When your clients describe their dream neighborhood to you, what features do you see being the most popular? A strong school system? Various entertainment options? Accessible public transportation? Bike lanes? Ethnic and cultural diversity? As you’ve probably seen, the idea of a dream neighborhood is different among your clients, with maybe some similarities across the board.
These might vary in Massachusetts, but nationally, there are a lot of commonalities between the ideas people have of their dream neighborhoods. According to a recent survey by ImproveNet, the top five features that Americans said “must” be included in a dream neighborhood are:
1. Grocery stores
2. Park space
3. Strong school system
4. Fine dining restaurants
5. Fast casual restaurants
However, only 30 percent of Americans live in their dream neighborhood, with 50 percent saying their dream neighborhood is in a nearby town. Many people seem to be making strides to living in their dream neighborhood, settling close by for when they’re ready to make their dream a reality. The lack of Americans living in their dream neighborhood could be due to family reasons, financial constraints, inconvenience, or any other reason.
At the end of the survey, all respondents were asked if they make an effort to improve their current neighborhood. Fifty-nine percent responded that they did take action to improve their neighborhood and of those, nearly 50 percent did so by supporting locally owned businesses or by cleaning up trash. If 70 percent of Americans don’t already live in their dream neighborhoods, they are showing that they are trying to make the best out of their current situation by taking measures to make where they live their dream neighborhood.