Figuring out where you should buy your next home is difficult in any city, but it is particularly challenging in the Washington area. It's a region made op of two states and one would-be state. It is divided by rivers, connected by bridges, crisscrossed with highways and spread out from Frederick, Md., to Fredericksburg Va., and Ashburn Va., to Annapolis.
Most buyers have a few determining factors that help a lot.
Buyers who have lived in the Washington area for some time probably can synthesize these factors into a rough picture of where they want to live. Once they do that, they are ready to find a good buyer's agent and start home shopping. The Internet is a great place to start. The real-estate oriented Web sites that have sprung up during the past few years are a tremendous help to consumers who want to conduct neighborhood research. Much of the information is general, so you wouldn't want to base your entire buying decision on what on line.