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Getting a mortgage and buying your own home is sure to be an exciting experience.
However, depending on your personal circumstances and the specific factors of the housing market and your mortgage application, the mortgage approval process can take anywhere from a few days to several months.
If you have time to kill in the meantime, it is your opportunity to explore the town you will be moving to and its surrounding area.
You could even rent a property in the town for the short-term while you wait for your mortgage to be approved so that you can really get to know your new local area.
While you are sure to want to find out things like where your local stores, health clinics, cinemas, gyms, restaurants, and parks are, you can also spend the time exploring the more unusual places of your town and the local vicinity.
But how exactly do you go about finding the places that are unusual and off the beaten track?
Here are some excellent ideas to help you get started.
Ask the Locals
Perhaps the best way of finding unusual places in your town while you await mortgage approval is to simply ask locals.
People who have lived in the area for a long time, or all their lives, are sure to know about many of those hard-to-find and unusual places that you will not hear about elsewhere.
Whether it is a secret waterfall at the end of a rugged path or a beautiful spot atop a hill overlooking the town, you can find out a lot about local hidden gems by asking the townspeople.
While it can take time to make friends in any new area, you can easily chat to locals at places like restaurants, bars, and stores.
Get to know locals first. Then, you can discover where the most unusual places around the town are.
Use Online Forums
Another way to find unusual local places is to ask on an online forum.
Look for forums that cover the area you are moving to. Then, look through posts to see what information you can find out about the best places off the beaten track in the area to visit and explore.
If you cannot find the information you are looking for, post your own questions. It should not be long before a helpful person provides you with the information you are looking for.
You could then discover a local museum or eatery that is tucked away or a coastal path that only the local townsfolk know about.
Look at Online Maps
Once you find a competitive mortgage option and you know the answer to “how long does it take to get approved for a home loan?” you can simply start looking at maps of your town and the surrounding area to find unusual places of interest nearby.
These days, it is easy to view maps online. Therefore, spend some time exploring your town with online maps.
If you use Google Maps, you can even use the Street View to find out precisely what certain places are like.
Just Start Driving or Walking
Sometimes, it is much more fun to find unusual places by yourself.
Of course, there is no guarantee that you will find the most interesting places around your town if you do not first perform research or ask for recommendations.
But the experience of coming across unusual places by yourself can be a lot more invigorating and adventurous; just as it is when you find unusual places around the world when on vacation.
So, simply start driving or walking around the town.
Follow your nose. You may even find unusual places that the locals do not know about!