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Are you shopping for a home but don't know where to begin?

Let's say you were given this big promotion at work that more than doubled your salary. The only thing that concerns you is that you will have to uproot your whole family from the East Coast and work in the West Coast. You'll be leaving that house you've had since you and your wife were married eight years ago. But more than leaving your home, you are more concerned about finding a new home. How exactly does one go about finding a new home these days?

There are several things to look at and the following are just a few tips:

1. Essential Shops and Services

You want to find a house that's near all the essential shops and services such as the local grocery, convenience stores, church, gas stations, dry cleaners and the like. Look for a shopping center that looks impressive and progressive. Chances are, if the local shopping center is in decline, the neighborhood is in decline as well.

2. Proximity to neighborhood center
Find a place that is right in the center of things or as close to the center of the residential neighborhood as possible. Do not look for a house that is on the edge of town or close to its outskirts. Try to avoid a home that's noisy and teeming with activity, such as a house that is at the back or side of a busy thoroughfare.

3. Access to major thoroughfares
If you will be going to work every day, you want a house that is close to the local highways, major traffic routes and major thoroughfares as well as to mass transit. If you have kids, avoid getting a home at a corner lot since these tend to attract more street traffic.

4. Homogenous properties
It's always nice to live in a residential neighborhood whose houses have similar style, size and structure. They are nice to look at and it's good to have that feeling of being on equal footing with the neighbors.

5. Re-Sale Value
Finally, find a home in a neighborhood with a high re-sale value. This will be especially important if you get another promotion and have to move again.