Buying a Home? These Local Perks Could Save You a Lot of Money

Owning a home is expensive. You have to cover the cost of a mortgage, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and repairs. And even when you do your part to keep your housing costs down, such as making repairs yourself and putting a larger down payment on your mortgage loan to lower your monthly payments, you might still end up spending an uncomfortably large chunk of your paycheck to put a roof over your head.

That's why it's so important to approach the home-buying process strategically. And part of that means being conscious of neighborhood perks with the potential to help you save money in other ways. Here are some perks worth looking out for.

1. Parks

Having access to great parks could benefit you in a few ways. First, it's instant entertainment for your kids. Rather than have to spend money on play spaces or amusement parks, you can shuttle your kids over to a local playground and let them burn off as much energy as they need to. 

Plus, if you buy a home that has several nice parks within walking distance, you'll save yourself money on gas. And if you're able to meet new people at the park, it might spare you from having to sign up for things like music and art classes simply to broaden your network and make sure your child socializes. 

2. Libraries with great programming

If your local library has great programs for constituents, it may not just benefit your kids. You, too, might get to take advantage of classes that keep you busy and help you grow your knowledge.

Some libraries, for example, offer courses on things like web design and coding. If that's a skill you need to further your career, taking a free class at your local library might set you up for a better job and higher salary -- one that makes your home easier to afford.

3. Free pre-K 

Parents of children younger than 5 years old often struggle to pay for child care. So if you're able to move to a town that offers free pre-K for children aged 3 and 4, you could save yourself a bundle on the cost of daycare or preschool.

Of course, pre-K won't give you full-day care. Depending on where you live, it might be a half-day of school or a full day. But even a full day of school is generally not eight hours, or the equivalent of a classic workday. 

However, BabyCenter reports that the average cost of preschool for kids between the ages of 3 and 5 is about $10,000 per year. So if you're able to get your child into a pre-K program that doesn't cost anything, you can save a bundle.

And to be clear, even if you don't work, many parents find that it's important to put their kids into some sort of educational program prior to kindergarten, which commonly begins at age 5. So while you can argue that preschool isn't an absolute necessity, it's something a lot of parents feel compelled to pay for.

There's no getting around the fact that homeownership is expensive. But perks like these might not only save you money, but help make you feel as if the home you're paying for is more than worth it.