Rent House in Neighborhood Before Buying

Before buying a new house in a new area, first rent a home for a few months in the vicinity you're planning on living. Allow yourself a period of time to see how the area is for you. See what's around the neighborhood if it really is the area for you and your family. Find out if there are local dairies or pig farms. These could be smelly, and interrupt those summer time backyard cookouts.

Flies could also be a factor. Find out what was there at one time on the ground where your new dream house is located. If it was a wash or a quarry, could there later be sifting soil, erosion, washouts, sinkholes? How's the flood zones in that area? It's better to do this, than to rush into purchasing a new home and regret it later, for some reason or another.

By Terri from NV