When shopping for a home, it’s easy to focus on the details of the property itself—from the number of bedrooms and bathrooms to total square footage.
But finding the right home is about more than what’s within its four walls. It’s also about the community that surrounds it. A strong sense of community can provide connection, support and a feeling of belonging that makes a place feel like home.
For those seeking a stronger sense of connection within their neighborhoods, finding a community that fosters meaningful relationships is often easier said than done. In fact, a recent Rocket Mortgage survey notes that while only 30% of Americans know their neighbors beyond a casual level, nearly 80% say strong neighborhoods improve their quality of life.
So how can you, as a real estate professional, help clients ascertain whether a neighborhood has an active, connected community—and if it’s the kind of place where people actually know and look out for one another?
“You see it in the small, repeat behaviors,” says Human Element Real Estate President and Co-Owner Keri White, pointing to group chats, WhatsApp threads, neighborhood email chains and running clubs that meet weekly. “You notice the same people at the same places, kids outside, neighbors stopping to talk and dogs that recognize each other,” she adds. “It’s not about big planned events. It’s about consistency.”
For Marie-Claire Ntam, a real estate and lifestyle expert and television host with the Mehga Collective of Compass, there’s a natural energy that comes from people engaging with their surroundings, which often leads to being able to feel a connected community before you can even define it.
“I look for signs such as active local businesses, walkability and consistent foot traffic,” says Ntam. “When people are outside, supporting neighborhood establishments and interacting in shared spaces, it’s a strong indicator that the community is engaged.”
Another key indicator, according to Ntam, is the way in which a neighborhood supports connection. This can show up through local events, gathering spaces or the way people acknowledge each other in everyday interactions.
“A strong community is not just built on proximity. It is built on presence and participation,” she says.
“Seeing people walking the neighborhood is a good sign of an active, connected community,” adds Arica Rucker, broker/owner of CENTURY 21 Rucker Real Estate, who points to shared amenities as another telltale sign of a neighborhood that values connection and brings residents together.
And while listings often highlight nearby parks and community spaces, experiencing a neighborhood firsthand remains one of the most effective ways to gauge its sense of community.
“I always encourage buyers to experience the neighborhood beyond the showing itself. A home can look right on paper, but the surrounding environment is what shapes the overall experience,” says Ntam, who not only recommends visiting at different times of day, but also attending a community event, popping into local businesses and watching the way in which people interact within the space.
“Taking time to walk the neighborhood and simply be present allows buyers to understand the energy in a way that cannot be captured in a listing,” she adds.
“I tell my buyers to visit the community on weekends—particularly Friday evenings, Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings—just to see what’s happening during those hours in particular,” says Rucker, underscoring the importance of getting a realistic sense of what day-to-day life looks like.
“Spend time there without an agenda. Walk around, grab coffee, sit somewhere and just watch,” says White. “Go at different times of day. See if people are out, if there’s a rhythm, if it feels easy to be there. The best neighborhoods don’t need to convince you. You can feel it pretty quickly when it’s right.”
For real estate professionals, facilitating connections that are going to allow a client to thrive within their new community is a key piece of the puzzle.
“It really comes down to knowing people in these neighborhoods. You learn so much just by being in the field touring homes, talking to sellers and connecting with other agents,” explains White, who notes that every neighborhood consists of micro markets and little pockets that feel completely different from each other.
“I’m not just dropping someone into an area and hoping it works,” she says. “I’m plugging them into it. That means connecting them with people I already know who live there, whether that’s past clients, friends or local business owners. The goal is to make it feel familiar fast.”
“Helping clients find community begins well before they move in,” says Ntam, who takes an intentional approach to introducing clients to the environments around the home by sharing insight into local businesses, walkable areas and spaces where people naturally gather while helping them experience the rhythm of a neighborhood so they can see how it aligns with their lifestyle.
“Through my work in both real estate and media, I have had the opportunity to see firsthand what makes communities feel connected and vibrant,” she says. “That perspective allows me to guide clients toward places where they can build relationships and feel a sense of belonging from the start.”
For Rucker, assisting buyer clients is part of the process from the get-go—taking shape when sitting down with prospective clients at the initial meeting.
“Assisting buyer clients always begins with a great consultation,” she says. “This is when we sit down and learn all about the clients’ needs and wants, their desires and wishes. This is how I begin my home search and finding the right neighborhood for the client.”
Knowing what a client wants in a community is crucial to finding the right fit, which is why Rucker makes it a point to ask clients about how they’re currently living—and what they like and dislike about it.
Drilling down further, Ntam focuses on questions that help uncover how a client wants to experience their day-to-day life.
“I will ask what an ideal weekend looks like for them, whether they prefer a quiet or more active environment and how important walkability or access to local businesses is to their lifestyle. I also ask about their priorities when it comes to connection, whether that is being close to social spaces, cultural hubs or more private surroundings.
“These conversations allow me to guide them toward communities that align with how they want to live and where they will thrive, not just what they want to buy,” says Ntam.
“I ask about how they actually live, not how they think they want to live,” adds White. “Do they want to walk into a coffee shop where they know people, or keep things more private? Do they like running into neighbors, or would that feel like too much? Are they the type to stay after a workout class and talk, or head straight out? I find out if they like a more dense neighborhood, or prefer to be up in the hills, and what they need quick access to. I also ask where they’ve felt most like themselves before. That usually tells me exactly what kind of environment will feel right.”
