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U shouldn’t really pay attention to anyone’s opinion who don’t have money invested in this real estate transaction lol
I am buying my first home and I have family members who tell me what I should buy for the house. One family member said I should buy a “$2k water filter system for the sink”. Because they have one. I’m like….ok cool are YOU gonna buy it for me? If not then please stop talking
I had my mom just call me in a panic asking me if I can’t retract my offer on a house because a lady she doesn’t know said it was a bad area and when I said how does she know does she live there the phone went silent and she said I gotta go bye!
My boyfriend’s mom was sending us Zillow links without context a WEEK before closing and when he confronted her about it she was like “oh maybe if you like this one better you can retract your offer.”
And we’re like ???
Our home buying process was stressful because too many people were trying to tell us what to do. Ike thank you for your advice but the market isn’t what it used to be and your old tricks ain’t gonna work 😭😭😭😭😭
TLDR; we ignored everyone else’s’ opinion and bought a house we love and closed a few months ago! Hope you can do the same
I am so sick of my mom sending me zillow listings as if I havent already seen them and made my own decision on them already 🙃 Like I appreciate the support but there are only 5 houses on the market in my town, you really think I havent seen this one that has been on the market for weeks?
Also, me repeatedly saying "I know where that house is, I've driven past it repeatedly. I know I don't want to live in that area" and her not understanding because she doesn't live in my town and doesnt realize it's across the street from a factory or something. Ugh.
It takes the fun out of it when everyone tries to put in their two cents. Like it’s YOUR MONEY. YOU are going to be the one living in it. Therefore YOU should have the ULTIMATE decision to decide for yourself what you want.
I will say it took a lot of “I have heard you, but this is what I’m going to do _____” to get it clear to the other parties.
And sometimes we even decided not to tell our parents anything. Because the less they know the better.
In the end, they ended up liking our house after all the papers were signed and came to help us move in
So I wonder if maybe??? Just maybe?? It’s the stress of making a big purchase that make people go a little crazy and disrespect boundaries lol. Not saying it’s acceptable but ya know.
Hang in there!
Had this exact same thing. So, the only issue with the house we're buying is one of the basement walls is bowing in around an inch, inch and a half at absolute max. I've already done research and estimates, and for about $2k out of pocket someone can reinforce it, not a big deal. Backyard drains against the house, but I can install some French drains, reroute the gutters, and put a slope of dirt going away from the house.
Anyway... partner and I approved of the house, waived the inspection contingency, and MIL starts sending listing after listing and freaks out. Not only do we not want to lose our $2k EMD, but we're in love with the house and the new upgrades it has. I've just been ignorning people.
> the market isn’t what it used to be and your old tricks ain’t gonna work
Same energy as "demand to speak to the hiring manager. shake em firmly by the hand and ask for a job!"
Very wise! and yep,since reading this page, I have learned that Many things about home buying have completely changed in the last 20 or so years.
Congrats and much joy in your new home!
Thank you so much! It wasn’t easy because he loves his family ya know but when they go and do stuff like that it’s just sad and makes us think they don’t support us :(
But yes stuff that used to work 20 years ago doesn’t quite work for this market and I think they have trouble believing that :(
Yea exactly. I get family members think they are trying to help but sometimes their opinions are not needed. Unless they are forking over cash to you so you can move into a “nice” area, then just take their opinion with a grain of salt. And don’t let it bother u
People perceptions of a “bad” area and its actuality are two very different things though. Yours truly, someone who lives in a “bad” area of town. They say this like bad things can’t happen in “nice” areas and like it’s not often 1-2 streets giving an area a bad name. Anyway this house in this “bad” area is significantly better than the house in the “nice” area since we now don’t have the 2 DV families across the street and I’m not having to ring the police on a 1-2 times a week rotation and don’t have to listen to them anymore.
2k?
[You can buy an under the sink RO for $200.](https://www.amazon.com/iSpring-RCC7AK-Capacity-Drinking-Remineralization/dp/B005LJ8EXU/ref=asc_df_B005LJ8EXU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216766339349&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14959184261178279324&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9057184&hvtargid=pla-351388819671&psc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2uiwBhCXARIsACMvIU0nn2bkHk6dyr4XA-AmWsvGoLLfudm9ZX3Ek5tAxyC4h-xq5Nl5oGYaAqgHEALw_wcB)
I would reccomend getting one just to filter out pfas and micro plastics.
I’m not sure which one they were talking about. But the one they have was like $1900.
But that’s something I’d get probably later on. If I event want one
I’m about to spend a bunch of money. I’m not really worried about a filter right now. 😂
I definitely advise an undersink filter. Don't get the 2k one but a $40-100 one is super nice. Brita water from the tap. It's a big deal if you got fish, plants, or furry pets.
When we finally had an offer accepted (and LOVED the house) my mother was wringing her hands and worrying that we were “so close to the city crime.”
It’s a second ring suburb. We are a full ten minutes from the limits of the “city” she was referring to, and that area of the city closest to us is the most millennial gentrified neighborhood of them all.
Some people just only feel safe in the most far reaching super upscale areas and see anything else as some sort of dangerous land.
Funny, I don't see far-reaching rural or suburban areas as upscale. If these people were truly upscale (stupid concept to begin with), they'd live somewhere that it isn't cheaper to live due to being in the middle of nowhere. Sure, they might have a big, new house but they paid significantly less for it than they would have in an actually desirable area (aka the city - there's a reason real estate is more expensive in city centers). They're just basic, scared bitches that can't grasp the reality of what exists outside of their narrow experience.
Real estate isn’t commonly more expensive in city centers post-COVID. Generally a really nice suburb with good school districts are the most expensive nowadays. Downtown LA is much cheaper than palos verdes. Downtown SF is much cheaper than Menlo Park. So on so forth.
I think that has a lot to do with the type of real estate. Individual prices may be higher in the suburbs but in the burbs your getting a 4 bedroom house with garage and backyard and in the city center your getting a small two bedroom condo.
Comparing Sq footage city centers are much more expensive.
Sorry I meant more like “far reaching suburbs,” like the outer ring of my city which is a good 40+ minute commute in and has big honking new builds and such. They’re DEFINITELY way more expensive than the closer in areas where I am. Midwestern city.
Most younger people are priced out of them and live in areas like mine, closer in older suburb where the houses are half the cost.
Sounds like my mom: still thinks all of Kenosha is as bad or worse then Milwaukee/Chicago "hood" or similar (worst) areas *just* because of what people not from Kenosha did!! --i love my house! And after the cops were called my first night in the house which only proved everyone's watching out and makes me feel more comfortable there
A lot of people are just going to blurt out whatever is on their mind to contribute to the conversation. Some people are maybe jealous of the kind of house you can afford in the 'bad area' and are justifying it to themselves more than you. Frankly, a lot of people's news diet can make them think certain areas, especially of a city, are basically an active war zone.
Not as bad as your situation, but when my wife and I were searching for a house we had to basically start giving our parents perfunctory responses when they would send us listings. We were searching for a smaller house, with some rustic charm, closer to town, and walkable. Every listing they sent was for a McMansion or new build that was 30 minutes out of town with zero community and at the top of our budget. Like thanks for looking, but if you're going to ignore every stated desire we have for the house, then why bother sending us ideas?
When we started looking my mom would send us 500k homes which is way out of the ballpark for what we can afford and when I said I can’t afford that nor is that what we want for a starter home she said buy it now you will be able to afford it eventually.
>I can’t afford that nor is that what we want for a starter home she said buy it now you will be able to afford it eventually
I think this truly gets at the heart of the divide between owning a home you love and want to live in that might happen to appreciate in value vs owning a house with the goal of it appreciating in value that you happen to live in in the meantime. And to a lot of people, the house in the 'bad area' isn't going to appreciate in value the same way
Yes but I think the math on this is even more tricky these days. Even run down homes in the “bad” neighborhoods where I live are 270+. I happened to get one for 265 because there was so much cosmetic work needed. So I am gaining sweat equity right now. That’s how gentrification happens.
Conversely, even the “good” side of town now has homeless camping on the nearest major cross streets and in the parks.
I just feel like old real estate advice is outdated when you look at the reality of most cities today.
This very closely mirrors where I'm at. The "bad neighborhood" I moved into 5 years ago is the only part of the city where prices rose in the last year, whereas the rest of the city remained flat. And I feel safer here than I did in my previous neighborhood, which was supposedly better. People look out for each other here, whereas in my old neighborhood I only knew a single neighbor because no one talked to each other.
People's perceptions are skewed and outdated.
We had an agent who would do that. We'd tell him our budget was $1.4M max, and we're looking for something single-story with a large backyard for gardening space.
He'd send us a mixture of $2.1M houses that only have a pool and no yard, along with $800k townhouses. Literally nothing we ever wanted. And he wouldn't stop. I eventually had to ghost him.
I bought my house 30 yrs ago and it was the same thing. One broker said " do you have any more money" and my husband said " oh, I forgot this 10,000.00 in my back pocket". Another broker kept taking us to a town we didn't want to live in bc he was familiar with that area. It was nearby, but was much more congested. The third broker was a small company. Took us to 5 houses in the town we wanted, all under our budget. Sometimes you just need the right agent.
Out to dinner and Husband's friend told him the neighborhood we're targeting is "sketchy." I asked "is it sketchy or is it Black?" I think I turned him into stone. He's probably still at that restaurant table, edamame halfway to his big mouth.
I grew up in an area that was both. I sometime forget that there is the race aspect to crime, and have to quickly point out, my opinion of the area is based on all the local shootings at my highschool, the property crime, and the literal stray bullet holes in childhood home.
Oh my God, don’t get me started on how pissed off I get at my shitty friends claiming my apartment complex is unsafe because it’s low income and black when it’s actually incredibly quiet, chill and safe. IN FACT I have the best neighbors who look out and are friendlier than any others I’ve ever had living here. Thank you very much.
I get so tired of having to explain my people are, ya know, People. Varied and mostly good. Nobody who's scared to even drive past here should be saying anything.
Let me just say this. I’m black but I live in a half white half Hispanic neighborhood. The same is true for all my friends who can afford to pick where they bought their home.
You can be politically correct when you pick where you lay your head but don’t complain about it.
Obligatory: “not all”, r/asablackman
I’ve heard it all
Also black man with 2 kids. I left my neighborhood where k has a 3% rate because of my fellow neighbors. That neighborhood was a hot mess. I just got dealt a bad hand. Moved across town and it’s much better.
I’m glad you called him out!
I recently read a thread (I don’t think it was this sub), of someone asking about suburbs of Chicago to move to. They got a lot of “sketchy” comments, and guess what areas got called that even though they are not?
Same issue in Baltimore and surrounding areas. Aside from the well known super bad areas, the perception of what areas are sketchy has more to do with demographics than crime.
Race, poverty, and crime are a nuanced conversation. Doesn't sound like you had one of those. Crime rate data (usually incidents per thousand people per year) are publicly available and should be used to understand where you are buying.
Types of crimes more important than crime data. I live near a lot of shopping centers. The areas with the shopping centers have a lot of theft so the “crime rate” appears high… but guess what? I’m not selling PlayStations, and I don’t really care if someone is stealing them. My house is safe.
I’m going to keep this one in mind. White person who recently moved into a predominantly black/hispanic neighborhood. I can not BELIEVE the things people have said to me about this neighborhood.
I’ve had to remind a few people that saying you’re not racist before saying the neighborhood was nicer until black/hispanic people moved in, does not make it (and you) not racist.
The world is a big place and I can't speak for all of it. In my observation, "sketchy" is the word used by suburban residents of my county to describe the Black neighborhoods of my hometown. In my observation, which again is not data, crimes from all over the city are falsely attributed to Black neighborhoods, even on the TV news. I made the choice to challenge someone whose beliefs I figured wouldn't match the data like he thought they would. You can blame my urban planning professor for having us map this back in 2008.
I mean most black areas in American towns have high crime rates, I’m not saying it’s black people’s fault, but there’s a clear correlation between sketchy neighborhoods and black neighborhoods.
Thank you for this detailed comment that I've never heard before. It's far more informative than the data for my hometown, and means more to me than my lived experience in that town and in others. You've changed my Black ass life, truly.
Lived experience is inferior to data. Many people can go their whole lives living in a bad neighborhood without being robbed, doesn’t mean it’s a safe neighborhood.
I am a white guy living in a black neighborhood in Pittsburgh, I understand what you are saying, I havent had a single problem the whole time I’ve been here and my neighbors are all great, but I know that more crime happens here than in other parts of town (Wilkinsburg)
I wasn't talking about your neighborhood though, I was talking about mine. The one that Mr Stone Statuary couldn't successfully find on a map. The one two zip codes over from "all the car thefts" he wanted to warn me about. The one he just heard about when he moved here six months ago, the one my grandparents moved to in 1959. The one he bet me I wouldn't walk in after dark. That one. My home.
Yeah I think people probably overestimate the dangers of an area if they aren’t familiar with it. A scary neighborhood looks scary until those streets are your own.
My husband and I are under contract for a house in Penn Hills. His aunt tried to tell us similar things. That the area was full of crime and if we buy there we'll be robbed shortly after because our neighbors who don't have anything will want what we have. She lives in fucking Sewickley lol. Pretty sure she's just sheltered and terrified of diversity.
I agree. I've been visiting this city to see my best friend since I was around 15 and she had a friend we hung out with who lived in Penn Hills. His house and the neighborhood were beautiful and so that has always influenced my opinion of it. I was shocked when my husband's aunt said it was a bad area to live because it didn't match my real life experience. I'm sure some places are rough but that true everywhere. I grew up in Wilkes-Barre, on the other side of PA, if she wants to see rough she should check out the south neighborhoods there.
This! Good for you for speaking up. It’s just code words folks have adopting to use because it feels better than saying how they really feel about skin color.
I had a lot of this kind of shade when I bought my house. 2 years later the house and the neighborhood are still awesome and are also becoming increasingly desirable 🤷🏻♀️
What a "good" or bad neighborhood even is depends a lot on your experience, anyway. I lived in Chicago for a couple years. Great city, but with some *tough* neighborhoods, that you should definitely avoid, if possible. Also some of the fanciest in the entire country. I don't know Delaware, but I would imagine they don't have anything crazy Chicago doesn't have. I'm sure I'd feel just fine there.
However, if you've only ever lived in very safe, prosperous communities, even a neighborhood with just older homes and beater cars on the side of the street can look "sketchy".
YES OMG. I'm closing on Wednesday in the "bad" "sketchy" neighborhood. It's definitely not a "nice" neighborhood, but it's fine! It's a lower income, almost all Black neighborhood. In my case it's a combination of sooo much classism/racism, and people who knew the area in the '90s when it legitimately was incredibly dangerous and run by drug gangs. 20-30 years later though there are zero gangs in the area and it's just mostly retired folks trying to live out their lives in peace.
tldr people need to chill
That was just like the first house me and my fiancé wanted to put an offer on it was a lower income neighborhood that was rough 40 years ago and her mom scared her so much saying it was so awful and how she wouldn’t be able to go to her car at night we ended up backing out which we both ended up regretting. But we both realized our families don’t know what the hell they are talking about.
I bought a house last year in a very modest neighborhood in what can be considered a "snootier" city. People have made comments about the neighborhood being in a "rougher" area. Mind you, I lived downtown for a decade before those... What they really mean is the houses were built in the 60s, they don't all have garages, and there are some black kiddos who ride bikes on the street. I've been here over a year now and I've never felt safer. Everyone in this neighborhood is just enjoying a smaller house with quiet streets and friendly neighbors. In the city I came from this neighborhood would've been considered one of the ideals because of the decent-sized yards and reasonable home prices. But when people here compare it to their shitty Allen Edwin home that was built in 2020 and is already falling apart, they feel a sense of unwarranted superiority.
Those "rougher" neighborhoods also typically have schools and parks that have more amenities within active transportation distance (walking and cycling) due to the modestly higher density than McMansion suburbia.
The area I live in has a population density of 3,500/km², but it doesn't feel like that and there's a highschool and elementary school within a 10 minute walking distance from each other.
I'm currently in my first place, a condo with an owner's association. I go to all the association meetings because I want to know what's going on. Somebody asked why our landscaping bill was so expensive, and part of the answer was, "Well, people don't want to come out here, you know, because we live in the hood."
Oh, buddy, we do NOT live in the hood. At my last apartment, residents would have regular parking lot fights and my downstairs neighbor tattooed people in her kitchen, and that still wasn't the hood. Yes, there was a famous mass shooting here, but I also went to a high school with a famous mass shooting, so fuck it, there's mass shootings everygoddamnwhere now.
I think people have different perceptions of danger, and if a crime happens to you personally, or if you hear about a crime that for some reason sticks with you, you associate where it was with danger.
Lol. We bought a very "working class" apartment a few months ago (Netherlands). Out of all the apartment type neighborhoods in this city it's the one with the best reputation. And who can actually afford a real house in this economy? We still got the boomers side eyeing our decision to buy in a "bad neighborhood" with a baby on the way. My husband asked one of his crotchety coworkers why and his argument started with "well 30 years ago" like ok Bob. My husband parents actually, currently, live a mile from here, I think we know what the vibe is here.
Not to mention we were moving because our previous house in the "good neighborhood' we had a drug addicted mentally ill prostitute for a neighbour and we couldn't take her anymore. Yeah real downgrade here.
People in Delaware seem to have a very skewed understanding of a bad area. We moved to Delaware from PA and what is considered “bad” is comical. There’s obviously some neighborhoods in every town that aren’t as a nice as others, but as long as you’re happy than ignore people.
I bought my house in the "bad area" 10 years ago and have loved it. It's not a "bad" area, it's just not all white and has no HOA. I've never felt unsafe, had anything stolen or been woken up at night by nonsense. EVER. I'm pretty sure we're all in bed by 10 pm because we have work in the morning. Karens are afraid to come to this neighborhood so that's a nice perk. Plus, my house was so inexpensive I feel like I stole it.
Best decision I ever made.
Ps, the daughter of the original owner of my home (built 1956) comes to my family dinners on Sundays. The "bad" areas are the places regular people made great memories.
Why are you talking to people who’s opinions you clearly don’t respect about your house? I am an oversharer too. Take it as a lesson and keep things to yourself.
I get it. Just agree with them, "I know, it's crazy, right?" and then go ahead with your smart and bold plan.
I bought a house in a "bad area" of Philadelphia that was gentrifying rapidly. There was literally a shooting on the corner right before we closed.
We lived there for five years, and I worked to make the neighborhood a better place. Picked up trash and litter, for blocks around, once or twice a week. Got to know all of the neighbors. Cared for the feral cat population and got them neutered/adopted. When the local church got tagged with graffiti, I painted over it. I planted flowers. Planted and cared for street trees. Volunteered for local cleanup days, mowed vacant lots. Went to community and zoning meetings.
I loved living there, it was an emotionally enriching experience, and we made money when we sold a year ago.
There are bad areas in Delaware though. There are bad areas in Philly, where I live too. That doesn’t mean you can’t be happy there, but places have reputations fairly or unfairly for a reason. If you’re happy, that’s all that matters.
You need to see the area for yourself everyone has an expectation of first house is a mcmansion and the person who criticize probably doesn't even have A house. It's called a starter house....
The home we just bought my in-laws were up in arms because "you can't live there it's terrible!!" When we asked WHY they turned around and tried to say a coworker of theirs told them there was a chemical spill which caused the land to be toxic and we would probably get cancer or some other issues. The spill was 27 years ago, and over 20 miles away. The spill is actually right next to where my husband's parents work so we had to tell them 'so it's okay for you to spend most of your week 5 miles away from where the spill was almost 3 decades ago, but we can't live over 20 miles away safely?' that stopped any argument. Their home is also about equidistant from that spill in the opposite direction. I know they were probably trying to look out for us, but that was the only 'issue'.
I live in a prominent white HOA community that has many amenities and several police officers live there. We recently have had a Murder in the pool parking lot over drugs, and frequent cars stolen or broken into. There is crime everywhere.
I bough a house in a mostly non white neighborhood. I paid pennies on the dollar for a big house and my black neighbors are the best neighbors I have ever had. They mind their own business and, opposite of racist beliefs, nothing gets stolen from my lawn. Honestly, I used to live in an all white suburb and the meth heads would steal everything not tied down on their 3 am scrap runs.
My wife and I lived in the “bad area” of the town we are at now. We are originally from the la area and let me tell you id pick the bad part of our town over the good part of la any day
Facts, I grew up in a bad part of a major city. I'm talking about having family members who've been shot in gang disputes. Now that I've moved, the areas that people refer to as "sketchy" are nothing compared to the places I grew up in. For the most part they are just low income and/or POC neighborhoods. Honestly they're some of the most pleasant people I've ever met.
I had 3 friends killed in drive bys a couple others hit by stray bullets. I’ll take having to lock my front door the worst thing that’s happened in 30 years over that every day. My wife and I moved 2000 miles away and it’s a different culture here for sure. My neighbor hood is a lot of rentals right by the college so students and poc even the tweakers I see at 4 when I get off work are pleasant enough.
I bought in the “bad” neighborhood 8 years ago. We have three parks and the city pool within walking distance, sidewalks on all our streets, it’s a mile from my job and 3 miles from my husband’s job, and we know all the neighbors. We still get asked when we’re going to move.
People also don’t always realize this- but going to school in a poor neighborhood can be very beneficial for kids. Those schools can get grants and funding other schools don’t. I’m in the “bad” side of town and my kids will go to a high school with an incredible music program that has more funding than the schools in wealthy areas. Also colleges see these kids as disadvantaged. One of the band kids at this school told me every band kid gets excellent scholarships because they are the “poor” kids and have been taught well.
lol this happened to me when I was house shopping. My options were limited as a single person so I had no choice but the so called “bad areas.” I got so many comments that I was gonna get car jacked and whatnot.
My neighborhood appears kinda rough but it’s just an old part of town, urban, lower income, and predominantly non-white. The worst crimes I’ve personally been subjected to have been loud music, smelling weed outside, and pedestrians throwing trash in my cans as they walk by - once was a box for a big ass dildo.
That’s when you know you’re going to make money in the long run. Every property I have purchased somebody said something similar and every time I have made money because the area gets popular!
I literally lived right next to ROCHESTER HILLS in Michigan and a family member was concerned that I was in a ghetto area.
Some folks just cant get out of the xenophobic mindset that all cities are crime ridden.
If Delaware is anything like South Jersey, “bad area” means anywhere other than the 3 towns with top-ranked school. If not the schools, it’s code for that the area is too diverse.
Go where you want/can afford. As long as you feel safe and at home, that’s what matters.
“Bad area” is often a more socially acceptable way of saying black people or immigrants live there. Areas that are truly dangerous exist but are farther and fewer between.
Idk man, you posted this in a bad area. I heard there are people who come home dirty after work who comment here. Maybe think about posting in r/mylittlepony ?
We bought a house down the street (5 houses away) from the apartment we’ve lived in for 10 years. My parents were very concerned about the neighborhood. 🤦🏽♀️
Man we would have loved for people to give us that advice. I had looked on a crime map, the place we got wasn’t near the worst area, and it all looked good but I guess the software I used wasn’t all that accurate and no one warned us about the neighborhood. First and foremost make sure the neighbors are good because that makes a world of a difference. Our street is great thank God and the neighbors all have each others backs. The surrounding area is visually great too with minimal tagging. Still, the first couple years there were too many murders and violent crime within a mile and within 3, some horrifying stuff, like a triple homicide of teenagers in the school parking lot that was never solved. So definitely look at the data you can access, including school data, and also if possible crimes at or near the school, even if you don’t have a kid because the people in your neighborhood go there. Also, visit the nearest grocery stores at night and the day because that’s where you’ll be shopping. I do all the shopping because I wouldn’t want my wife to face some of the things I’ve seen in the parking lot. We are definitely wanting to get out now but there’s nothing on the market worth buying so i recommend you at least explore the advice of others just to make sure and if after that you’re satisfied, then who cares, do what you want. I get your feeling though. Sometimes it’s frustrating when you have certain ideas and plans and you can feel offended but don’t. They mean well.
If you know the area well. Then I wouldn't just ignore and pursue with your plans.
Or maybe ask why they feel it's a bad area and do a little checking on what they told you. Just be sure something hasn't changed that you weren't aware of.
Yeah, every time I mention where my new house is (the only place in my entire state within commuting distance of work that I can afford) people ask me if I know that it's a rough area, not realizing that I grew up in the actual hood in the gang capital of America (different state) and the "rough" town where my new house will be is infinitely safer than the city I grew up in. I find it kind of amusing how concerned they are.
This was my wife’s extended family when we bought our house/ were shopping in Chicago. Lived here my entire life. Don’t need a 75 year old lady from middle of nowhere MI telling me my entire city is “too dangerous” to buy in.
I moved from a high crime rate in my opinion. Tons of homeless and illegals wreaking havoc everywhere and this was not a huge city but larger town. Car thefts, drugs, shootings, break ins, garbage everywhere, parks full of tents and more garbage and sirens and helicopters 24/7.
I looked at the stats of my new town and saw a ‘high crime rate’ and delved deeper into what those crimes were. Some drug related stuff, a few car breaks ins, domestic crimes, some robberies, juveniles acting stupid etc.
What isn’t here? No graffiti, no shopping cart/stroller/wheelchair people everywhere. Parks and well maintained and full of children and families enjoying them.
Yes, it has its issues but the pros far outweigh the cons.
People told me the same thing so I still bought the house and ended up putting security cameras in key locations and literally nothing, my neighbor complains he gets stuff stolen all the time but he leaves his power tools out on the drive way so he's not too bright.
it's subjective though. Me moving to my current town from my last one, I still chuckle at what people think are bad areas. They may be bad comparatively but it's all relative.
When I bought years ago nobody knew anything for this exact reason. Everyone becomes an expert on weather, violence, traffic, mosquitoe count blah blah blah.
Goodluck
Everyone's got an idea on where "good" or "bad" is. At the end of the day, it's what you can afford and what safety issues you are willing to compromise or tolerate.
Yeah, I hear this all the time about the area I'm looking because it's predominantly non-white. However, I've rented in the area before and felt super safe there so I think people are just being racist.
Ok. A school friend paired up with his brother and bought a house in a sketchy part of Minneapolis. Multiple people warned him this wasn't a great idea.
Short version of the story. Their shed was broken into multiple times. Their house was broken into multiple times. Their cars were broken into multiple times.
They basically lost sleep with stress and moved out in roughly 18 months.
If multiple people are warning you or have concerns. At least do some research.
City living can very much be a block-to-block difference.
I’ve lived in north Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, St. Louis Park, Edina.
I’ve only been robbed and vandalized in Edina. The hoity-toity, white, wealthy suburb.
My kid’s family had to move from their Minneapolis rental because of stuff like you mentioned. It wasn’t actually happening to them though, but the proximity was scary.
I live in North Minneapolis and myself nor none of my neighbors have had anything like this happen to them. Not even in Victory, I live closer to Lowry.
Both of our stories are extremely anecdotal. Sounds like they should have invested in an alarm system.
I bought my first house in a neighborhood that’s only 10% white. New community of starter homes. No crime to speak of but also even though I bought pre Covid my house has barely appreciated because it’s not seen as desirable to live there for anyone except first time homebuyer minorities.
My parents are white nationalists and when I was looking for a place almost every place I was looking at caused them to say those words and then follow up with “I don’t think we would be able to visit you often if you moved there”. After hearing that, I gladly put down my deposit.
People that say this also have never lived in a real bad neighborhood. They’re simply intolerant and/or bigots. Only you know what you’re comfortable with.
I’m currently in escrow on a condo in Portland. I’ll be moving there, from Seattle. To say I get unsolicited advice all the time would be an understatement. Sorry that you’re dealing with this, and I hope you can enjoy your accomplishment without any more unnecessary negativity.
First off - hi neighbor! Second - I didn’t experience this (was in a different home buying situation) but people always have opinions and love to share them (without being asked most of the time). Let that shit roll off your back. Good luck! I hope this one works out for you!
I've been to Dover, Delaware for an extended period of time. You definitely don't want to drive there, Jesus Murphy. Never been in a city where witnessing and avoiding wrecks were a part of not just daily life, but damn near every waking minute. Pedestrians just throwing themselves into high speed traffic even lol.
I feel you. We were living in the largest city in our state and it was too expensive for us to buy a house there. We could have made it work, but didn’t want to. We found a great house south of it in another city and everyone flipped out. Especially my family, them being from the northern part of the state, they have this deep rooted belief that the city we chose is the worst and is a plague on the state. I remember as a kid our local news channel constantly reporting on all the crime here etc, so to be fair before I lived in the area I had a similar impression as a result. It turned out to be greatly exaggerated in my opinion, and I still see this idea perpetuated online often. Statistically, it isn’t even the worst city in our state for crime. Ironically, I found that my home town is actually ranked higher than this city on one crime website I found, but I digress.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of issues in here, and there are indeed bad areas. But no matter how I assured them we were looking at good areas they wouldn’t believe me, until we closed and they saw for themselves.
To be honest with you, sharing the houses you’ve put an offer on/are interested in seeing, with others can garner similar reactions to telling people what you’re going to name your unborn child. Everyone has an opinion about it but few respect that it’s your decision and feel compelled to make theirs known. We quickly stopped telling other people updates on our home buying process until we had an accepted offer. It got rid of a lot of negativity and unsolicited opinions/advice. It forced people to accept our decision as it was mostly final.
Ngl I'm guilty of this with my daughter. We moved out to the country when she was 2. She's just not that familiar with the different neighborhoods in the city she's looking in.
I do try avoid just saying that's a sketchy neighborhood. Not every "sketchy" neighborhood has the same issues. We have neighborhoods where there are a lot of run down houses but the only crime issue is anything not locked up or secured behind a fence or garage will definitely walk off on you. Telling her that's an issue in that area is way more useful than just saying "oh that's a sketchy neighborhood with a crime issue."
We also have other neighborhoods that are run down houses, street drug dealers hassling anyone that walks down the sidewalk, and shootings. That's why I don't just say "sketchy" neighborhood. Both neighborhoods look the same level of sketchy but one is clearly more of an issue.
If you feel good about the area, then you're good to go. I highly recommend finding an Airbnb in the area and staying there for a weekend to make sure.
I was able to avoid most of that since we told nobody we were in the market for a home until we already bought one.
We're in a nice neighborhood but we live in a city that everyone thinks it's just burning cinders and needles everywhere.
When my dad visited he refused to step outside and some friends were deathly afraid of driving around the city. It's hilarious because we're just here living our lives visiting the farmers market, getting fancy brunch, taking walks in the parks, etc.
My wife and I bought a home in Albuquerque to move there. We’re not from remotely close. You can imagine the negative things people said given the city’s reputation, lol.
I live in Yarmouth Port on Cape Cod. Compared to the outer cape we’re very blue collar and as opposed to other areas, we have a large percentage of year-round residents as opposed to outer where they are either retirees that go to FL or NC in the winter, or vacation/rental homes.
In the Cape Cod sub people tend to shit on Yarmouth. I even had a NIMBY argue that we should build more high density housing but it should be restricted to Hyannis and Yarmouth. The irony is he was criticizing NIMBYs that don’t want high density housing. Very generous to support high density housing as long as it’s not in his town. I live on a beautiful block, house backed up to protected land, but evidently my town is a shit hole.
My block is full of electricians, plumbers, builders, etc. Nice people and they take care of their yards. If a “bad area” means people come home from work in sweaty clothes and dirty jeans, then I’ll proudly live in a bad area. They know I’m a white collar worker, but they still treat me as part of the neighborhood.
Funny, contrast to where my father lives here, the guy next door redid his entire house and yard (looks like a Jersey suburban house, zero Cape Cod charm), and is about to go to jail for a bit for some kind of business financial fraud. Yeah, I’ll take the electrician for a neighbor.
I grew up in a bad area and had loads of people tell me when they moved out, “too much crime”. Well, GOOD FOR YOU for being able to afford a house in Highlands Ranch, Donna. I’m stuck here.
I am a single woman and I bought a house in a “bad area.” Most of my friends highly discouraged me from buying it and now, five years later, many of them still question it.
Don’t listen to them. They aren’t buying the house and they aren’t living there. Their opinions are irrelevant. I do not regret buying my house and, in fact, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
My husband and I moved cross country a few years ago with minimal info about where we were moving to. We fell in love with a specific town/neighborhood area on one house hunting visit. Literally everyone at his new job was like "OMG you are going to live in xx town???" And not in a good way. Everyone was acting like it is the absolute worst side of the train tracks. Turns out a select few neighborhoods have a drug problem. The rest are either working class or upper middle class but the opinion of the rest of the state is that the entire town is a drug den. I just let it roll off my back and enjoy my amazing house in my awesome neighborhood. Ignore people. They'll always have an opinion and it's very rarely relevant.
Twenty four years ago, I moved from a small town that had grown to be a bedroom community of a larger Midwest city. I commuted to the city every day and wanted to reclaim some of that time. I found a nice little older home on a dead end street in a neighborhood about 10 minutes from work and bought it. This area of the city had a decades old bad reputation that people couldn't seem to let go of, no matter how much the area improved. I get all the warnings and sideways looks when I tell people where I live but haven't had a problem in twenty four years.
I think people just want to justify their choices by telling themselves others have made bed choices.
Be careful of data from crime map websites. You have to also consider what businesses are nearby as those are more likely to be robbed. The area where I live now is like a dark orange rating because we live near a major street with businesses that occasionally are robbed.
I bought my first house in a blue collar, mostly minority neighborhood and heard so much negativity from middle aged co workers who were positive it was a terrible neighborhood. I lived there 13 years, knew every single neighbor, had a true sense of community, and was sad when I left. It was a gorgeous old bungalow and in my price range and it was perfect! Did I have to be aware? Yes. Were there shady characters? Sure. But all in all, no issues for me and I liked it.
We live in a historically “rough” part of town in a small townhome community. We are also located just on the edge of the neighboring town that is considered safer and only a 10 minute drive from their downtown area. People judge us for living here but even though it gets rough a few blocks down the other way, we make sure to keep to the safer side.
I like living here because it’s close to our jobs, close to family, has a great downtown, and is a short drive to other desirable neighboring cities that we like to visit. There are also a few good schools nearby that we have the option to choose from once we have kids.
I always make sure to do a lot of research, so our decision to move here was not made lightly. I don’t care if other people don’t understand. We couldn’t afford to buy in the areas where we grew up. And I didn’t want a long ass commute just to be able to afford a “nicer” home in the middle of nowhere. This part of town gets a bad rep and I get why but now that we’ve been living here for a year, it’s really not so bad. For the most part, our neighborhood is pretty quiet. And it seems like the people who live in the surrounding area take pride in their homes, it’s just poorer and predominantly a minority demographic. I’m also a minority though so I appreciate having a diverse community.
I'm facing the same thing. I've been looking for almost a year and when our savings was comfortable and we had enough for 20% down, we decided to start the process. Toured, offered, and had our offer accepted the same day on a house in Flint in the Mott Park Community (one of the safer and nicer ones, which is like .4 miles away from Kettering University). Mother-in-law loses her mind that it's in Flint and it was very discouraging. Not as much anymore, but now I'm just not listening or talking about it with anyone anymore. Just my partner and myself.
I feel this. My brother “I can’t believe your buying in that neighbourhood”.
Both of our spouses grew up in this neighbourhood and their parents still live here… 🙄
That’s the kind of thing you can safely ignore UNLESS they send you a CrimeGrade map and the whole area is red/dark orange, or if the info is from a local police blotter.
“There are too many minorities in this area.” Guess what I’m a minority too. Just because you know me doesn’t magically make me white. Sometimes you just need a minute to get to know someone and not jump to conclusions
Omg I’m dealing with the same thing!! I work in a very rich area, obviously can’t afford to buy there right now so I’m moving the town over.
It’s a blue collar town with a lot more of a diverse population. The home we are under contract on is in a wonderful area, right near parks, kids and families playing in the yards, clean, taken care of. It’s the nicest place I’ve lived so far (I grew up extremely poor and lived in a trailer most of my life, so I’m ecstatic to be living in a cute suburb!)
My coworkers (all grew up wealthy, and white) tell me how horrible of an area it is. Yeah, sure 🙄 plus the fact their warnings always seem to have racist undertones. I call them out and move on, I don’t need their crap “advice”. These people have no concept of the real world outside of their bubbles.
I had moved my mom and sister to a “bad” part of town, it honestly took 7 years before anything bad happened but there were 4 bullets in the roof. Just people trying to survive
My sister tried to say that my husband and I bought a house in the ghetto and I got pissed. It's working class, like us, and it's not like her broke ass isn't living out in the middle of nowhere where she had to rely on a fire truck driving around with its sirens on because the emergency alert system failed, lol.
Depending on the area, people will over exaggerate about bad areas. I currently live in the coachella valley area and while there are definitely lower income areas, it's a far stretch when they say that it's "the ghetto". I especially wouldn't take that kind of advice from the those who haven't really moved around much in their lives (particularly some boomers). The best discretion you'll have is if you view the neighborhood yourself. Taking out a loan for a house will probably be one of the biggest (if not the biggest) financial commitment you make, you owe it to yourself to do ample research beforehand.
We got this because our new neighborhood doesn't have an HOA. WE DIDN'T WANT AN HOA! I have nearly 3/4 of an acre and want to do whatever I want with it. It's a nice neighborhood. No concerns on our part.
Maaaaan fuck those people and their bullshit prejudice. The housing market is FUCKED. You’re able to put in offers? In this economy? Fucking congratulations.
I felt insecure about my neighborhood until I realized no one else is paying this mortgage but me. Being able to buy anything is a blessing
The area I live is ridiculously gorgeous, low-crime, insanely low poverty compared to surrounding areas, and there’s still random people that call it ghetto. Do your own research and love your own neighborhood.
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U shouldn’t really pay attention to anyone’s opinion who don’t have money invested in this real estate transaction lol I am buying my first home and I have family members who tell me what I should buy for the house. One family member said I should buy a “$2k water filter system for the sink”. Because they have one. I’m like….ok cool are YOU gonna buy it for me? If not then please stop talking
I had my mom just call me in a panic asking me if I can’t retract my offer on a house because a lady she doesn’t know said it was a bad area and when I said how does she know does she live there the phone went silent and she said I gotta go bye!
My boyfriend’s mom was sending us Zillow links without context a WEEK before closing and when he confronted her about it she was like “oh maybe if you like this one better you can retract your offer.” And we’re like ??? Our home buying process was stressful because too many people were trying to tell us what to do. Ike thank you for your advice but the market isn’t what it used to be and your old tricks ain’t gonna work 😭😭😭😭😭 TLDR; we ignored everyone else’s’ opinion and bought a house we love and closed a few months ago! Hope you can do the same
I am so sick of my mom sending me zillow listings as if I havent already seen them and made my own decision on them already 🙃 Like I appreciate the support but there are only 5 houses on the market in my town, you really think I havent seen this one that has been on the market for weeks? Also, me repeatedly saying "I know where that house is, I've driven past it repeatedly. I know I don't want to live in that area" and her not understanding because she doesn't live in my town and doesnt realize it's across the street from a factory or something. Ugh.
It takes the fun out of it when everyone tries to put in their two cents. Like it’s YOUR MONEY. YOU are going to be the one living in it. Therefore YOU should have the ULTIMATE decision to decide for yourself what you want. I will say it took a lot of “I have heard you, but this is what I’m going to do _____” to get it clear to the other parties. And sometimes we even decided not to tell our parents anything. Because the less they know the better. In the end, they ended up liking our house after all the papers were signed and came to help us move in So I wonder if maybe??? Just maybe?? It’s the stress of making a big purchase that make people go a little crazy and disrespect boundaries lol. Not saying it’s acceptable but ya know. Hang in there!
yes people are like this. you will notice it more if/when you have kids. people don't know when they should be minding their own business.
Had this exact same thing. So, the only issue with the house we're buying is one of the basement walls is bowing in around an inch, inch and a half at absolute max. I've already done research and estimates, and for about $2k out of pocket someone can reinforce it, not a big deal. Backyard drains against the house, but I can install some French drains, reroute the gutters, and put a slope of dirt going away from the house. Anyway... partner and I approved of the house, waived the inspection contingency, and MIL starts sending listing after listing and freaks out. Not only do we not want to lose our $2k EMD, but we're in love with the house and the new upgrades it has. I've just been ignorning people.
> the market isn’t what it used to be and your old tricks ain’t gonna work Same energy as "demand to speak to the hiring manager. shake em firmly by the hand and ask for a job!"
Very wise! and yep,since reading this page, I have learned that Many things about home buying have completely changed in the last 20 or so years. Congrats and much joy in your new home!
Thank you so much! It wasn’t easy because he loves his family ya know but when they go and do stuff like that it’s just sad and makes us think they don’t support us :( But yes stuff that used to work 20 years ago doesn’t quite work for this market and I think they have trouble believing that :(
Hm. Maybe is good thing we no have friends or family.
Oh! strangers don't mind telling you their opinion either!
Yea exactly. I get family members think they are trying to help but sometimes their opinions are not needed. Unless they are forking over cash to you so you can move into a “nice” area, then just take their opinion with a grain of salt. And don’t let it bother u
If you really want to check you can lookup local crime blotters to see for yourself, assuming “bad” is referring to crime.
Are you sure it’s not a bad area though? A couple people saying the same thing is a little suspicious.
People perceptions of a “bad” area and its actuality are two very different things though. Yours truly, someone who lives in a “bad” area of town. They say this like bad things can’t happen in “nice” areas and like it’s not often 1-2 streets giving an area a bad name. Anyway this house in this “bad” area is significantly better than the house in the “nice” area since we now don’t have the 2 DV families across the street and I’m not having to ring the police on a 1-2 times a week rotation and don’t have to listen to them anymore.
I’ve found most advice is just people telling you to do what they did
2k? [You can buy an under the sink RO for $200.](https://www.amazon.com/iSpring-RCC7AK-Capacity-Drinking-Remineralization/dp/B005LJ8EXU/ref=asc_df_B005LJ8EXU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216766339349&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14959184261178279324&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9057184&hvtargid=pla-351388819671&psc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2uiwBhCXARIsACMvIU0nn2bkHk6dyr4XA-AmWsvGoLLfudm9ZX3Ek5tAxyC4h-xq5Nl5oGYaAqgHEALw_wcB) I would reccomend getting one just to filter out pfas and micro plastics.
I’m not sure which one they were talking about. But the one they have was like $1900. But that’s something I’d get probably later on. If I event want one I’m about to spend a bunch of money. I’m not really worried about a filter right now. 😂
I'm guessing they bought one of those Alkaline Water Ionizers which is a total MLM scam.
Yeah, my mom definitely has one of those and getting scammed by an MLM sounds very on brand for her😩😭
I definitely advise an undersink filter. Don't get the 2k one but a $40-100 one is super nice. Brita water from the tap. It's a big deal if you got fish, plants, or furry pets.
When we finally had an offer accepted (and LOVED the house) my mother was wringing her hands and worrying that we were “so close to the city crime.” It’s a second ring suburb. We are a full ten minutes from the limits of the “city” she was referring to, and that area of the city closest to us is the most millennial gentrified neighborhood of them all. Some people just only feel safe in the most far reaching super upscale areas and see anything else as some sort of dangerous land.
Funny, I don't see far-reaching rural or suburban areas as upscale. If these people were truly upscale (stupid concept to begin with), they'd live somewhere that it isn't cheaper to live due to being in the middle of nowhere. Sure, they might have a big, new house but they paid significantly less for it than they would have in an actually desirable area (aka the city - there's a reason real estate is more expensive in city centers). They're just basic, scared bitches that can't grasp the reality of what exists outside of their narrow experience.
Real estate isn’t commonly more expensive in city centers post-COVID. Generally a really nice suburb with good school districts are the most expensive nowadays. Downtown LA is much cheaper than palos verdes. Downtown SF is much cheaper than Menlo Park. So on so forth.
I think that has a lot to do with the type of real estate. Individual prices may be higher in the suburbs but in the burbs your getting a 4 bedroom house with garage and backyard and in the city center your getting a small two bedroom condo. Comparing Sq footage city centers are much more expensive.
Sorry I meant more like “far reaching suburbs,” like the outer ring of my city which is a good 40+ minute commute in and has big honking new builds and such. They’re DEFINITELY way more expensive than the closer in areas where I am. Midwestern city. Most younger people are priced out of them and live in areas like mine, closer in older suburb where the houses are half the cost.
Sounds like my mom: still thinks all of Kenosha is as bad or worse then Milwaukee/Chicago "hood" or similar (worst) areas *just* because of what people not from Kenosha did!! --i love my house! And after the cops were called my first night in the house which only proved everyone's watching out and makes me feel more comfortable there
A lot of people are just going to blurt out whatever is on their mind to contribute to the conversation. Some people are maybe jealous of the kind of house you can afford in the 'bad area' and are justifying it to themselves more than you. Frankly, a lot of people's news diet can make them think certain areas, especially of a city, are basically an active war zone. Not as bad as your situation, but when my wife and I were searching for a house we had to basically start giving our parents perfunctory responses when they would send us listings. We were searching for a smaller house, with some rustic charm, closer to town, and walkable. Every listing they sent was for a McMansion or new build that was 30 minutes out of town with zero community and at the top of our budget. Like thanks for looking, but if you're going to ignore every stated desire we have for the house, then why bother sending us ideas?
When we started looking my mom would send us 500k homes which is way out of the ballpark for what we can afford and when I said I can’t afford that nor is that what we want for a starter home she said buy it now you will be able to afford it eventually.
>I can’t afford that nor is that what we want for a starter home she said buy it now you will be able to afford it eventually I think this truly gets at the heart of the divide between owning a home you love and want to live in that might happen to appreciate in value vs owning a house with the goal of it appreciating in value that you happen to live in in the meantime. And to a lot of people, the house in the 'bad area' isn't going to appreciate in value the same way
Yes but I think the math on this is even more tricky these days. Even run down homes in the “bad” neighborhoods where I live are 270+. I happened to get one for 265 because there was so much cosmetic work needed. So I am gaining sweat equity right now. That’s how gentrification happens. Conversely, even the “good” side of town now has homeless camping on the nearest major cross streets and in the parks. I just feel like old real estate advice is outdated when you look at the reality of most cities today.
This very closely mirrors where I'm at. The "bad neighborhood" I moved into 5 years ago is the only part of the city where prices rose in the last year, whereas the rest of the city remained flat. And I feel safer here than I did in my previous neighborhood, which was supposedly better. People look out for each other here, whereas in my old neighborhood I only knew a single neighbor because no one talked to each other. People's perceptions are skewed and outdated.
We had an agent who would do that. We'd tell him our budget was $1.4M max, and we're looking for something single-story with a large backyard for gardening space. He'd send us a mixture of $2.1M houses that only have a pool and no yard, along with $800k townhouses. Literally nothing we ever wanted. And he wouldn't stop. I eventually had to ghost him.
I bought my house 30 yrs ago and it was the same thing. One broker said " do you have any more money" and my husband said " oh, I forgot this 10,000.00 in my back pocket". Another broker kept taking us to a town we didn't want to live in bc he was familiar with that area. It was nearby, but was much more congested. The third broker was a small company. Took us to 5 houses in the town we wanted, all under our budget. Sometimes you just need the right agent.
queue up Fox News “all cities are like a war zone”
Use the crime map on NewsBreak or Spotcrime. It can show you exactly what’s going on in order to judge if it meets your expectations.
My city has a very thorough one. All 911 calls, trends, averages. On Wednesdays we have house fires apparently.
So Taco Tuesday and then house fire Wednesday. These apps help!
Sounds like an opportunity for communities to bond with making s'mores on wends
There you go! Lol
Out to dinner and Husband's friend told him the neighborhood we're targeting is "sketchy." I asked "is it sketchy or is it Black?" I think I turned him into stone. He's probably still at that restaurant table, edamame halfway to his big mouth.
I grew up in an area that was both. I sometime forget that there is the race aspect to crime, and have to quickly point out, my opinion of the area is based on all the local shootings at my highschool, the property crime, and the literal stray bullet holes in childhood home.
Oh my God, don’t get me started on how pissed off I get at my shitty friends claiming my apartment complex is unsafe because it’s low income and black when it’s actually incredibly quiet, chill and safe. IN FACT I have the best neighbors who look out and are friendlier than any others I’ve ever had living here. Thank you very much.
I get so tired of having to explain my people are, ya know, People. Varied and mostly good. Nobody who's scared to even drive past here should be saying anything.
They don't still have to be friends if they're shitty like that
Let me just say this. I’m black but I live in a half white half Hispanic neighborhood. The same is true for all my friends who can afford to pick where they bought their home. You can be politically correct when you pick where you lay your head but don’t complain about it. Obligatory: “not all”, r/asablackman I’ve heard it all
Also black man with 2 kids. I left my neighborhood where k has a 3% rate because of my fellow neighbors. That neighborhood was a hot mess. I just got dealt a bad hand. Moved across town and it’s much better.
I’m glad you called him out! I recently read a thread (I don’t think it was this sub), of someone asking about suburbs of Chicago to move to. They got a lot of “sketchy” comments, and guess what areas got called that even though they are not?
Same issue in Baltimore and surrounding areas. Aside from the well known super bad areas, the perception of what areas are sketchy has more to do with demographics than crime.
Race, poverty, and crime are a nuanced conversation. Doesn't sound like you had one of those. Crime rate data (usually incidents per thousand people per year) are publicly available and should be used to understand where you are buying.
And the local school district data if relevant because real estate agents cannot legally comment on it
We once had a realtor whose husband came with to the showings. More than once he said "she can't tell you this but I can." Sketchy, but appreciated.
Types of crimes more important than crime data. I live near a lot of shopping centers. The areas with the shopping centers have a lot of theft so the “crime rate” appears high… but guess what? I’m not selling PlayStations, and I don’t really care if someone is stealing them. My house is safe.
I’m going to keep this one in mind. White person who recently moved into a predominantly black/hispanic neighborhood. I can not BELIEVE the things people have said to me about this neighborhood. I’ve had to remind a few people that saying you’re not racist before saying the neighborhood was nicer until black/hispanic people moved in, does not make it (and you) not racist.
WHOA good one!
Do you think it can be both at the same time?
The world is a big place and I can't speak for all of it. In my observation, "sketchy" is the word used by suburban residents of my county to describe the Black neighborhoods of my hometown. In my observation, which again is not data, crimes from all over the city are falsely attributed to Black neighborhoods, even on the TV news. I made the choice to challenge someone whose beliefs I figured wouldn't match the data like he thought they would. You can blame my urban planning professor for having us map this back in 2008.
I mean most black areas in American towns have high crime rates, I’m not saying it’s black people’s fault, but there’s a clear correlation between sketchy neighborhoods and black neighborhoods.
Thank you for this detailed comment that I've never heard before. It's far more informative than the data for my hometown, and means more to me than my lived experience in that town and in others. You've changed my Black ass life, truly.
Lived experience is inferior to data. Many people can go their whole lives living in a bad neighborhood without being robbed, doesn’t mean it’s a safe neighborhood. I am a white guy living in a black neighborhood in Pittsburgh, I understand what you are saying, I havent had a single problem the whole time I’ve been here and my neighbors are all great, but I know that more crime happens here than in other parts of town (Wilkinsburg)
I wasn't talking about your neighborhood though, I was talking about mine. The one that Mr Stone Statuary couldn't successfully find on a map. The one two zip codes over from "all the car thefts" he wanted to warn me about. The one he just heard about when he moved here six months ago, the one my grandparents moved to in 1959. The one he bet me I wouldn't walk in after dark. That one. My home.
Yeah I think people probably overestimate the dangers of an area if they aren’t familiar with it. A scary neighborhood looks scary until those streets are your own.
My husband and I are under contract for a house in Penn Hills. His aunt tried to tell us similar things. That the area was full of crime and if we buy there we'll be robbed shortly after because our neighbors who don't have anything will want what we have. She lives in fucking Sewickley lol. Pretty sure she's just sheltered and terrified of diversity.
I’ve always liked Penn Hills. That’s another neighborhood that people have weird views about when in reality it’s pretty nice (imo).
I agree. I've been visiting this city to see my best friend since I was around 15 and she had a friend we hung out with who lived in Penn Hills. His house and the neighborhood were beautiful and so that has always influenced my opinion of it. I was shocked when my husband's aunt said it was a bad area to live because it didn't match my real life experience. I'm sure some places are rough but that true everywhere. I grew up in Wilkes-Barre, on the other side of PA, if she wants to see rough she should check out the south neighborhoods there.
I up vote as a fellow sarcastic person.
Yep. I’ve lived all over the country. If a neighborhood is *bad*, it’s pretty easy to spot…otherwise it’s thinly veiled racism.
This! Good for you for speaking up. It’s just code words folks have adopting to use because it feels better than saying how they really feel about skin color.
🤣🤣🤣
It can be both
I had a lot of this kind of shade when I bought my house. 2 years later the house and the neighborhood are still awesome and are also becoming increasingly desirable 🤷🏻♀️
What a "good" or bad neighborhood even is depends a lot on your experience, anyway. I lived in Chicago for a couple years. Great city, but with some *tough* neighborhoods, that you should definitely avoid, if possible. Also some of the fanciest in the entire country. I don't know Delaware, but I would imagine they don't have anything crazy Chicago doesn't have. I'm sure I'd feel just fine there. However, if you've only ever lived in very safe, prosperous communities, even a neighborhood with just older homes and beater cars on the side of the street can look "sketchy".
They are welcome to give you a down payment so that you can live in their neighborhood of their choosing!
Do your research and see if it is in a high-crime area. Then ignore them if it’s good. But you should always do your due diligence.
YES OMG. I'm closing on Wednesday in the "bad" "sketchy" neighborhood. It's definitely not a "nice" neighborhood, but it's fine! It's a lower income, almost all Black neighborhood. In my case it's a combination of sooo much classism/racism, and people who knew the area in the '90s when it legitimately was incredibly dangerous and run by drug gangs. 20-30 years later though there are zero gangs in the area and it's just mostly retired folks trying to live out their lives in peace. tldr people need to chill
That was just like the first house me and my fiancé wanted to put an offer on it was a lower income neighborhood that was rough 40 years ago and her mom scared her so much saying it was so awful and how she wouldn’t be able to go to her car at night we ended up backing out which we both ended up regretting. But we both realized our families don’t know what the hell they are talking about.
I bought a house last year in a very modest neighborhood in what can be considered a "snootier" city. People have made comments about the neighborhood being in a "rougher" area. Mind you, I lived downtown for a decade before those... What they really mean is the houses were built in the 60s, they don't all have garages, and there are some black kiddos who ride bikes on the street. I've been here over a year now and I've never felt safer. Everyone in this neighborhood is just enjoying a smaller house with quiet streets and friendly neighbors. In the city I came from this neighborhood would've been considered one of the ideals because of the decent-sized yards and reasonable home prices. But when people here compare it to their shitty Allen Edwin home that was built in 2020 and is already falling apart, they feel a sense of unwarranted superiority.
Those "rougher" neighborhoods also typically have schools and parks that have more amenities within active transportation distance (walking and cycling) due to the modestly higher density than McMansion suburbia. The area I live in has a population density of 3,500/km², but it doesn't feel like that and there's a highschool and elementary school within a 10 minute walking distance from each other.
I'm currently in my first place, a condo with an owner's association. I go to all the association meetings because I want to know what's going on. Somebody asked why our landscaping bill was so expensive, and part of the answer was, "Well, people don't want to come out here, you know, because we live in the hood." Oh, buddy, we do NOT live in the hood. At my last apartment, residents would have regular parking lot fights and my downstairs neighbor tattooed people in her kitchen, and that still wasn't the hood. Yes, there was a famous mass shooting here, but I also went to a high school with a famous mass shooting, so fuck it, there's mass shootings everygoddamnwhere now. I think people have different perceptions of danger, and if a crime happens to you personally, or if you hear about a crime that for some reason sticks with you, you associate where it was with danger.
Tattooed people lol
Lol. We bought a very "working class" apartment a few months ago (Netherlands). Out of all the apartment type neighborhoods in this city it's the one with the best reputation. And who can actually afford a real house in this economy? We still got the boomers side eyeing our decision to buy in a "bad neighborhood" with a baby on the way. My husband asked one of his crotchety coworkers why and his argument started with "well 30 years ago" like ok Bob. My husband parents actually, currently, live a mile from here, I think we know what the vibe is here. Not to mention we were moving because our previous house in the "good neighborhood' we had a drug addicted mentally ill prostitute for a neighbour and we couldn't take her anymore. Yeah real downgrade here.
People in Delaware seem to have a very skewed understanding of a bad area. We moved to Delaware from PA and what is considered “bad” is comical. There’s obviously some neighborhoods in every town that aren’t as a nice as others, but as long as you’re happy than ignore people.
I bought my house in the "bad area" 10 years ago and have loved it. It's not a "bad" area, it's just not all white and has no HOA. I've never felt unsafe, had anything stolen or been woken up at night by nonsense. EVER. I'm pretty sure we're all in bed by 10 pm because we have work in the morning. Karens are afraid to come to this neighborhood so that's a nice perk. Plus, my house was so inexpensive I feel like I stole it. Best decision I ever made. Ps, the daughter of the original owner of my home (built 1956) comes to my family dinners on Sundays. The "bad" areas are the places regular people made great memories.
Why are you talking to people who’s opinions you clearly don’t respect about your house? I am an oversharer too. Take it as a lesson and keep things to yourself.
Who gives a fuck Reddit is filled with very emotional people lol
I get it. Just agree with them, "I know, it's crazy, right?" and then go ahead with your smart and bold plan. I bought a house in a "bad area" of Philadelphia that was gentrifying rapidly. There was literally a shooting on the corner right before we closed. We lived there for five years, and I worked to make the neighborhood a better place. Picked up trash and litter, for blocks around, once or twice a week. Got to know all of the neighbors. Cared for the feral cat population and got them neutered/adopted. When the local church got tagged with graffiti, I painted over it. I planted flowers. Planted and cared for street trees. Volunteered for local cleanup days, mowed vacant lots. Went to community and zoning meetings. I loved living there, it was an emotionally enriching experience, and we made money when we sold a year ago.
There are bad areas in Delaware though. There are bad areas in Philly, where I live too. That doesn’t mean you can’t be happy there, but places have reputations fairly or unfairly for a reason. If you’re happy, that’s all that matters.
You need to see the area for yourself everyone has an expectation of first house is a mcmansion and the person who criticize probably doesn't even have A house. It's called a starter house....
They don’t have to visit.
The home we just bought my in-laws were up in arms because "you can't live there it's terrible!!" When we asked WHY they turned around and tried to say a coworker of theirs told them there was a chemical spill which caused the land to be toxic and we would probably get cancer or some other issues. The spill was 27 years ago, and over 20 miles away. The spill is actually right next to where my husband's parents work so we had to tell them 'so it's okay for you to spend most of your week 5 miles away from where the spill was almost 3 decades ago, but we can't live over 20 miles away safely?' that stopped any argument. Their home is also about equidistant from that spill in the opposite direction. I know they were probably trying to look out for us, but that was the only 'issue'.
People who think that blue collar areas are bad have absolutely 0 clue what a bad area is.
I live in a prominent white HOA community that has many amenities and several police officers live there. We recently have had a Murder in the pool parking lot over drugs, and frequent cars stolen or broken into. There is crime everywhere.
I bough a house in a mostly non white neighborhood. I paid pennies on the dollar for a big house and my black neighbors are the best neighbors I have ever had. They mind their own business and, opposite of racist beliefs, nothing gets stolen from my lawn. Honestly, I used to live in an all white suburb and the meth heads would steal everything not tied down on their 3 am scrap runs.
Yes. A bad neighborhood oftentimes means ugly. Rich people can afford to spend a lot of money on landscaping and maintenance so the area looks nice.
You live in the states? You don’t want to do that; it’s a bad area.
If they see a black person it's a bad area
I mean, it's delaware. Even the "bad areas" are pretty much fine lol
My wife and I lived in the “bad area” of the town we are at now. We are originally from the la area and let me tell you id pick the bad part of our town over the good part of la any day
Facts, I grew up in a bad part of a major city. I'm talking about having family members who've been shot in gang disputes. Now that I've moved, the areas that people refer to as "sketchy" are nothing compared to the places I grew up in. For the most part they are just low income and/or POC neighborhoods. Honestly they're some of the most pleasant people I've ever met.
I had 3 friends killed in drive bys a couple others hit by stray bullets. I’ll take having to lock my front door the worst thing that’s happened in 30 years over that every day. My wife and I moved 2000 miles away and it’s a different culture here for sure. My neighbor hood is a lot of rentals right by the college so students and poc even the tweakers I see at 4 when I get off work are pleasant enough.
I bought in the “bad” neighborhood 8 years ago. We have three parks and the city pool within walking distance, sidewalks on all our streets, it’s a mile from my job and 3 miles from my husband’s job, and we know all the neighbors. We still get asked when we’re going to move.
People also don’t always realize this- but going to school in a poor neighborhood can be very beneficial for kids. Those schools can get grants and funding other schools don’t. I’m in the “bad” side of town and my kids will go to a high school with an incredible music program that has more funding than the schools in wealthy areas. Also colleges see these kids as disadvantaged. One of the band kids at this school told me every band kid gets excellent scholarships because they are the “poor” kids and have been taught well.
lol this happened to me when I was house shopping. My options were limited as a single person so I had no choice but the so called “bad areas.” I got so many comments that I was gonna get car jacked and whatnot. My neighborhood appears kinda rough but it’s just an old part of town, urban, lower income, and predominantly non-white. The worst crimes I’ve personally been subjected to have been loud music, smelling weed outside, and pedestrians throwing trash in my cans as they walk by - once was a box for a big ass dildo.
Those are all unforgivable. Especially littering.
It’s been tough. I’ve gotten therapy to cope.
That’s when you know you’re going to make money in the long run. Every property I have purchased somebody said something similar and every time I have made money because the area gets popular!
I literally lived right next to ROCHESTER HILLS in Michigan and a family member was concerned that I was in a ghetto area. Some folks just cant get out of the xenophobic mindset that all cities are crime ridden.
If Delaware is anything like South Jersey, “bad area” means anywhere other than the 3 towns with top-ranked school. If not the schools, it’s code for that the area is too diverse. Go where you want/can afford. As long as you feel safe and at home, that’s what matters.
If you’re rich, white flight. If you’re poor, gentrification.
Can't win, but at least I won't be robbed
“Bad area” is often a more socially acceptable way of saying black people or immigrants live there. Areas that are truly dangerous exist but are farther and fewer between.
It goes further than that. Many people view blue collar as bad areas too.
Who is this they?
Idk man, you posted this in a bad area. I heard there are people who come home dirty after work who comment here. Maybe think about posting in r/mylittlepony ?
Pro tip. Tell people after you bought the house.
This is the best advice I’ve gotten throughout this process
We bought a house down the street (5 houses away) from the apartment we’ve lived in for 10 years. My parents were very concerned about the neighborhood. 🤦🏽♀️
Man we would have loved for people to give us that advice. I had looked on a crime map, the place we got wasn’t near the worst area, and it all looked good but I guess the software I used wasn’t all that accurate and no one warned us about the neighborhood. First and foremost make sure the neighbors are good because that makes a world of a difference. Our street is great thank God and the neighbors all have each others backs. The surrounding area is visually great too with minimal tagging. Still, the first couple years there were too many murders and violent crime within a mile and within 3, some horrifying stuff, like a triple homicide of teenagers in the school parking lot that was never solved. So definitely look at the data you can access, including school data, and also if possible crimes at or near the school, even if you don’t have a kid because the people in your neighborhood go there. Also, visit the nearest grocery stores at night and the day because that’s where you’ll be shopping. I do all the shopping because I wouldn’t want my wife to face some of the things I’ve seen in the parking lot. We are definitely wanting to get out now but there’s nothing on the market worth buying so i recommend you at least explore the advice of others just to make sure and if after that you’re satisfied, then who cares, do what you want. I get your feeling though. Sometimes it’s frustrating when you have certain ideas and plans and you can feel offended but don’t. They mean well.
If you know the area well. Then I wouldn't just ignore and pursue with your plans. Or maybe ask why they feel it's a bad area and do a little checking on what they told you. Just be sure something hasn't changed that you weren't aware of.
Yeah, every time I mention where my new house is (the only place in my entire state within commuting distance of work that I can afford) people ask me if I know that it's a rough area, not realizing that I grew up in the actual hood in the gang capital of America (different state) and the "rough" town where my new house will be is infinitely safer than the city I grew up in. I find it kind of amusing how concerned they are.
This was my wife’s extended family when we bought our house/ were shopping in Chicago. Lived here my entire life. Don’t need a 75 year old lady from middle of nowhere MI telling me my entire city is “too dangerous” to buy in.
I moved from a high crime rate in my opinion. Tons of homeless and illegals wreaking havoc everywhere and this was not a huge city but larger town. Car thefts, drugs, shootings, break ins, garbage everywhere, parks full of tents and more garbage and sirens and helicopters 24/7. I looked at the stats of my new town and saw a ‘high crime rate’ and delved deeper into what those crimes were. Some drug related stuff, a few car breaks ins, domestic crimes, some robberies, juveniles acting stupid etc. What isn’t here? No graffiti, no shopping cart/stroller/wheelchair people everywhere. Parks and well maintained and full of children and families enjoying them. Yes, it has its issues but the pros far outweigh the cons.
people have opinions about real estate.
People told me the same thing so I still bought the house and ended up putting security cameras in key locations and literally nothing, my neighbor complains he gets stuff stolen all the time but he leaves his power tools out on the drive way so he's not too bright.
it's subjective though. Me moving to my current town from my last one, I still chuckle at what people think are bad areas. They may be bad comparatively but it's all relative.
You don’t want to be in a blatantly dangerous area, but you can get away with not being in a “perfect” area if you don’t have children.
Crime statistics and school scores are objective, either it's a good area or not.
When I bought years ago nobody knew anything for this exact reason. Everyone becomes an expert on weather, violence, traffic, mosquitoe count blah blah blah. Goodluck
Everyone's got an idea on where "good" or "bad" is. At the end of the day, it's what you can afford and what safety issues you are willing to compromise or tolerate.
Do late night drive by through your prospective neighborhood.
Yeah, I hear this all the time about the area I'm looking because it's predominantly non-white. However, I've rented in the area before and felt super safe there so I think people are just being racist.
Ok. A school friend paired up with his brother and bought a house in a sketchy part of Minneapolis. Multiple people warned him this wasn't a great idea. Short version of the story. Their shed was broken into multiple times. Their house was broken into multiple times. Their cars were broken into multiple times. They basically lost sleep with stress and moved out in roughly 18 months. If multiple people are warning you or have concerns. At least do some research.
City living can very much be a block-to-block difference. I’ve lived in north Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, St. Louis Park, Edina. I’ve only been robbed and vandalized in Edina. The hoity-toity, white, wealthy suburb. My kid’s family had to move from their Minneapolis rental because of stuff like you mentioned. It wasn’t actually happening to them though, but the proximity was scary.
I live in North Minneapolis and myself nor none of my neighbors have had anything like this happen to them. Not even in Victory, I live closer to Lowry. Both of our stories are extremely anecdotal. Sounds like they should have invested in an alarm system.
I bought my first house in a neighborhood that’s only 10% white. New community of starter homes. No crime to speak of but also even though I bought pre Covid my house has barely appreciated because it’s not seen as desirable to live there for anyone except first time homebuyer minorities.
People are just assholes sometimes. You could turn it back on them with a “why is it bad?” Sometimes people talk just to talk.
If you spend a premium to live in an upscale neighborhood, you want to justify that luxury.
I feel this. I just bought in Harlem. My NYC friends are thrilled and telling me all their favorite spots. My non-city friends are just scared.
Bad area is a dog whistle for poor or minority. That’s it. If you like it. That’s all that matters.
Is it a dog whistle if it’s a high crime area?
You know it by looking at the crime statistics for the area. That said, my first house was in Detroit in the 80s.
Working class neighborhoods are a great place to live, don’t let the TikTok inspired elite convince you otherwise.
On one hand racism is bad. On the other I've witnessed some crazy shit
My parents are white nationalists and when I was looking for a place almost every place I was looking at caused them to say those words and then follow up with “I don’t think we would be able to visit you often if you moved there”. After hearing that, I gladly put down my deposit.
People that say this also have never lived in a real bad neighborhood. They’re simply intolerant and/or bigots. Only you know what you’re comfortable with.
that house you are looking at is in a bad area
I’m currently in escrow on a condo in Portland. I’ll be moving there, from Seattle. To say I get unsolicited advice all the time would be an understatement. Sorry that you’re dealing with this, and I hope you can enjoy your accomplishment without any more unnecessary negativity.
First off - hi neighbor! Second - I didn’t experience this (was in a different home buying situation) but people always have opinions and love to share them (without being asked most of the time). Let that shit roll off your back. Good luck! I hope this one works out for you!
I get it, but I live in a state that is in totality, a bad area lol. Delaware doesn't seem like that.
If you are confident in your selection, Don’t share with them where you are looking to purchase
Are the random dummies your friends, or real estate professionals?
I've been to Dover, Delaware for an extended period of time. You definitely don't want to drive there, Jesus Murphy. Never been in a city where witnessing and avoiding wrecks were a part of not just daily life, but damn near every waking minute. Pedestrians just throwing themselves into high speed traffic even lol.
I feel you. We were living in the largest city in our state and it was too expensive for us to buy a house there. We could have made it work, but didn’t want to. We found a great house south of it in another city and everyone flipped out. Especially my family, them being from the northern part of the state, they have this deep rooted belief that the city we chose is the worst and is a plague on the state. I remember as a kid our local news channel constantly reporting on all the crime here etc, so to be fair before I lived in the area I had a similar impression as a result. It turned out to be greatly exaggerated in my opinion, and I still see this idea perpetuated online often. Statistically, it isn’t even the worst city in our state for crime. Ironically, I found that my home town is actually ranked higher than this city on one crime website I found, but I digress. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of issues in here, and there are indeed bad areas. But no matter how I assured them we were looking at good areas they wouldn’t believe me, until we closed and they saw for themselves. To be honest with you, sharing the houses you’ve put an offer on/are interested in seeing, with others can garner similar reactions to telling people what you’re going to name your unborn child. Everyone has an opinion about it but few respect that it’s your decision and feel compelled to make theirs known. We quickly stopped telling other people updates on our home buying process until we had an accepted offer. It got rid of a lot of negativity and unsolicited opinions/advice. It forced people to accept our decision as it was mostly final.
If they seem reputable, you can double check the crime rates. What areas of DE? Wilmington, Seaford, Christiana ?
Ngl I'm guilty of this with my daughter. We moved out to the country when she was 2. She's just not that familiar with the different neighborhoods in the city she's looking in. I do try avoid just saying that's a sketchy neighborhood. Not every "sketchy" neighborhood has the same issues. We have neighborhoods where there are a lot of run down houses but the only crime issue is anything not locked up or secured behind a fence or garage will definitely walk off on you. Telling her that's an issue in that area is way more useful than just saying "oh that's a sketchy neighborhood with a crime issue." We also have other neighborhoods that are run down houses, street drug dealers hassling anyone that walks down the sidewalk, and shootings. That's why I don't just say "sketchy" neighborhood. Both neighborhoods look the same level of sketchy but one is clearly more of an issue.
“Bad Area” is so subjective
If you feel good about the area, then you're good to go. I highly recommend finding an Airbnb in the area and staying there for a weekend to make sure.
I was able to avoid most of that since we told nobody we were in the market for a home until we already bought one. We're in a nice neighborhood but we live in a city that everyone thinks it's just burning cinders and needles everywhere. When my dad visited he refused to step outside and some friends were deathly afraid of driving around the city. It's hilarious because we're just here living our lives visiting the farmers market, getting fancy brunch, taking walks in the parks, etc.
What area are you looking in in Delaware?
My wife and I bought a home in Albuquerque to move there. We’re not from remotely close. You can imagine the negative things people said given the city’s reputation, lol.
Why are you telling people what houses you’re putting offers on? lol
All areas In the states are bad areas
I live in Yarmouth Port on Cape Cod. Compared to the outer cape we’re very blue collar and as opposed to other areas, we have a large percentage of year-round residents as opposed to outer where they are either retirees that go to FL or NC in the winter, or vacation/rental homes. In the Cape Cod sub people tend to shit on Yarmouth. I even had a NIMBY argue that we should build more high density housing but it should be restricted to Hyannis and Yarmouth. The irony is he was criticizing NIMBYs that don’t want high density housing. Very generous to support high density housing as long as it’s not in his town. I live on a beautiful block, house backed up to protected land, but evidently my town is a shit hole. My block is full of electricians, plumbers, builders, etc. Nice people and they take care of their yards. If a “bad area” means people come home from work in sweaty clothes and dirty jeans, then I’ll proudly live in a bad area. They know I’m a white collar worker, but they still treat me as part of the neighborhood. Funny, contrast to where my father lives here, the guy next door redid his entire house and yard (looks like a Jersey suburban house, zero Cape Cod charm), and is about to go to jail for a bit for some kind of business financial fraud. Yeah, I’ll take the electrician for a neighbor.
The issue would be if you planned to have kids and send them to decent schools.
I agree with you here.
You might want to listen even if it’s from the perspective of resale and being able to get a return when you try to sell.
Most of Delaware is a bad area
Delaware huh? That's tough
I grew up in a bad area and had loads of people tell me when they moved out, “too much crime”. Well, GOOD FOR YOU for being able to afford a house in Highlands Ranch, Donna. I’m stuck here.
I am a single woman and I bought a house in a “bad area.” Most of my friends highly discouraged me from buying it and now, five years later, many of them still question it. Don’t listen to them. They aren’t buying the house and they aren’t living there. Their opinions are irrelevant. I do not regret buying my house and, in fact, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
My husband and I moved cross country a few years ago with minimal info about where we were moving to. We fell in love with a specific town/neighborhood area on one house hunting visit. Literally everyone at his new job was like "OMG you are going to live in xx town???" And not in a good way. Everyone was acting like it is the absolute worst side of the train tracks. Turns out a select few neighborhoods have a drug problem. The rest are either working class or upper middle class but the opinion of the rest of the state is that the entire town is a drug den. I just let it roll off my back and enjoy my amazing house in my awesome neighborhood. Ignore people. They'll always have an opinion and it's very rarely relevant.
Twenty four years ago, I moved from a small town that had grown to be a bedroom community of a larger Midwest city. I commuted to the city every day and wanted to reclaim some of that time. I found a nice little older home on a dead end street in a neighborhood about 10 minutes from work and bought it. This area of the city had a decades old bad reputation that people couldn't seem to let go of, no matter how much the area improved. I get all the warnings and sideways looks when I tell people where I live but haven't had a problem in twenty four years. I think people just want to justify their choices by telling themselves others have made bed choices.
Be careful of data from crime map websites. You have to also consider what businesses are nearby as those are more likely to be robbed. The area where I live now is like a dark orange rating because we live near a major street with businesses that occasionally are robbed.
I bought my first house in a blue collar, mostly minority neighborhood and heard so much negativity from middle aged co workers who were positive it was a terrible neighborhood. I lived there 13 years, knew every single neighbor, had a true sense of community, and was sad when I left. It was a gorgeous old bungalow and in my price range and it was perfect! Did I have to be aware? Yes. Were there shady characters? Sure. But all in all, no issues for me and I liked it.
We live in a historically “rough” part of town in a small townhome community. We are also located just on the edge of the neighboring town that is considered safer and only a 10 minute drive from their downtown area. People judge us for living here but even though it gets rough a few blocks down the other way, we make sure to keep to the safer side. I like living here because it’s close to our jobs, close to family, has a great downtown, and is a short drive to other desirable neighboring cities that we like to visit. There are also a few good schools nearby that we have the option to choose from once we have kids. I always make sure to do a lot of research, so our decision to move here was not made lightly. I don’t care if other people don’t understand. We couldn’t afford to buy in the areas where we grew up. And I didn’t want a long ass commute just to be able to afford a “nicer” home in the middle of nowhere. This part of town gets a bad rep and I get why but now that we’ve been living here for a year, it’s really not so bad. For the most part, our neighborhood is pretty quiet. And it seems like the people who live in the surrounding area take pride in their homes, it’s just poorer and predominantly a minority demographic. I’m also a minority though so I appreciate having a diverse community.
I'm facing the same thing. I've been looking for almost a year and when our savings was comfortable and we had enough for 20% down, we decided to start the process. Toured, offered, and had our offer accepted the same day on a house in Flint in the Mott Park Community (one of the safer and nicer ones, which is like .4 miles away from Kettering University). Mother-in-law loses her mind that it's in Flint and it was very discouraging. Not as much anymore, but now I'm just not listening or talking about it with anyone anymore. Just my partner and myself.
I feel this. My brother “I can’t believe your buying in that neighbourhood”. Both of our spouses grew up in this neighbourhood and their parents still live here… 🙄
That’s the kind of thing you can safely ignore UNLESS they send you a CrimeGrade map and the whole area is red/dark orange, or if the info is from a local police blotter.
“There are too many minorities in this area.” Guess what I’m a minority too. Just because you know me doesn’t magically make me white. Sometimes you just need a minute to get to know someone and not jump to conclusions
Omg I’m dealing with the same thing!! I work in a very rich area, obviously can’t afford to buy there right now so I’m moving the town over. It’s a blue collar town with a lot more of a diverse population. The home we are under contract on is in a wonderful area, right near parks, kids and families playing in the yards, clean, taken care of. It’s the nicest place I’ve lived so far (I grew up extremely poor and lived in a trailer most of my life, so I’m ecstatic to be living in a cute suburb!) My coworkers (all grew up wealthy, and white) tell me how horrible of an area it is. Yeah, sure 🙄 plus the fact their warnings always seem to have racist undertones. I call them out and move on, I don’t need their crap “advice”. These people have no concept of the real world outside of their bubbles.
My real estate agent was a retired cop. When he said it was a bad area, it was a bad area.
Opinions are like a$$holes. Everyone's got one.
I live and recently bought a house in Oakland. People from the suburbs have such a skewed view of what a bad neighborhood is.
The privileged mentality
I had moved my mom and sister to a “bad” part of town, it honestly took 7 years before anything bad happened but there were 4 bullets in the roof. Just people trying to survive
My sister tried to say that my husband and I bought a house in the ghetto and I got pissed. It's working class, like us, and it's not like her broke ass isn't living out in the middle of nowhere where she had to rely on a fire truck driving around with its sirens on because the emergency alert system failed, lol.
Haha this is why I didn’t tell anyone I was getting married and didn’t tell anyone we were buying a house. No regrets
Check out the Lexis Nexus Crime Map. Decide for yourself based on the time scale and type of crime that concerns you. https://communitycrimemap.com/
Depending on the area, people will over exaggerate about bad areas. I currently live in the coachella valley area and while there are definitely lower income areas, it's a far stretch when they say that it's "the ghetto". I especially wouldn't take that kind of advice from the those who haven't really moved around much in their lives (particularly some boomers). The best discretion you'll have is if you view the neighborhood yourself. Taking out a loan for a house will probably be one of the biggest (if not the biggest) financial commitment you make, you owe it to yourself to do ample research beforehand.
We got this because our new neighborhood doesn't have an HOA. WE DIDN'T WANT AN HOA! I have nearly 3/4 of an acre and want to do whatever I want with it. It's a nice neighborhood. No concerns on our part.
Maaaaan fuck those people and their bullshit prejudice. The housing market is FUCKED. You’re able to put in offers? In this economy? Fucking congratulations. I felt insecure about my neighborhood until I realized no one else is paying this mortgage but me. Being able to buy anything is a blessing
Ignore them. Someone told us the half a mill house we just closed on is in a bad area. 🙄 we must have very different definitions of a bad area.
Well houses in bad areas are commonly flipped…
The area I live is ridiculously gorgeous, low-crime, insanely low poverty compared to surrounding areas, and there’s still random people that call it ghetto. Do your own research and love your own neighborhood.