Buying the house itself is only part of home buying. When you buy a new home, you choose a brand new place to live. In some cases, that place might be unfamiliar or far away from where you lived before. So, it's important to keep the local area in mind during your search. But how can you determine...

Photo by Solis Images via Shutterstock While "the perfect neighborhood" means different things to different people, everyone can use the same process for narrowing down their options. Choosing the right neighborhood is an integral aspect of the buying process. You want an area that matches your needs for community, lifestyle, price range and more. If you're planning to...

There was a time when moving across the country was a trip into the unknown. For some, that prospect may be an exciting one. For a homeowner with bills to pay or children to raise, the more you know about a place the better. Fortunately, today’s technology equips us with tools to learn everything (or almost everything) we need...