Is this a safe neighborhood?
No one wants to live in a dangerous area, but your real estate agent can’t help you with this question. Due to the Fair Housing Act, a real estate agent cannot answer questions regarding crime statistics. Before starting your house hunt, research crime data for the cities and neighborhoods you are considering.
The very best way to understand crime statistics is to contact the local police department.
Remember - statistics may not lie - but they are only as good as the input source they came from.
Please be aware that crime statistics websites are 100% dependent upon the "garbage in - garbage out" principal regarding stats and data - so I don't endorse any particular sources.
Here are some websites I have come across:
- http://www.neighborhoodscout.com
- http://www.bestplaces.com
- http://www.melissadata.com
- http://www.city-data.com/
- http://www.relocationessentials.com
- http://www.crimemapping.com/
Depending on the zip code, your local police department may, or may not pay to subscribe to the service that maintains and updates this information, therefore, the info available may be 100% misleading. The very best way to understand crime statistics is to contact the local police department. Most police departments have a community outreach arm that can direct you to the location of the most accurate records for their particular area, be it an online site, or other sources.
I would also check Megan's Law data for local sex offender registry.
