1. Check the crime statistics for the area: A good place to start is online, at bestplaces.net and the City of San Diego police statists website. You’ll be able to research tons of information such as the unemployment rates, education expenditures, crime rates, and where the community ranks in terms of a number of criteria.

2. How are the neighborhood’s schools doing? It’s a fact that homes near a quality school hold their value better than homes near poor-performing schools. Get information on a neighborhood’s schools online at schooldigger.com and greatschools.org .Both provide access to proficiency ratings and more for local schools.

3. If you’re buying a rental property or want to check rental rates in the area, check out rentometer.com where you can enter an address and research the rents of the surrounding properties.

Keep in mind:

There will nearly always be trade-offs in finding the ideal home.

Tip: Drive through desired neighborhoods during different times of the day and evening and on weekdays and weekends. Head to work early one day and drive there from the neighborhood to get an idea of the traffic in the area.