How to learn about your new home online: TikTok, Reddit, Facebook and more

With the power of the internet, there are a lot of ways to find out what a place is like without ever setting foot there.

If you are moving and don’t have time to visit, try to explore the online content about a place. From social media to local news and even Google Maps, you can learn a lot about the community you are moving to. Homes.com profiles neighborhoods across the country with information on schools, parks and public transit.

Some of these suggestions will work for all areas of the country. But if you are moving to a rural area, some of the social media ideas may not be as effective.

Here are some tips for researching your new town online:

Nothing can beat in-person visits, but Google Maps can be a powerful tool for getting a sense of the area. Using the Street View tool, you can “walk” around. Check out the local downtown business area or walk the route to work or school.

Being able to virtually see the area on street level helps you get a sense of the area. You will be able to see if there are people out walking around or if it’s more of a car-dense area. You can see how far the grocery store or gym are from each other.

You can also look at properties you are considering buying. Type in the address and take a virtual walk around the block. Online listings tend to show the best images, but the Google image is taken randomly, so you can see what the street really looks like.

Google collects the images in all seasons, so there are some quirks in the system. You can go from summer to fall to winter in only a few clicks, depending on when the images were last taken.

• Pull up the town or city you are moving to on Google Maps.
• Zoom in on where you’d like to live or look for yellow areas, which are business or downtown areas.
• Switch the map to Google Earth or satellite setting.
• In the bottom right corner, drag the small yellow man icon over the street you want to look at. The street map will light up blue before you drop the icon.
• Now in Street View, use the arrows to click or “walk” up and down the street. Use the 360 view of the street to see the area.

The vertical social media platform has a plethora of content. On the platform, anyone can post, and the barrier to entry for making content is fairly low. This drives lots of people to share their lives, experiences and towns online. People are posting travel content, restaurants to try and daily life content all the time. You also may see some less savory content, crime or news.

Keep in mind that social media often shows just the good or bad. Some people could be getting paid to post as well.

• Things to do
• Living in
• Homes or apartments
• Restaurants or food
• Living pros and cons
• Budget
• Itinerary

Joining Facebook groups, Nextdoor and other community group pages is a great way to find out about a new place and actually connect with locals. There are groups for cities, neighborhoods and counties.

Groups often have a niche like “moms,” “young professionals” or “apartments and roommates.” Some groups are private, so you will need to request access.

If you are aiming to live in a specific neighborhood, you can try to join the group and make a post asking if anyone is selling or looking to sell soon. Having a personal connection could give you an edge in a popular area.

The groups will also provide context on the area. Read the posts and see what people are discussing, what the local events are and how often people post.

Reddit is a user-driven question-and-answer and discussion platform. On Reddit, threads are made about dozens of topics, including real estate and communities.

Search for your city and state and look for threads that talk about what is happening in the community. Reddit is mostly anonymous, so you typically get much more candid feedback. Be careful not to reveal super personal details and keep your comments focused on the topic.

You could post in a thread asking what it is like living there or any other questions and wait for locals to respond.

• What do you wish you had known before relocating there?
• What are the best places to live there? Neighborhood recommendations?
• Why do you like living there?
• Is it affordable? How much is your mortgage?
• What is living there like? Pros and cons?