You have found the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood -- but will it stay that way? The home of your dreams could turn into a nightmare when four lanes are added to the neighboring highway or your new bedroom winds up under the expanded landing approach to the airport.
Though there is no central source that metro area residents can check to find out everything that's in store for a prospective neighborhood, there are a number of reliable places to start looking.
"The county or city itself is, in most instances, the best resource," said Katie Wethman, a Realtor with the Wethman Group at Keller Williams Realty in McLean. "Master plans for communities are available for review, but most buyers don't take the time to check them out."
Wethman said it usually is as easy as calling up the local zoning office, providing staff the address of the home you're looking to buy, and then finding out what development plans are on the books for that neighborhood.
Joseph Himali, principal broker at Best Address Real Estate in Washington, agrees, pointing out that each individual county and/or city in the metro area has its own development agency and zoning office, both of which are great sources of information. "The most reliable source of information is always the government," he said. Sometimes the information is even available online.
Government sources to check out
-- The county or city zoning office
-- The local economic development agency
-- The state's Department of Transportation
-- D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission meetings
Get the neighborhood scoop on these blogs
-- www.georgetownmetropolitan.com
If you're looking to buy in the District, for example, you can contact the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (http://anc.dc.gov) for your ward to learn about construction and demolition permits in the neighborhood. Or if you plan to purchase in Arlington, you can check out Arlington Economic Development (http://arlingtonvirginiausa.com) to learn about proposed projects in the city. To learn about road or metro expansions, you can check with your state's Department of Transportation.
"The other source is your real estate agent," Himali added. "Your agent should know and be able to provide you sources for information."
If time is an issue, your agent may be able to write a review period contingency into a home offer to give you some time to investigate the neighborhood without losing the opportunity to make a bid on a house, said Sheryl Barnes with Long and Foster Realtors in Chevy Chase.
You might also want to check out neighborhood blogs, where current residents talk about what's happening in their community. Himali points out that a lot of neighborhoods even have their own Facebook pages and listservs. Though blogs and listservs aren't necessarily the most accurate sources of information, they can provide the scoop on any development projects that have residents concerned, and then you can check with the local zoning or economic development office for more details.
"Another good source is your future neighbors," Wethman said. "While it may be awkward to knock on the door of someone you don't know and introduce yourself, these people might be your neighbors, and the best sources of what's going on in a neighborhood are the current homeowners."
