Smart Tips on Evaluating Neighborhood Safety

When you're moving to a new neighborhood, you're choosing more than just a new home. It's easy to look up things to do, places to eat, school districts, and local government, but what about the safety of your new neighborhood? We all want to feel safe and secure in our homes, so it's important to know where to turn for accurate, relevant safety information.

Today, we're going to take a closer look at how to evaluate the safety of any neighborhood that you are considering. While crime rate statistics are an important part of the equation, they only tell part of the safety story.

We'll cover online research options in the next section, but first it's important to know what you should watch for when visiting a neighborhood in person. You can also learn plenty about your new neighborhood by picking up the phone and talking to the right people.

• Most home visits happen during the day, so you're really just getting a partial picture of what the neighborhood is like. If a neighborhood catches your eye, come back and visit the area at night. Most neighborhoods have a different – though not necessarily less safe – feel when the sun goes down.
• If you're concerned about crime, try making a call to the local police station. Some stations will be more accommodating than others, but most will be willing to provide at least some information on the area. You might also find useful information by contacting local neighborhood watch organizations.
• Getting to know your potential new neighbors is always a good idea, and asking around can reveal useful safety information about the area. Remember that everyone views safety differently, so it's better to rely on group trends than one individual opinion. This is another area where neighborhood watch, and the residents involved, can help.
• In general, a strong neighborhood watch organization is a strong indicator of a tight-knit community. Safety is a group effort, and it's important to have the support of your neighbors.

Putting Technology to Work to Evaluate Neighborhood Safety

Hands-on research is great, but there are limits on what you can learn by speaking with local residents. To get a complete picture of an area's safety, you'll also want to take a look at the resources available to you online. There are plenty of great tools to simplify your safety search.

• NeighborhoodScout is a great quick-reference source, with detailed information on communities throughout the United States. In addition to crime rates, you can learn about demographics, common industries in the area, and other popular neighborhoods nearby.
• SpotCrime is a very useful source for researching neighborhood safety. It allows you to search by address, and provides a report of recent crimes in the area. This tool is best for learning about neighborhoods in cities, but still provides useful data for smaller towns.
• Sex Offender Registries are available for every state, backed by the US Department of Justice. State registries allow you to look up the identity and location of sex offenders in any neighborhood you're considering.
  
  

Of course, your real estate agent should also be an important source for inside information on the neighborhoods you're scouting. Contact the team at Sallie Davidson REALTORS® to learn more about neighborhoods in Kentucky, and shop for homes in the London, KY area.