5 Crime Questions to Ask Before You Buy
How many bedrooms does it have? Baths? Square footage? HOA dues? What’s the school district? How are the neighbors? These are the most basic questions people think to ask when looking into buying a house. Then, we start to get a little more personal, specifying our aesthetics and lifestyle needs: Can that wall be moved? Will my dining room table fit in here? Can we put a swing set for the kids in the backyard?
But when it comes to crime (possibly one of the most important questions of all), most of us simply don’t think to ask anything, because:
(a) agents might be prohibited from doing much beyond pointing us to law enforcement sources, and
(b) we tend to assume most neighborhoods are either ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ low-crime or not.
However, things are just not always that simple. Fortunately, we can now use technology to research just how “safe” our neighborhood-to-be is. And when it comes to asking questions, we’ve provided you with a list of the best ones to ask about crime and the neighborhood.
1. Do any offenders live nearby?
In most states, Megan’s Law and similar provisions command that convicted criminals must register their home addresses with local authorities, who then are required to make this public information. These services are available by using a search engine such as Google to search for the address of the property in which you are interested. The site find a list of registered sex offenders in the area and also provided a map to show the offender’s location in relevance to your property.
The reality is that every neighborhood – even very upscale areas – has someone living in it who has committed a crime in the past, so don’t completely rule out your dream property just because an offender lives within a 5-mile radius. Use the information you find to enable you and your children to identify these dangers and to take steps to avoid dangerous situations. However, if you happen to have young children and notice that the Megan’s Law map is lighting up with registered sex offenders in the neighborhood where your target home is located, that information might change your decision about whether that property is the right one for you.
The information that is provided by Megan’s Law sites often includes more detailed information about the offender’s crime—including what the offense was, when/where it happened, and any parole violations since. This information can help you evaluate the degree to which you should be concerned before you buy.
2. Was the home a drug lab?
You think your home’s former owner’s food or pet smells are toxic? That’s nothing compared to the stench and health-impairing effects that some residents have experienced after buying a home that turned out to have been a former methamphetamine lab. If the sellers know this about a home, they should certainly disclose it. Unfortunately, many of these homes end up sold by banks as foreclosures, or by estates, trusts, landlords or other corporate owners who don’t know the home’s past – or don’t have a legal obligation to disclose it.
The best way to find the answer to this question can be found 2 different ways:
(a) ask the neighbors – they often will reveal whether the house had a shady past, then
(b) search the federal Drug Enforcement Association’s (DEA) Clandestine Laboratory Registry, by clicking on this link: http://www.justice.gov/dea/clan-lab/clan-lab.shtml.
3. What sorts of crimes happen in the area? Where and when do they happen?
Crime is going to occur everywhere. But what types of crimes occur vary widely in various neighborhoods. One side of town might boast an overall low crime rate, but the hold the tendancy for violent crime to occurafter dark. While another neighborhood may experience a multitude of car break-ins during the day while people are at work, but little occurring once people get home and little to no violent crime at all.
This sort of information can be affect many decisions you make as a buyer-to-be. Helping you decide not only just about whether or not to buy, but also whether to park your car outside or not, whether to get an alarm system, and whether you might prefer your home to be in an interior cul-de-sac or thoroughfare in the same area.
Sites such as Trulia Crime Maps provide this sort of nuanced information, allowing users to view their town and neighborhood’s crime rate in a map that displays relative violent and non-violent crimes that have taken place recently in different parts of town. These sites also report on crime trends, the frequency of criminal activity taking place at different times throughout the day, and the most dangerous intersections in the area. SpotCrime.com is a similar site that offers another angle on crime data, breaking down crime types with simple icons and providing country-wide crime data.
4. What anti-crime features does – or can – the home have?
Review your disclosures and talk with the sellers (through your agent, of course) about what features the home currently has. This will allow you to prepare for any changes you feel necessary to make. For example, if your target property has security bars that are older than you are, you might want to have them brought up to code or completely removed. Or the home may already have a high-tech security system in place. You will need to gather information on the price, features, and how to transfer the account once you have purchased the home.
On the other hand, the home might not have any anti-crime features. So, if there is a youre picky about which alarm or monitoring system you like, it is advisable to verify with that provider as to whether they can provide services to the new address and, if so, the price and to equip the home with the system and start service up at closing.
5. What does the neighborhood do to fight crime – and how can I help?
Many neighborhoods have residents who like to rely on their neighbors for help in preventing crime. So, don’t hesitate to ask your home’s seller and/or any neighbors you talk to about whether there are any neighborhood associations, neighborhood watch groups, email lists, social networks, regular meetings, block parties or other community connections in which you can participate.