Finding the best location is possibly the most important aspect determining the future value of your home. Any location can also either improve or decline dependent on factors often beyond your own control.

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Initially when looking at a new area there are several helpful websites which will help you to learn more about the location. It's a fairly easy process these days to find out the likely income levels of the people you are thinking about living next door to as well as all matter of general profiling information and demographics. Crime in the area can also be examined in a much similar way. Obviously many aspects come together in making a good area. A trip to the local council can reveal plans which could be just what the area needs, or indeed change things for the worst. Plans for snappy smart flats could send prices upwards, but equally a large factory might not be considered so desirable.

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It's well worth using your own judgment when visiting the local high street or shopping area. Think about who the shops are trying to serve. Slightly more expensive outlets will be tapping into a more affluent shopper so look for coffee bars, restaurants, pricey jewellers and fashion shops. The best location will be in easy reach of these shops but far enough away to be undisturbed them.

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It's well worth trying to seek out areas which are on the verge of becoming popular. Those neighbouring other desirable locations can be set to benefit from the 'ripple effect'. If one area gets overly pricy people may begin looking at locations nearby and the momentum can soon spread.

If you really want to maximise your sale value in a few years time, keep your buyer in mind even before you buy yourself. Is the areas well served for schools, parking and transport? Although these may not be issues that affect you, your next buyer will invariably want them and may be prepared to pay a higher price if they are all readily available. If there are plans to build new schools or improve transport links it may well be a great bet to get in early. These are just the type of additions which turn a good area into a very desirable one.

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Positive improvements will be easily evident. Look for signs of investment from homeowners themselves. There is no better indication that an area is improving if people are prepared to spend their own money on expensive home improvements. Bit by bit an area can start to smarten up and as such a spiral of investment gathers pace.

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One last, but very important point before you call in the Removals firm or instruct a Solicitor, don't forget to check out the area at various time of the day. Does the area suffer from high volumes of traffic at rush hour or drunken violence at night? Think long and hard about the area and what may need examining further. An area near to a local football ground for instance may have issues very different to a town which regularly hosts evening music events. Likewise a University town will have aspects to its character very different to those of a rural market town. So think about what you are buying into and what each location has to offer, both good and bad.