When searching for a new place to live, don’t feel confined to your current location. Yes, buying a home is a big commitment, but it’s also an opportunity to make a change and venture out into a new neighborhood or a new town altogether. But how will you know if a new area is really for you or if you’ll end up with buyers’ remorse soon after closing the deal? With a little bit of forethought and exploration, it’s easy to feel confident about your potential new neighborhood. Here’s where to start.

Ask yourself these five questions when choosing a home base.

What do you need to have nearby?

Yoga studio owner Annalisa Berns moved from Los Angeles to Big Bear, California, four years ago because she had an epiphany during her housing search—not only did she want to live in the mountains, but she also wanted a community that came equipped with a health food store and other yogis. “Those two things were critical to me,” she says.

Think about your day-to-day life, brainstorm the things that are important to you, then make a list of the amenities that you can’t do without. If living near a yoga studio or specific type of food store is a must-have, drive around the areas closest to those businesses to find pockets of neighborhoods that meet your needs.

Is walking important to you?

For a lot of people, not having stores or eateries within convenient walking distance is a definite no-go, so you should consider if it’s one for you, too. When scoping out at a potential new address, be sure to check Trulia’s amenity maps which pinpoint grocery stores, cafes, salons, and more to get the lay of the land.

“Walkability index is a biggie for me and my husband,” says avid sailor Dana Greyson. She and her husband factor in commutes when they search for housing back on dry land. “We want to have a place where, when we get home, we don’t have to get back into our car to live our life.”

Are you going for a quiet or lively environment?

You may love to hang out and party with friends in a certain bustling neighborhood every weekend, but would you want to buy a home there? Maybe not. Portland, Oregon, resident and realtor Jenelle Isaacson sees a lot of folks in the young, hipster city drawn to the most happening areas, only to find out they don’t exactly match their priorities—or noise-level preference.

“I’ve worked with many clients who are lured to a neighborhood by popular restaurants and coffee shops,” she says. “They want to hang their hats where they hang out on weekends, but when it comes to living in these areas, they suddenly find they don’t like the nuisance of so many other people coming to their neighborhood parking, making noise at night. Being in the middle of the party isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

The takeaway here? Reconcile the fact that if you love an area for its lively atmosphere, lots of others probably do too. Weigh the importance of having hot spots nearby with the importance of a good night’s sleep.

Do you want to have friends nearby?

Whether your besties are already in the neighborhood or you want to chum it up with your new neighbors, you should take into account the kind of social life you hope to have in your brand new home base. Atlanta, Georgia, veteran Carol Gee knew her new community was the one when a neighbor waved to her from across the street as Gee and her husband moved boxes—and they became longtime friends.

Think about how your new home is situated. If you’re on a cul-de-sac or across the courtyard from another neighbor, there’s going to be some required water cooler talk chat. “Some people really like to be in an area where their friends are nearby or at least close enough so they’ll come visit,” says real estate specialist Kathleen Perkins. Others not so much.

After you’ve done your research, does it seem like a place where you’d want to live?

Once you’ve done your due diligence, visiting your potential neighborhood during different hours of the day to get a real sense of it and checking to ensure all the boxes are checked on your must-have list, trust your gut.

Some say intuition is a gift, so go with it. If a neighborhood just feels right, it probably is. On the flip side, if anything gives you pause—hit the pause button. It may be time to try and reach out to residents (or realtors) who actually live there to get a first-hand perspective of what everyday life is like, or it may be time to move on.

Even moving just a few blocks or miles can make for a totally new neighborhood feel. Do your research, then go with your gut.

Articles that might be useful:

• How to Spot an Up and Coming Neighborhood in Your City
• How to Get Acquainted With Your Neighborhood
• Find Your Ideal School in a New Neighborhood
• New Neighborhood? 15 Things To Do Your First Week, Month, and Year
• I Bought My House Without Ever Seeing It
• 11 Telltale Signs It’s Time to Move

Originally published April 7, 2015; updated February 16, 2018.

Moving to a new neighborhood is tough, and it gets harder when the move includes relocating to a new city or neighborhood. Finding your sense of place within a new-to-you community is not always straightforward. Meeting people in your neighborhood can be a bit intimidating, but it’s the most direct route to make a new community feel like your home.

Here are tips to feeling like part of your new neighborhood, whether you’re moving across town or across the country.

Make the first move.

Sure, it can feel daunting to approach a new next-door neighbor and introduce yourself, but they may be equally hesitant to disturb your family, particularly if you seem busy moving boxes and unpacking. So take the initiative and look for an opportunity when the neighbors don’t look rushed or preoccupied either. A wave or hello can open the door without being intrusive, and a simple question about the trash pickup schedule on the block or what local grocery store someone recommends is an easy conversation starter.

Make yourself approachable.

Likewise, create chances for others to welcome you. Sit on the front porch. Take leisurely walks. Or perhaps just focus on being approachable—slow down the usual mad dash to your car every morning and tone down the grumpy expression upon returning from work.

The same rule applies when you’re out and about in the community. At the local diner, pick a bar seat instead of a corner table; there’s something about communal seating that encourages conversation. Take the kids to a nearby playground or park—and don’t keep your face in your phone. Make eye contact, smile, and say hello.

Check out the local hangouts.

Do as the locals do and frequent a local restaurant, farmers market, or shop. Got a dog? Even better. Dog parks practically require you and your pet to make new friends. Soon enough, one of these local hangouts will become a place where at least a few people know your name.

Get involved.

There’s no better way to meet like-minded people than by participating in activities that are meaningful to you. Finding the right fit may just require a little digging. Check with local schools and universities, park districts, recreation commissions, sports organizations, and—perhaps the greatest reference of all—neighbors and fellow parents. Donating your time to community organizations the improve the neighborhood by cleaning up trash, helping other residents, or clearing park trails will help you meet people and get to know the neighborhood.

Parents, of course, have many ready-made outlets for making new friends, like volunteering at the school, getting involved in carpools, and hosting playdates or a Halloween party for the kids on the block.

Use your network.

Take advantage of organized programs that can help you meet others in your new community. If you were active in a church or place of worship in your previous home, ask for a referral to a similar establishment. Many employers offer programs that connect newly relocated workers with longtime residents.

Most colleges and universities also have local alumni chapters. And don’t forget to mine your online networks. Ask Facebook friends if they know anyone in your new town, or search sites like Meetup.com to find others with similar interests. With a little time, you’ll find that community is wherever you make it.

Articles that might be useful:

• New Neighborhood? 15 Things to Do Your First Week, Month, and Year
• How to Win Over Your Neighbors During a Renovation
• Find Your Ideal School in a New Neighborhood
• How to Make Your Home and Neighborhood Safe and Secure

Get to know more about the place you’ve chosen to live with Trulia’s maps detailing schools, crime stats, affordability, and more.

The first thing people think about when they rent a new place is getting renters insurance to protect their belongings, right? No, not really. Almost all homeowners have homeowners insurance—95 percent of them, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Mortgage lenders require it, after all. But only about 40 percent of renters buy renters insurance. If you’re a renter, you may be wondering: What is renters insurance? And how much does it cost? Most policies cost about $15 a month. But the scenarios that renters insurance covers are broader than you might think. Here are some essentials to know when deciding whether to buy a policy.

Renters insurance is a type of insurance that covers your personal property. If someone breaks into your rental and steals your belongings, your landlord typically is not responsible … unless you can prove the landlord was negligent by, say, not providing a lock for your doors or windows. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay to replace what was taken or damaged. But renters insurance would cover the cost of replacing the items. It also often covers damage to your belongings from fire, vandalism, and other disasters.

Any valuables you keep in your car or that you bring with you, such as on vacation, are covered by most renters insurance policies. Renters insurance will reimburse you the same amount whether your bike is stolen from inside your apartment or while parked outside your favorite coffee shop, but whether your insurance pays what your property is worth (actual cash value) or the cost to replace it (replacement-cost coverage) depends on the details of your policy.

Your renters insurance policy sticks with you when you (or, say, your kids) go out into the world, such as to a friend’s house or shopping. “If your kids decide to play around in the china department of a store, can you afford to pay for the damages to the merchandise?” asks Eric Narcisco, CEO of Effective Coverage. “That’s property damage liability, and renters insurance pays for that.”

If your rental unit is unlivable for a time because of damages from a fire or a storm, the cost of a temporary hotel stay would likely be covered by renters insurance. Your policy should kick in even if your neighbor has a fire and management has to turn off utilities to your building for a few days to make repairs. “Loss-of-use coverage on your policy could take care of that for you,” says Narcisco.

What if one of your friends is injured in your apartment? If a friend rolls an ankle because they stepped on your dog’s chew toy in your living room, you’re liable for the medical costs. You’d also be accountable for legal costs if your guest filed a lawsuit. But if you have renters insurance, the liability part of the policy will cover that. It also covers damage to the apartment that you cause, such as water damage from letting a bathtub overflow. The landlord will probably sue you to pay for damages not covered by your security deposit, and that’s when your insurance would kick in.

Let’s look further into that overflowing-bathtub scenario. What if, in addition to damaging your apartment, the overflowing tub also caused damage to your downstairs neighbor’s unit? Or what if you drove your car into your neighbor’s fence? Renters insurance would typically cover the cost of repairs in both instances.

An important note about property damage: Renters insurance doesn’t typically cover damage done to your rental property by another person. If someone were to break your window, for example, and that person doesn’t have renters insurance, you’d be on your own for working out the costs.

Note that renters insurance comes with coverage limits, so it’s important to know what is and isn’t covered in the policy you select. It’s up to you to decide how much liability and personal property coverage to buy. For example, you might decide to get $300,000 in liability coverage and $50,000 in personal property coverage.

And there are state-by-state exceptions for disaster coverage: California renters, for instance, are not covered for damages from an earthquake, and Florida tenants are not covered for damages from a natural flood. Those usually require a separate policy. Your policy will spell out in detail which scenarios and disasters are covered.

• 7 Surprising Things Covered By Renters Insurance
• Should Renters Change the Locks? Essential Move-In Questions to Ask.
• 6 Secrets You Shouldn’t Keep From Your Landlord
• How Much Rent Can I Afford?

Understanding what renters insurance covers will help you decide whether it’s the right choice for you in your next rental.

Finding a home requires trade-offs, whether in the house or neighborhood. And though it’s not easy to change your neighborhood, you can certainly change the way your home looks and feels. This is why we’re excited to showcase the Trulia Design Panel, an expert group of interior designers, home stagers and organizers from across the nation who will provide the advice and insights homeowners and renters need to make their house a home, wherever it is.

Everyone loves to personalize their digs. Trulia recently commissioned a survey, conducted online by Harris Poll of more than 2,000 Americans age 18 and older, about their home remodeling plans. We found 76 percent of Americans have plans to renovate or remodel their homes, with bathrooms (48%), kitchens (48%), and bedrooms (27%) top on their agendas. But budgeting is important: On average, Americans who plan to remodel or renovate their home are only willing to spend $8,879 on their projects. So we asked the Trulia Design Panel for their tips on renovating each of those rooms for less than $10,000.

Survey Methodology: This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Trulia from January 3^rd – January 5^th, 2018 among 2,105 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,567 plan to remodel or renovate their home. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact pr@trulia.com.

Before you set out to hunt for an apartment, it helps to make an apartment wish list of your must-haves and like-to-haves. Once you begin looking at units, you’ll probably shift your priorities as price and reality set in, but it’s better to go in with an idea of what you want than to let a building manager talk you into a lease you might regret. If you ask yourself the following questions as you begin your search, you’ll be better able to recognize right away whether a place is really right for you. This will save you time and land you in a place that’s truly a good fit for your lifestyle.

Articles that might be useful:

• How to Land an Apartment in a Hot Market in a Week
• 8 Budgeting Tips For Your First (Or Next) Apartment
• Smart Tips for Decorating Your Apartment on a Budget
• Rent Your First Apartment with Little or No Credit History
• 7 Ways To Decorate Your Apartment Without Breaking Rules

You’ve been thinking about how great your mid-century modern coffee table is going to look in your new apartment since you saw the rental listing.

But here’s a hot tip before you go charging in with all your belongings: Your new apartment will never be easier to clean than when you’re holding the keys for the first time. Take advantage of the empty space and follow this easy cleaning checklist to make your place a tidy home for youself—and all your beloved stuff.

1. Start from the top.

When it comes to giving your new home a deep scrub, it’s best to clean each room from the top down. Because, gravity. Start by dusting the ceiling fan, ceiling corners, and overhead lights. (Globe-shaped light figures are notorious for collecting dust, so be sure to give them a good clean.) Then start working your way down—walls, baseboards, and finally, the floors.

2. Work toward the door.

Here’s another way to order your cleaning in a room: Start at the farthest point from the entryway. This is especially important when it comes to floors. You don’t want to trod over freshly-vacuumed carpet in your dusty house-cleaning shoes!

3. Deep clean the closets.

Once the closets are full of your odds and ends, it’s unlikely you’ll ever take them all back out to clean in there. Dust out the corners, and consider lining shelves with vinyl or decorative paper (just be sure it isn’t permanent). Shelf lining looks good, is easy to clean, and covers up mystery marks and gross stains left by previous tenants. It’s a win-win-win.

4. Replace the toilet seat.

You’re bringing your own recliner and couch, and those aren’t even as hard to keep clean. You’ll spend a lot of time sitting on your apartment’s toilet, and it’s arguably the most important seat in the house. Do yourself (and your guests) a favor by giving your toilet a fresh start.

5. Disinfect the bathtub.

You’re much more likely to enjoy a soak in the tub after you’ve disinfected away all trace of the last person who soaked there. For an easy cleaning hack, use dish soap and a sponge to wipe down the bathtub—though you may need to enlist a more convensional cleaner to fight tougher stains. Prefer a natural method? Equal parts baking soda, borax, and kosher salt make a great cleaning scrub without any impossible-to-pronounce chemicals.

6. Clean your appliances.

Yes, even your dishwasher needs help getting clean. Start by running a cycle with only a cup of white vinegar in the top rack—using the hot water setting if your dishwasher has one. Afterwards, sprinkle a cup of baking soda on the bottom rack and run a second hot cycle.

Disinfect the microwave (inside and out), then hit the fridge. Remove all the shelves you can, and wipe them down—you can even let them soak in the sink or bathtub. A solution of vinegar and water works great as a food-safe, all-purpose cleaner.

Finally, the oven. If they fit in your dishwasher, toss the buttons, racks, and drip pans in for a deep clean. If the racks are caked with black grime, you can soak them overnight in a sealed bag of ammonia. And don’t forget about degreasing the oven hood!

7. Make the floors shine.

Your floor is going to get gross enough under your own feet. You’ll definitely want to clean away the last tenant’s footprints. Steam mops are a quick and easy way to clean hardwoods, laminate, and tile. If you’re using a regular mop on hardwoods, make sure that it’s damp rather than sopping, and use a cleaner that works with the floor’s finish.

For carpeted areas, you can usually rent carpet cleaners from grocery and hardware stores—or you can call in the professionals if it’s a serious job. Depending on your lease agreement and the state of the carpet, you may even be able to talk to your landlord about a reimbursement.

8. Kill all the germs.

Every surface you touch in your new apartment—from the thermostat to the light switch—has been touched thousands of times by the previous tenants. Blast your favorite playlist and spend time disinfecting everything you touch on a regular basis. This includes countertops, knobs, dials, buttons, locks, and anything with a handle.

9. Don’t forget the cabinets.

You’re going to eat off of those plates. Don’t plunk them into the cabinets until you’d eat off their surfaces, too. Wipe them down, scrub away anything suspicious with baking soda and water, and add a liner for good measure.

10. Show your baseboards some respect.

Baseboards are often neglected on monthly cleaning checklists, but if you only do it once, move-in is the time. Kitchens and entryways get hit especially hard by dust and grime, so do the baseboards in these rooms first. Anything from an all-purpose cleaner to baby wipes can make a big difference.

Originally published February 23, 2016; updated January 18, 2018.

What are your favorite home-cleaning methods? Share them in the comments below!

If you’re considering buying a fixer, or a gorgeous one-story home that would be even better with two stories, have fun with the dreaming and designing, but don’t forget the bigger picture in the neighborhood. After all, there’s no point in perfecting your dream house if you have to live surrounded by people who can’t stand you after putting up with months of noisy construction. In the end, the neighborhood vibe may be the most important feature of your new home.

Good news there: A few small gestures of goodwill and cooperation can be very effective in smoothing things over during construction and beyond. Local zoning laws will vary, but these diplomatic gestures are universal.

Do you have tips on keeping the peace with neighbors during construction? Share in the comments!