There are dozens of things to consider when looking for a new home. Everyone has their ideal house in mind, whether it is a specious kitchen or huge living room. As exciting as such features might be, finding the right neighbourhood can make the difference between a good deal and a great deal. No one wants to move into a new hood and a few months down the line they are eager to move out.

Watch out for our weekly feature titled “Neighbourhood Watch” which will show case the cost of living in different neighbourhoods in Nairobi, the social amenities there, and cost of transport.

That aside, here are a couple of suggestions of what to consider when searching for that ideal neighbourhood:

1. Security: This a major factor to consider before moving to a new place. How secure will you be, how frequent do house break-ins occur, is the place safe to walk around at night, is car-jacking a frequent thing, how safe will your children be? These are but some of the queries to have when considering to move to a given neighbourhood and you can best get answers by asking the people who live in that place.
2. Cost of Housing: This is another determining factor when it comes to moving into a new place. How affordable are the houses? A bed-sitter apartment could be going for as high as KES 15,000 in South B and for the same amount you can get a two bedroom house in Umoja.
3. Consider the children: If you have children, it is best to place them first when it comes to searching for a house. There are certain neighbourhoods which are not conducive for raising kids in, perhaps because illegal drugs are readily available. Another factor you should note is the neighbourhood’s proximity to your kids school. It is preferable to live as close as possible to your kids' school since you will not incur additional transportation costs for your kids, and  it will be less stressful for the kids when it comes to going to school.
4. Traffic: Traffic jam in Nairobi is becoming worse day by day. You should factor in how long will it take to get to your place of work from home. Cost of transport is another important factor. What is the bus fare during peak and off-peak hours, how high are the fares when it rains. Noting this before hand will help in budgeting your transport expenses.
5. Cost of food: It’s amazing how food prices vary from one neighbourhood to another. Vegetables are cheaper in Kikuyu as compared to Langata. This also brings about the issue of proximity to markets and shops. It can be very frustrating to have to commute long distances in search of a matchbox when you urgently need one.
6. Availability of Internet Connectivity: This mainly affects guys who have to be online at most times. Is the area you would like to relocate to covered by optic fibre or wimax? This would to a large extent determine how much you will spend on internet connectivity.