Stop Asking Me If the Neighborhood is Safe!

As a public service (or what have you), I like to try and answer the tough questions on real estate q&a sites.  One of the more disturbing trends I have seen is a dramatic increase in the number people asking if a particular neighborhood is “good” or “safe.”  Even more disturbing is that some Realtors are answering these questions.  Confused?  Let me explain.

 

Determining whether or not a neighborhood is “good” or “safe” is subjective.  Your definition of a safe neighborhood will vary greatly from what someone else might say.  There are a number of reasons for this.  Some people think neighborhoods with a lot of heavy traffic are safe, some may think it’s easier to get hit by a car, etc.  You could ask 20 people about a neighborhood and easily wind up with 30 opinions. 

 

It’s the same when asking about a “good” neighborhood.  Some people think good neighborhoods need to be filled with grocery stores and locally owned boutiques.  Some think that “good” neighborhoods must have the best area schools and a solid record of appreciating values.  In any case, a Realtor cannot (and should not) tell you what a “good” neighborhood is.  They can advise you on what a solid home is, and what a good value is.  In other words, a Realtor can tell you how many of your criteria are met by a certain area. 

 

I am using benign qualifiers for a reason (I am trying very hard not to offend anyone).  First and foremost, Realtors are precluded from giving their opinions on “good” and “safe” areas.  There are several reasons for this.  Primarily, it is to protect the public.  Say a bunch of Realtors got together and purchased property in a certain area.  They want to protect their investment, so they begin telling everyone that the area they bought in is far superior to others.  This would hurt investments made by others in other areas.  Even worse, say a Realtor is prejudiced against a certain group of people.  If that Realtor were allowed, he or she would probably try to keep people from moving to areas that were occupied by this group because those people make the neighborhood “bad” or “unsafe”.  Still worse, say a Realtor, looking to pick up some extra business, notices that a new group of people has started buying property in a certain area.  This Realtor then goes around to the existing residents, and tells them that the prices for the area will certainly fall, because this new group of people will lower property values.  These are all very bad things to do, and are in violation of fair housing, the Realtor code of ethics, etc.  Realtors can, and should, get in a lot of trouble for pulling stunts like this (so stop asking me!!!!).

 

The moral of this story is two-fold:  First, decide for yourself what constitutes a “good” or “safe” neighborhood for you, and then do some research using local neighborhood associations, police statistics, trusted neighbors, etc. to identify the areas in which you are interested.  Remember, Realtors can tell you where the nearest movie theater is, but not racial breakdown of who attends the shows.  Second, please stop asking or encouraging Realtors to violate their duties to the public, and, if you see it happening, please report it to the local Realtor board.  As I say, there’s no better way to experience a neighborhood than to actually experience it. 

 

Good luck!

Tags: blockbusting, fair housing, good neighborhoods, Real Estate, Real Estate Advice, Real Estate Commentary, real estate research, realtor boards, realtor ethics, redlining, safe neighborhoods, safe real estate, steering