When buying a house an important factor is whether or not it's located in a desirable neighborhood. More than just finding a home that works for you and your family, your investment is precarious if the home isn't located in a good and desirable neighborhood. Most property listings will say in their description "great neighborhood". How do you know for yourself? I've noticed, in the last 10 years working with buyers in NJ, there are 7 factors. Their order of priority is different for each family. For one set of folks, the most important factor might be work and whether or not you can actually get to that work via public transportation. In other families' circumstances, schools is the starting point and everything else follows. In no particular order of priority then, here are my top 7 factors that comprise a Desirable Neighborhood

1. Work , Jobs

What is the general state of the economy in the area? Is there work nearby that you (and your family) are prepared to do.

2. Transportation

Can you get to that work, is there good transportation to the job market? Three trains and a bus is a rotten commute and will not make you any nicer to live with no matter who cheap or spacious the home is!

3. Aesthetics Are there nice, attractive houses, on pretty well maintained streets? When owners have taken significant steps to ensure that their homes look beautiful, lawns are manicured, shrubs trimmed and the trees healthy, you know you're in a neighborhood where people care an there is pride of ownership. That affects value. We're all accustomed to, and susceptible to, packaging. It's the same thing with streets.

4. Safe

Gone are the days of the Neighborhood Watch around here. You have a nosy people, and then you have ADP Security. Does the neighborhood need them? Or do lots of people leave their front doors open for the kids to run in and out? This impacts DEMAND and therefore evaluation.

5. Excellent/good schools

This is the kind of topic that you have to research for yourself. Only you know what your children's needs are. There are public sites like http://www.greatschools.net where you can read what parents have written about the schools their children are in, and then there's Facebook. Ask a question and put it out there. You'll be amazed how many folks are happy to help by chiming in.

6. Stuff to do, Parks, Restaurants & Recreation

If you and your family like birdwatching and don't mind a 15 mile drive to the nearest grocery store then your needs are substantially different from the family where neither parent cooks much. Restaurants, proximity to stores and services, parks... a town pool for the summer. All of this adds to what makes a great neighborhood for one person and a desirable neighborhood overall.

7. Recent Sales, i.e. hold up their value

Ask for recent sales so that you can determine whether homes are holding their value. If not, you need to know why.