There's a reason why location is still the number one word in real estate. Not surprisingly a new survey by Kelton Research, commissioned by HomePages, a division of HouseValues, finds that neighborhood is the first item checked on the househunters' lists.

That leads to more questions -- what makes a neighborhood the right one?

The survey, conducted of 800 Americans across the nation, reveals that nearly three out of four (72 percent) Americans consider the neighborhood first -- even before thinking about the house. While just as many (73 percent) would give up their dream home in order to live in a great neighborhood. The survey also found that 92 percent of respondents believe that location is everything when purchasing a house.

Homes are about more than houses -- they are about proximity to jobs, services, community resources, schools, parks, dining, entertainment, friends, and family, and much more.

That's why the search for the right home can take days to years.

Eighty-two percent of respondents own their home. Nearly a fourth spent less than one month searching for a home, while a quarter took between one and three months. Fifteen percent spent more than four to six months. When the homebuyers went to websites to look for homes (of 77 surveyed), most looked at listings (52 percent) followed by statistics on crime, schools, and home prices (35 percent), while 27 percent looked at maps and (10 percent) directions.

That could be one reason why HomePages has launched with an incredibly "cool" feature -- aerial mapping so that homebuyers can actually see their target homes in relationship to neighborhood amenities.

While trolling for information, hombuyers agreed that "safety" is the number one factor when selecting a neighborhood, nearly twice as important as "good schools," and three times more than the "feel" or "amenities" of the house itself.

The five most important neighborhood traits were ranked as:

Safety -- 39 percent
Good schools -- 15 percent
Feel of the home -- 12 percent
Size of the home -- 9 percent
A short commute -- 9 percent

The survey found that life cycle also had a lot to do with neighborhood preferences. Of those surveyed with school-aged children, "good schools" is the single most important factor in a potential neighborhood -- nearly seven times higher than ranked by "empty nesters" (five percent). They also value schools six times more than the "size of the home" and five times more than the "feel" or "amenities" of the house itself (six and seven percent, respectively).

Approximately 25 million Americans say they would like to buy a home in the next year, and one in three will be first time home buyers (30 percent). More than a quarter of those who plan to buy a home in the next year are under the age of 30 (28 percent) and nearly half are under 40 (45 percent).

According to the survey, more than half American adults (54 percent) believe the nation is in a sellers' market. Meanwhile, more than three out of four (77 percent) believe home prices will continue to rise, indicating that it may well be a sellers' market, but there will never be as good of a time to buy as now.

HomePages, the first national home buying and selling service to combine aerial maps, in-depth neighborhood information, and nationwide home listings into one website. It's designed to give a complete picture of where they want to live in a way they have never seen before, says the site, in a neighborhood-centric manner combining detailed neighborhood information (community demographics, crime stats, school details, parks and recreation, and local amenities and services) with searchable aerial imagery and integrated home listings to help consumers make the best decision about buying or selling a home.

Published: October 12, 2005

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.