The choice of a neighbourhood is just as important as the choice of your home. You must feel well and comfortable in both. We have very often said that buying a house can be one of the most important decisions you may take in your life. However, have you ever stopped to think about the fact that when you buy a house you are also, to a certain extent, “buying” the neighbourhood? This is what happens, because when we choose to buy a home, we do not only select a property but also its location. Some weeks ago, we wrote an article, in this blog, mentioning 5 points which we must take into consideration before purchasing our home. In that article, we stressed the need to analyse the neighbourhood before buying property. We cannot ignore that the surroundings of our home have great influence upon us. As a matter of fact, in order to feel content day in day out, it is essential to feel welcome and comfortable in our place of residence. Madrid has more than 3 million inhabitants and thus the choice of the neighbourhood is a key factor. We can say that in Madrid there are many areas which are completely different from each other. This illustrates an unquestionable reality.

TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE LIKE AND I WILL TELL YOU WHICH NEIGHBOURHOOD APPEALS TO YOU MOST

In the same way as we are all different from each other, so are the neighbourhoods in a large city. In consequence, if we want to feel content and integrated then it is very important that the neighbourhood is in line with our way of being. In Madrid, there are a total of 21 districts. These, in turn, are divided into different neighbourhoods. As for these neighbourhoods, there are also significant differences in relation to one area and another. For instance, Barrio de Justicia includes, among other areas, Alonso Martinez, Colón and Chueca. Each of them are completely different. Therefore, depending on our personality we will favour one or another. Sometimes, in order to make the right choice regarding the neighbourhood, we must ask ourselves some questions about our way of being. Do I want to live in a place with intense activity and movement or on the other hand, do I prefer to live in a peaceful neighbourhood? Do I try to find an area with a varied cultural offer and bustle or do I look for green areas where I can practise sports? What kind of places do I usually go to? What type of shops do I need? What services do I seek? Depending on our answers to these questions we can choose the adequate area and we can dismiss others. Once we get our priorities right, then we should go for a stroll along the area we have chosen.  There, we can see what we feel and we can make sure that we fit in its atmosphere and lifestyle. In addition, we could also have a chat with one of the neighbours who can tell us more about it.

THE INTERNET, A GOOD FRIEND

Apart from going to see the area, we always recommend using the Internet in order to find out more about the area of our choice. Nowadays, we have the the great advantage of living in the digital area. Thus, thanks to the Internet, we have access to a great deal of information and therefore we can save a lot of time. Our friends and acquaintances can provide references about the area we are interested in through the social networks. Maybe, they can even put us in touch with residents who live there and, if this were possible we would be able to ask them some questions. Likewise, it would be a good idea to contact the Residents´ Association as well as the Cultural Associations of the area. Both of them can easily be found on the Internet. It is worth remembering that thanks to the Internet, we have pictures, videos and detailed information about nearly every single part of the planet. Let´s use it to know better the neighbourhood of our life!