Choosing a new home can be a daunting task. Like most major cities, San Antonio features a variety of homes for sale, but there are many critical things to consider before you can choose the right home for you. Consider the city’s Southside, home to VIDA, then take some time to list out your priorities for a new neighborhood and home life. We’ve rounded up a few tips to help you through the process; explore those ideas below:
- Find a job, then choose a home. One of the best tips to keep in mind when you are looking for a home in an unfamiliar city is to determine where you’ll work before you begin choosing a home. If you know your work location from the outset, you can then search for a home you like within a reasonable distance. This is especially important in a larger city like San Antonio, as the daily and rush hour traffic on San Antonio’s major highways can severely impact your commute time both to and from work. Consider VIDA or the city’s Southside if you’re working downtown—the community offers ease of access to major highways and is close to several major corporations in the city.
- Learn the local roads before buying. Even if you find an ideal home that seems to be near your workplace, you may find that local traffic oddities can impact your commute. It’s a good idea to develop a familiarity with San Antonio’s back roads, particularly to avoid northwest loop 1604 and heavy construction along Loop 410. You’ll still want quick access from your home to one of the two loops but finding a neighborhood with close proximity to an alternate route is important in San Antonio. If highway access is important to your commute, consider VIDA as it sits directly adjacent from Loop 410.
- Consider public transportation. With the above in mind, it’s useful to scout out potential public transportation options to choose a home with easy access to local bus routes. Public transport can save you time and money on daily work and leisure travel. Currently, many of San Antonio’s bus routes are disconnected from one another, making the city’s public transportation difficult to use from some locations if you don’t develop a plan before selecting a home. If you plan to work from home, VIDA will offer a walkable community with high-speed internet access to make your work form home situation ideal and convenient.
- Set your budget and get pre-approval. While setting an upper limit for what you can spend on housing is key in any market, San Antonio is currently experiencing a unique market situation. Homes are selling rapidly, and interest rates are low, creating a tricky environment for buyers. Before you fall in love with a home, make sure you have solidified your budget and secured mortgage pre-approval so you can begin the purchase process in a timely fashion.
- Always schedule an inspection. If you are looking to purchase a used home, inspection is an extremely crucial step that can save you thousands in repairs or maintenance costs for unknown issues. In most cases, damaged or problematic areas revealed by an inspection are covered by the seller, either through a reduction in the overall sale price or by arranging for repairs before the sale begins.
- Consider south San Antonio. South San Antonio is one of the best places to invest in living long-term. VIDA, adjacent to Texas A&M – San Antonio, will completely transform the city’s south side into a robust commercial, residential, recreational, and retail hub. Prices in the area should remain steady in the near future until the one million square acre project reaches its potential to increase south San Antonio property values, supplying a fantastic opportunity to build equity.
If you’re looking to find the ideal south San Antonio home, consider the vibrant VIDA community, which boasts convenient access to the above-listed amenities. Learn more by contacting VIDA today.