, what is important to look for? We are just starting to look and I have NO IDEA where to start, other than with budget. (We are pre-approved, and have the $ part down, is just everything else...) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829514 Wed, 20 Jun 2018 08:23:27 +0000 snowjewelz 2829514@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>- Budget<br /> - Commuting distance<br /> (in our case, not so much for work but to our families)<br /> - School district </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829475 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 22:00:14 +0000 Grace 2829475@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Here’s what we considered in order<br /> - safety: I wasn’t going to live in a section of the city that I considered unsafe<br /> - budget: this priced out lots of neighbourboods<br /> - commute to DH’s work: he takes the bus downtown to avoid parking and we needed to live somewhere where the bus ride wouldn‘t deter him from taking the bus<br /> - character: wanted an older home in established area, not a new build in a subdivision (which was handy, because we were priced out of most of those areas and it was too far a commute anyways)<br /> - backyard: had to be space for a garden and playing etc</p> <p>We ended up in an area we had never considered. It’s kind of hidden and people never go into the area unless you live there. It has everything we wanted and as a bonus is walking distance to 5 playgrounds, shopping and three parks (one is the biggest in the city). I would never give up that walkability now that I’ve had it. Also, school wasn’t really a concern because here, if the neighbourhood is good, the schools usually are too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829474 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 21:45:36 +0000 Sams Mom 2829474@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our list consisted of:</p> <p>-More space<br /> -Larger lot (couldn't get what I wanted and maintain other important musts)<br /> -School district<br /> -Closeness to major highways and preferred stores but not right in town<br /> -It was actually further from my work from our old place, but quite a bit closer for my husband and he had the longest commute up until this last January.<br /> -The area in general, we are surrounded by much larger, much more expensive homes; so we benefit from property values and nicer parks/public spaces and low crime </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829465 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 21:05:16 +0000 lamariniere 2829465@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lindseykaye: I met a native Floridian the other day at the pool, and he was all "yeah, this is no big deal". :wink: I must admit, I miss winter! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829462 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 20:50:18 +0000 lindseykaye 2829462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lamariniere: Florida girl here so we have all of the above, year-round really. But, I am a native so I was raised with all of that and suppose I'm just used to it now :)</p> <p>We chose our city because it's the perfect mix of urban/suburban for us as well as a sweet-spot for size/population. Both my husband and I grew up on the gulf coast of FL in a larger city but that was highly populated by an older demographic. The city is gorgeous, but also quite sprawling and has a very expensive cost of living. When we graduated college tons of people asked when we would move 'back home' and we just had no plans to do so. We ended up staying in our college town without any doubts. Because of the university, we have a great younger population as well as a high population of familes with younger kids. There are tons of amenities that are associated with and available thanks to university like free art museums, natural history museums, parks, nature conservatory areas and gardens. There are also tons of city parks and municipal amenities, as well as awesome community events like art festivals, free downtown concerts, multiple farmer's markets, a thriving arts and music culture, great local restaurants, etc.<br /> It's also a moderate drive to several larger cities in our state which are vacation destinations themselves as well as multiple airport options for out-of-state traveling. </p> <p>Within our city, we chose our neighborhood not for the schools (actually we live in an area with consistently under performing schools or however you want to say it) but because we love the older homes, the setup of the streets, and the proximity to our downtown area. Technically we could walk/bike downtown - which we did when we were younger. We freqently walk to two neighborhood parks, a community pool, and the historic house/gardens where we were married just to have picnics and also see Santa every year at the tree lighting. We wanted a home that was older block construction (built 1950) but had been updated a bit so we would know it had 60 years of surviving hurricane seasons behind it. About half our city is also within flood zones so we wanted to be outside of that area. We like the canopy streets and mature trees, and being within a few blocks of many of our close friends for playdates and impromptu dinners. I think in the last 10 years we've moved three times (two rentals and our current owned home) all within a 7 square block radius! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829457 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 20:29:01 +0000 Becky 2829457@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We chose to live in the area we live in so we could be near family. I lived across the country for a while which made me realize my highest priority was living near family. I wouldn’t have chosen to live in this specific part of the state and ideally would live in either New England or out west. The neighborhood we live in is nothing short of idyllic. It is a very friendly, laid back,and family-oriented place (also there is no open container law and people don’t abuse it, but it means we get to do things like load the wagon with adult beverages on Halloween while we tote our kids all over town). We weren’t sure if we wanted to live in the village or in a more rural part of town and we took a (big) leap and bought our house when we weren’t even looking because it’s on 0.8 acres (surrounded on two sides by woods) and in walking distance of Main Street where the restaurants and everything are. We live in the highest rated district in WNY which was attractive as well. When I drive through more rural areas I get a pang of wishing I was living there but being so close to amenities, the playground, being able to walk the kids somewhere instead of drive if I want, being able to stop and talk with neighbors outweighs it for me. Basically I couldn’t pick a better town to live in but I wish we could transport it to a different area for weather and topography. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829451 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 19:52:06 +0000 lamariniere 2829451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Hypatia: I had to laugh at mosquitoes, 95 degree days, and venomous snakes! I can commiserate, as we have all the same here! Huge adjustment compared to where we used to live as we are in the tropics now, so it's in the 90s just about every day, and we have all the lovely creatures that thrive in tropical weather. Luckily, I haven't seen any snakes yet, but I know cobras and other venomous snakes can be found in the city. :shocked: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829443 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 19:42:20 +0000 Hypatia 2829443@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We cared nothing about schools because we'll be homeschooling. After we moved in, it was announced they'd be building a new elementary school like a block away from us. The traffic alone is going to put a damper on our new place (they're combining two schools). And of course, everyone expects us to be excited about the development, ha. Oh well. </p> <p>We chose the location because it was about 20 minutes from my husband's work (I stay at home). The style of house is exactly what we like--a real log cabin with plenty of space for our family to grow. Two acres of land. A stream within walking distance. </p> <p>We love the house itself, but we used to live in the mountains where it is 10 - 15 degrees cooler. We are not used to swarms of mosquitoes, 95 degree days, or venomous snakes (technically there are two kinds of venomous snakes where we used to live, but they are extremely rare). And the culture is quite different --out old town had live music every night, free concerts, movies on the lawn, clubs, community events, etc. This town (and really the greater area) just doesn't have any of that. People just go to church or to the cinema for fun. We're actually considering moving back, even though the commute would be 1 hour 45 minutes. I know that's crazy, but we just miss out old town. We will be keeping an eye out for any job openings there for sure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829442 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 19:40:50 +0000 annem1990 2829442@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's so interesting to see everyone's point of view!</p> <p>For us - walkability. We currently only have 1 car and would love to keep it like that as long as possible. I am a SAHM (usually w/o the car) so I need to be able to walk to the grocery, library, parks etc. A more "urban feel" than strictly suburban.</p> <p>Schools are a close 2nd. Although LO is still a baby, it's important for us to be engrained in a community where education is highly valued. I used to be a teacher so I believe in lots of parental involvement, school community, etc.</p> <p>Things that aren't important to us: backyard (we live in a condo) and square footage. We have zero interest in having the maintenance of a house...but I totally see how a lot of people do value having a traditional home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829440 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 19:25:28 +0000 Ms. RV 2829440@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Biggest thing for me was that I wanted a low maintenance, simple home, but still wanted a single family home. I found a builder that does that and they happened to be building a plan in the school district I wanted to be in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829435 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 19:20:34 +0000 lamariniere 2829435@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ours was mostly about location. We live in a sprawling city of more than 8 million and my DH's work is on the opposite side the city from our children's school. We are roughly between the two. I work from home and wanted to be able to walk to public transit without having to rely on a taxi or tuktuk. I love the building complex we are in. The apartments are modern and beautiful, we have a killer view, there are lovely amenities and a giant pool. The pool is also fairly secure as it is not on the ground level. Kids cannot independently access it since you have to go through the gym complex or garage to get to it. Most of the socializing goes on at the gym, pool, or children's play area. But this is also a place where you can be as discreet or as open as you want, as far as meeting neighbors. In the actual buildings, you can remain very discreet if you are a bit more of a homebody. I've definitely met people randomly, and then never crossed paths with them again! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829434 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 19:17:47 +0000 Mrsbells 2829434@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Schools, location and community are the main reasons we chose our home. I love everythung except the commute to work </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829432 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 18:56:05 +0000 Foodnerd81 2829432@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: actually the other house we liked (but on the main road) had a pond between the road and the house, and a small pool in the backyard. The pool was secured but still made me nervous, but there was no way to secure the pond. I couldn’t handle the anxiety I would have about drowning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829431 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 18:42:41 +0000 agold 2829431@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just bought a new house and had to consider all of these things. Town is the town in which we both grew up and still love. Side of town is newer homes with smaller yards. We picked the newer homes because we like the more modern layouts. We wanted a specific neighborhood in order to be walking distance to a fun park and a great elementary school. We ended up with a house in a great neighborhood at the very top of the hill with a view and in a culdesac... but it has a tiny back yard. Ugh. We really wanted a pool size yard. But this house has everything else we want so it seems that backyard wasn't the highest priority for us. Not high enough, at least, for us to consider a different neighborhood. The culdesac and nice front yard sort of makes up for it. Ultimately, all the homes we really would have liked that had better back yards were consistently out of budget. Bummer. So this home will be great for nice amount of time, just hopefully not a forever home for us. And while we really want a pool, the sad recent death of Bode Miller's little girl close in age to my own girl hit us really close to home and we are okay without a pool for a good number of years. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829402 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 16:44:07 +0000 PurplePumps 2829402@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We narrowed down to a general area based on our commute to work. From there, we picked a few towns that we wanted to be in based on public school ratings. And then from there, we had very little choices of the size and condition of home that fit our budget, maybe 8-10 in each town. We had been looking for months and had seen every single house in our budget in the 4 towns we were looking at and was just waiting for more homes to come on the market. We started to (and this is dangerous) look above our budget a little, and ended up finding our house which we loved...On a quiet street, 2 acres of flat land, fairly private (about 1 acre for the house/grass and the other trees in the back and all along the sides), but not so much so that you feel isolated, and quick access to main road. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/why-did-you-choose-your-home-neighborhood#post-2829397 Tue, 19 Jun 2018 16:14:34 +0000 Foodnerd81 2829397@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The post from a few days ago about privacy got me thinking about why people choose their specific homes? Like, we chose our town based on a number of things, location, schools, community, but within the town we had options. We found a house we liked that was set prettt far back from the main road, very pretty with woods surrounding it, and lots of privacy- but I really wanted to be in a neighborhood where I could see and meet neighbors. Houses on quiet roads were more expensive so we got an older house that needed more work to be done to get into a neighborhood on a quiet street. </p> <p>The trade off if we are kind of far from most things and can’t walk anywhere. If I didn’t care about being in a neighborhood we could have gotten closer to town on a busier street. I know other people value privacy more, or the amount of land, or being right in town, etc. </p> <p>So, curious what other people were looking for! </p>