You’ve probably heard the saying, “first impressions can be deceiving.” That can be true, especially when you’re looking for a new home.

If you’re exploring potential neighborhoods to Target with your home search, a quick drive around the area can be revealing. You can discover a lot about the character of the community.

However, if you’re seriously considered buying a home in a particular neighborhood, you should find out if it’s ideal is it appears through the dashboard window. One way to do that is to park the car and walk around. Explore the streets and pathways. Get a shoes on the ground perspective. If the opportunity arises chat with a homeowner.

Another way is to access data to the area. In most cases, you can find the details such as owner to renter ratio, noise rating, and more. You can also determine if any planned local development might impact your lifestyle in the future.

And, don’t forget about those characteristics you can’t see at first glance but might have a big impact. For example, if you plan to take transit to work, you don’t want to find out, after you move in, that the nearest transit stop is a 20-minute walk away!

Chances are your first impression of a neighborhood is correct. But, take the time to find out for sure.