Once you have focused on on a city or town which matches your down payment requirements then the next step is find the ideal neighborhood for your wants and needs.
Here are several starting places to get some insight into prospective areas and neighborhoods.

• Ask your friends, family and co-workers questions about their home and neighborhood.
  They will usually be more than willing to talk with you and share their insights on their likes and dislikes about their neighborhoods.
  
• If you are from out of town then you could network with some of the people at your job.
  Your new employer may be a treasure chest of information about a prospective new area.
  Your employer also has a vested interest in you acclimating quickly and adjusting to your new life.
  
• Look up a real estate agent and call for basic area information.
  The agent you select may or may not be your ultimate choice for your real estate agent, but by the nature of their profession a real estate agent will be more than willing to talk to you about potential neighborhoods in hope of winning your business.
  
• Visit the town or city websites and online travel guides for each city.
  No matter how long you have lived in a certain city or town there are usually many places which you do not know about.
  City and towns have a tendency to grow, expand and change rapidly.
  

Once you have a good grasp on the target neighborhood, then it is time for you to do do your homework.
You will need to learn things such as crime rate, educational system and neighborhood planning and zoning.