Crime, Shootings, Assaults, Assessing neighborhoods

Crime, Shootings, Assaults, Assessing neighborhoods

Hales Corners, WI · Member since 2013 · 229 posts · 80 votes

Hi Everyone,

I want to ask how you evaluate neighborhoods based on crime data.  I live in a suburb of Milwaukee, where mostly nothing ever happens.    I am researching Milwaukee city and inner ring suburb neighborhoods and, logically, some of the lower priced homes are in areas with frequent shootings and assaults.

For investors in lower-price properties, how do you balance your property value and what you want to own vs. the neighborhoods?   For example,  if a site like spot crime notes 3 shootings in the area of a home, but they are 4 to 6 blocks away, does that give you a pause, or are you OK with that?  

I have heard the rationale that if the shootings are at midnight or early in the morning, maybe it doesn't matter so much but….  I am not sure what I think of  that yet. 

Do you "count the crimes"?   How exactly do you review crime data and how does it influence your property selections?

If you are comparing one area of town with shootings with another area of town with shootings, what would you look for to make those comparisons?  

Also, do you do any beefing up of locks and doors and things for your tenants to make your area feel safer?   

Thanks!

1Reply
34 views

Most Popular Reply

Property Manager · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2014 · 65 posts · 38 votes
11y

I have never used crime date to evaluate a property or the neighborhood.  Milwaukee is so block by block that I don't think data from a website can give you the information you need to decide.  If tenants are questioning a neighborhood, I always recommend them to drive around at different times of the day and see what they think for themselves.  As an investor it is also good to drive by and walk the neighborhood at different times of day so you can get a feel for it.  I look for the follow when I decide on an area. How many people seem to be just hanging out?  How many lawns aren't cut?  What condition are the other properties in?  What condition are the cars in?  If I don't feel comfortable going to a property, I won't buy it for myself or manage it for someone else.  

I've worked with some out of state investors and its hard to describe but there are some great pockets in the city that crime data would tell you to run from.  Get out and drive around is my advice.

See this reply in the discussion

16 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Dave CarpenterPro Member
    Investor · Cedarburg, WI · Member since 2013 · 439 posts · 150 votes
    11y

    @Karen M. I am by no means an expert, and don't really have much experience with crimes based on the location of my property, but I know one of my tenants had his golf clubs stolen out of his car. Turns out it was unlocked, but his wife was a bit flustered by the experience. I think crime being part of the situation makes the whole experience a bit different. I would think at a minimum you would want to consider what needs to be in a lease regarding crime.

    I am grateful that I don't have to deal with that much myself. 

    @Dawn Anastasi may have some thoughts on this as she had a few SFH in Milwaukee

  • Hales Corners, WI · Member since 2013 · 229 posts · 80 votes
    11y

    Good feedback.  I hope everyone in Milwaukee who is investing in the city has some feedback for me on this!  :)  

    @Arnie Guida ,  @Brie Schmidt , @Lisa Phillips (under 30k specialist :)  ) 

  • Hales Corners, WI · Member since 2013 · 229 posts · 80 votes
    11y

    I also wonder about the path of crime -- does it creep out, just like the "path of progress" creeps?   What kinds of things makes crime contained to a certain neighborhood.  Property values?  Police?   There are certain areas, like the Milwaukee / Tosa border areas, which are well… borders and you can see a real change in the areas where there are crimes reported and the sleepy areas.

  • Property Manager · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2014 · 65 posts · 38 votes
    11y

    I have never used crime date to evaluate a property or the neighborhood.  Milwaukee is so block by block that I don't think data from a website can give you the information you need to decide.  If tenants are questioning a neighborhood, I always recommend them to drive around at different times of the day and see what they think for themselves.  As an investor it is also good to drive by and walk the neighborhood at different times of day so you can get a feel for it.  I look for the follow when I decide on an area. How many people seem to be just hanging out?  How many lawns aren't cut?  What condition are the other properties in?  What condition are the cars in?  If I don't feel comfortable going to a property, I won't buy it for myself or manage it for someone else.  

    I've worked with some out of state investors and its hard to describe but there are some great pockets in the city that crime data would tell you to run from.  Get out and drive around is my advice.

  • Residential Landlord · Greenfield, WI · Member since 2013 · 299 posts · 126 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Ed Riggenbach:

     How many people seem to be just hanging out?  How many lawns aren't cut?  What condition are the other properties in?  What condition are the cars in?  If I don't feel comfortable going to a property, I won't buy it for myself or manage it for someone else. 

    Ding ding ding, we have a winner!

  • Brie SchmidtBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Chicago, IL · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    11y

    I don't buy in areas I personally would not live in.  I rely heavily on my PM when I am buying new properties.  He and his family have 80 properties and have been renting out in the area for decades.  So either he comes with me or he sees the location before I make an offer and he will tell me yes or no.  Ultimately he is the one doing the day to day and I would never sacrifice his safety for a better return.  

    As far as crime in general every urban environment has crime.  Shootings are a little more worrisome for me.  According to spot crime there were 3 shootings in my investment area, the closest one to one of my properties was .6 miles.  That is a concern, but again if my PM is comfortable with it them I am too

  • John HornerPro Member
    Flipper/Rehabber · Columbus, OH · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 655 votes
    11y

    I always just use Trulia to evaluate the RED HOT areas for crime.  I won't even visit areas that have frequent violent crimes, we have a fellow investor who loves those areas so we usually partner with him on them.

  • Hales Corners, WI · Member since 2013 · 229 posts · 80 votes
    11y

    That Trulia color-coded crime map is interesting.  Thanks for pointing it out!  :)   

    Note:  it appears that spot crime gives more current and thorough information than the Trulia crime map.   Spotcrime has raised some concerns for me about some of the properties I would otherwise consider.  Do I want to be anywhere where there are shots fired?  Really, no.  I don't think so.    

    But what if it's a 2% property?  And the lawns are mowed?    

    Would you take a prettier, newer property with lawns mowed where there is a shooting nearby or  an older, dumpier property where there are no shots fired for miles? 

  • Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2012 · 109 posts · 42 votes
    11y

    I would be somewhat hesitant to buy in areas in which shootings and assaults are occurring on a regular basis. I think that tenant turnover could be an issue, as tenants move out after neighborhood experiences. On the other hand, shootings on these websites may not always be a confirmed shooting. They may be coded a report of "shots fired", but may be fireworks. Also, when you see assaults on the map, many of them are usually family orientated in residences or complexes and not people walking down the street. Block populations can make a big difference in the appearance of a crime map. If you have a densely populated neighborhood with 30 houses on the block, you will have more dots on a crime map. Hope this helps when you make your decision and is just my "two cents"!

  • Real Estate Broker · Westampton, NJ · Member since 2014 · 57 posts · 31 votes
    11y

    Statistical analysis of crime in cities can be VERY misleading.  In Philadelphia for example you can have a four  block radius of homes that are considered "safe" areas and right down the street would be considered "dangerous."

  • Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    11y

    If your local drive the neighborhoods at different times of the day/night.

    walk your dog at night. Get a feel for the neighborhood.

  • Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 384 posts · 109 votes
    11y

    @Karen M. I've invested in parts of Milwaukee that some might be afraid of.  I avoid the absolute worst areas and pick areas outside of that.  @Ed Riggenbach is exactly right that it can be block by block.  All you need to do is spend time driving around and you will start to notice that you can find pockets that stand out as having better cared for housing stock.

  • Jon HuberPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Boca Raton, FL · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 713 votes
    11y

    @Karen M. @Dave Carpenter @Ed Riggenbach @John Horner 

    This list may help you. It's a thread I started where people added their own, but the best two we have found for neighborhood research is AreaVibes.com and City-Data.com.

    Online Resources

  • Broker, Investor, Property Restorer · Fox Point, WI · Member since 2012 · 288 posts · 120 votes
    11y

    @Jon Huber beat me to it, but city data can be a great way to get info from people who live someplace as to the true "vibe" of any area, which I've never seen any stats or demographic info that truly pinpoints that kind of info, although some may give a fairly good idea. I don't think I've ever checked out areavibes but city data has forums like we're on here, for all the major cities and most medium and even many smaller ones as well. You can post on there and get some info just like getting RE info here on BP!

  • Investor · Boca Raton, FL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    11y

    I'm a little late adding to this forum, but I just stumbled upon a fantastic tool for evaluating crime data - Raidsonline: www.raidsonline.com.

    It is very current, much more so than Trulia, and will create a nifty heat map. You can go back 12 months and select by radius of an address as well.  

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.