Is Your Neighborhood Safe? How To Check Neighborhood Safety
As a homeowner or prospective home buyer, you ought to know what’s happening where you live or where you plan to move. Staying informed on a neighborhood’s crime rate makes all the difference in feeling secure.
Before you purchase your dream home, help ensure that the neighborhood is safe using these four tips and critical tools:
1. Use A Crime Mapping Service
Several crime mapping sites allow you to view crime statistics in a neighborhood at the touch of a few buttons, including:
Sites like CityProtect (formerly CrimeReports) and SpotCrime collect police and crime report information. Type in your address (or potential address or ZIP code) and review the crimes committed in the area. The sites break down crimes by date and type of crime, such as violent crime, property crime or organized crime.
You can also compare a neighborhood’s crime profile with other neighborhoods in the surrounding area to get a better sense of your new neighborhood’s safety.
Other sites, like NeighborhoodScout and AreaVibes, provide data about neighborhood crime rates, as well as public school rankings and other livability factors.
It’s important to remember that crime data doesn’t paint the entire picture. While any type of crime may raise concerns for you and your family, you may want to do a little more digging before making an assumption about the neighborhood based solely on its local crime rate.
2. Review The National Sex Offender Public Website
The U.S. Department of Justice has a valuable tool to help you find registered sex offenders in your area. Visit the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) to determine whether any sex offenders live close to the new home. Like many crime websites, you can enter an address and see all the sex offenders in an area.
Another site you can visit to locate convicted sex offenders in your area is Family Watchdog. The site provides similar information and a map of offenders. It also notifies you and your family of possible threats in the new neighborhood. Family Watchdog also sends a notification if an offender moves in or out of an area.
3. Connect With People Who Currently Live In The Area
One of the best ways to research a new neighborhood is to connect with people in the area. Neighbors should have the best insight into what goes on and what you can expect. Talking to people in the neighborhood can help you determine the safety of the area, if the community fits your lifestyle and whether you and your family will be able to adapt.
Knocking on your new neighbor’s door can be very beneficial. You want to get a feel for the people who live in the neighborhood and allow them to feel comfortable communicating with you. They may share a lot of valuable information and offer on-the-ground insight into the neighborhood’s safety.
You may also want to consider joining your neighborhood’s Nextdoor page. Neighbors can post and comment about local events, lost pets or local area crimes on the social media app.
4. Take A Walk Or Drive Around The Neighborhood
Walking or driving around a neighborhood can give you a good sense of the environment a community provides. Some signs that may point to a neighborhood’s safety and security are:
- Local community events: Whether your community hosts block parties or farmers markets, community events are a great way to bring families together. The more engaged your community is, the safer you may feel.
- Children playing outside: If parents are okay with letting their children play outside, this may be a good sign that you’re in a safe neighborhood. When looking around the neighborhood, take note of any children riding their bikes or running from house to house.
- Booming local businesses: Does your neighborhood have family-owned restaurants, bookstores and ice cream shops? Spending money in the community is a strong sign of prosperity. Successful local businesses may be more likely to help a community grow and flourish.
