Finding the Right Neighbourhood - The Social Way

Buying the worst home in the best neighbourhood is better than buying the best home in the worst neighbourhood- that is one of the first key points to remember when buying a property.

But either when buying a home or renting a place, finding the right neighbourhood to live in is essential as it determines your lifestyle. Research has also shown that the happier you are with the neighbourhood you live in, the more satisfied you will be with life!

So what should you look for in a neighbourhood? How do you find the right neighbourhood? Interestingly, most of us don’t even know where to start when deciding which neighbourhoods to consider. We turn to family and friends for their opinions, read reviews online, try to Google what we can about the neighbourhood… but are usually met with clashing opinions and scarce information.

Don’t you just wish there was an all-in-one stop for you to find everything you need to know about a neighbourhood? Well then your prayers have been answered! Here’s a quick guide on the 5 things to look for in a neighbourhood and how PropSocial.my’s extensive “Neighbourhood Review” and “Follow Neighbourhood” features can help you make the right decision.

1. Amenities

What are the amenities within the neighbourhood? Are there any supermarkets or convenience stores nearby? How far from my home are these amenities? Are there any schools in the area for my children?

These are some of the questions you should ask when picking a neighbourhood. It is essential to know what you need and then determine whether amenities and facilities within the neighbourhood are able to meet your requirements.

To start off, just type in any neighbourhood into the search engine on PropSocial.my and choose the “Neighbourhood” from the drop-down list.

After that, check out the “Neighbourhood Review” where you can find all the amenities available in your selected neighbourhood!

Click on the different amenities to see their exact location within the neighbourhood and just hover over each to see their distance from the neighbourhood.

2. Crime rate / Safety & security

Safety is also another important element to look for when finding the right neighbourhood. Though crime can happen anywhere, some neighbourhoods may be safer than others, given factors like whether it is a gated and guarded community, is there a residents’ association, socioeconomic characteristics and so on.

The “Neighbourhood Review” on PropSocial.my provides an overall rating of the crime rate in a neighbourhood while the “Property Review” also informs you the type of security of any property or development.

3. Accessibility & traffic

How accessible your neighbourhood is from other towns and cities also plays a major role in the convenience it can bring to your daily living. Though not everyone has to live in a neighbourhood that is highly accessible, it is an important factor for most Malaysians, especially those who work in the cities and business hubs and have to travel to work on a daily basis.

Being able to know traffic conditions in the areas surrounding the neighbourhood is also an added advantage.

PropSocial’s interactive map on the “Neighbourhood Review” and “Property Review” pages enable you to see real-time traffic conditions, as well as routes to important amenities!

There is also a “Custom Routes” feature, whereby you can type in any key location, such as your workplace to find out how far away or near the property is and decide whether it is the right place to live.

4. Social environment

As the saying goes, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, the community you live in will have a significant impact on your children. For instance, living in a culturally diverse neighbourhood can enable your child to interact with other children of different backgrounds.

The demographics of a neighbourhood also determines other aspects of it, such as the types of schools (e.g.: international, SK, SJK (C), SJK (T) etc.), choices of food and restaurants, availability of specialty supermarkets and so on.

The neighbourhood of Mont Kiara is a good example. With a demographic made up of mostly Korean expats and other non-Malaysians. Hence, there are a good number of international schools there as well as countless Korean restaurants and supermarkets.

So how do you find out the demographics of a neighbourhood? Well luckily, PropSocial.my is the first property portal featuring detailed demographics of a neighbourhood! With this one-of-a-kind feature, determine the type of social environment you and your family would like to live in!

5. Liveability & affordability

Cost of living is strong determinant in deciding whether a neighbourhood is right for you. Though not everything in life is about money, the neighbourhood you choose to live in should be affordable enough to ensure that you don’t have to work 3 jobs just to live in it!

To help you determine whether the neighbourhood of your choice is liveable and affordable enough, PropSocial’s “Neigbourhood Reviews” also feature a Consumer Price Index (CPI) graph, which shows you the fluctuation in price of essential goods in the neighbourhood, giving you a general idea of how liveable the neighbourhood is.

Aside from that, it is also imperative to know the prices of homes in the neighbourhood. This will give you an idea of whether the neighbourhood fits your budget and the value of properties in the neighbourhood over time.

On the interactive map of the “Neighbourhood Review”, you can see the different properties within the neighbourhood. Just hover over each to see their price and click on “View More Details” to find out more on their “Property Review” page.

With PropSocial, you can also gain access to the transacted prices of properties in your chosen neighbourhood, which in turn can give you insight into their value and average prices. Mouse over each “dot” on the graph to get exact details on the price and even dates of the transactions!

Additional steps to determining the right neighbourhood

Though these 5 aspects provide some guideline in what to look for in a neighbourhood, there are additional steps which can be taken to help you pick the right one.

1. Compare and weigh your options before deciding

Though sticking to 1 neighbourhood is easier when doing thorough research on it, it may be good to see what other options you have to gain complete confidence in your decision, especially when it comes to the price of properties.

Don’t have a clue how to compare the transacted prices of properties in different neighbourhoods? PropSocial.my’s “Neighbourhood Review” comes with an analysis and comparison feature! You can also search for your second choice of neighbourhood in the “Compare Neighbourhoods” tool or select the suggested nearby neighbourhoods (as seen below) to begin your comparison!

2. Get to know the community

Though PropSocial.my enables the convenience of finding everything you need to know about a neighbourhood online, nothing beats being there personally to see what life is like in the community. If you can, try to spend some time around the cafes or parks in the neighbourhood and speak to residents there. That way, you can gain insight about life in the community first-hand.

Can’t find the time to hang about or too shy to meet residents? PropSocial has got you covered! The “Neighbourhood Reviews” also feature comments and feedback from the community about the traffic, accessibility, safety, convenience, as well as personal thoughts on living in the neighbourhood!

3. Keep up to date with your neighbourhood(s) of choice

Found the perfect neighbourhood? Well now it may be time to play the ever-dreaded “waiting game”. Whether you are deciding on the type of property, looking for the right loan (here’s a whole other guide on that), or still having some doubts, be sure to stay updated with your neighbourhood of choice.

A little like the “Facebook” of property websites, PropSocial.my also has a little feature called “Follow Neighbourhood” which enables you to “stalk” your favourite neighbourhood!

Here’s how to get instant updates and listings of your preferred neighbourhood:

i) Sign-up as a PropSocial.my user (if you haven’t joined the most exciting property portal yet).

ii) After logging in, go to your “News Feed”.

iii) Wait for the “pop-up” and choose which neighbourhood(s) you’d like to “Follow”. You can also “search” for your preferred neighbourhoods!

iv) Come a across a neighbourhood you like while browsing? Click “Follow This Neighbourhood” on the “Neighbourhood Review”.

And you’re done! Just head on over to your “News Feed” and stay up to date with all listings, news and discussions about your neighbourhood(s) of choice.

A good start, a great finish

Just like starting your day with a good breakfast, begin your search for that perfect property by finding the right neighbourhood. The 5 most important aspects to look at are amenities and facilities, the crime rates or safety and security, accessibility and traffic, the social environment, as well as the liveability and affordability of a neighbourhood.

Make use of PropSocial.my’s extensive data-fed “Neighbourhood Reviews” along with real community feedback to find out all you need to know about a neighbourhood, and stay updated by “Following” the neighbourhood(s) for the latest listings and news!

Found the perfect neighbourhood? Now see what options of properties are there!

See the properties within the neighbourhood on the interactive map.

Other options to finding a property on PropSocial.my include browsing the listings (without having to worry about pesky duplicated or dud listings), getting help from a professional who knows the neighbourhood best or discovering all the different properties within.

Want to make things even easier? Just post requirements of what you’re looking for and with the power of PropSocial's friendly community, help you find your perfect home!