Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

How do you choose where to live? How can you compare towns? Which town or neighborhood is better than the other? Is it safe to live here? How are the schools? Is the town well managed?

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When searching for a home, my clients often challenged by narrowing down their search to a certain town or area. So many towns seem similar when they are comparing priorities. So they ask me, their real estate agent which town is “better.” That is a super subjective question and one that they can only answer for themselves. Luckily there are a lot of way to evaluate and compare towns. Here are a few of ways to help you decide

By the numbers

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• Data Commons - combines data from from public sources and provides comprehensive data including population, economics, crime stats, and other demographics.

• Real Estate Tax Rates

• Home Sales Prices and Sales Data

• greatschools.org or niche.com for comparing schools

What you can see

Google Maps: Start with Map View and look for highways, green space, overall density. Switch to Satellite to see how greenspace is used, are areas heavily paved, or how close is that neighborhood to a particular place, use Street View to travel the downtown areas, parks and neighborhoods, and of course use directions to help you determine commutes.

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What you can experience: see, hear and smell!

There is nothing like actually experiencing an area yourself. It at all possible, drive around and make notes!

Try to see a town or an area on both a weekend and a busy weekday! You might be surprised to learn the difference between a sleepy Sunday morning and 3pm on Wednesday! Look for traffic congestion, unexpected manufacturing sounds or farm smells, or shopping and see how people are getting about.

Also really look at the homes in neighborhoods you are considering. If it is safe to do so, walk the neighborhood and see if people are keep up their homes or not. Can you tell if a neighborhood is improving, stable or maybe going downhill a little bit. Are homes being renovated or improved? Ask your real estate agent for data - they should be able to provide a snapshot of ownership time for that neighborhood.

What people say

Start researching more about the town.

• Set up a Google News Alert for each town you are considering

• Lookup crime rates and visit the local police station

• Check out the town’s municipal website and sign up for notifications. You can get a good idea what is important to the community by the announcements the town posts on their website. Also take a look at the agendas and meeting minutes for Planning Boards, Conservation Commission, School Committees or any part of the town services that are important to you.

• Join Community Groups on Facebook or Nextdoor - remember there are lots of people who complain on these groups, so expect the worst and definitely confirm any info shared there with a reliable source.

• And while driving or walking around or at a local restaurant, ask people for their opinions! Ask them why they live there, what they love, what they hate about the town.

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Choosing where to purchase a home and live can be daunting. But it is worth making the time investment to explore those communities and decide for yourself!