When it comes to your safety, you need to be proactive, especially when it comes to deciding on a place to stay. You should also know that the safety of your neighborhood goes a long way to affect your peace of mind, happiness, and sense of security to your home. When you are home-hunting or are settled somewhere already, it is crucial that you become aware of your neighborhood to help you protect yourself and loved ones better. Here are a few quick ways to know if your potential neighborhood is safe.
- Find out the number of homes for sale in the area
You might be wondering how this checks out of safety but I assure you it is very essential. The number of homes for sale and the overall population can be a clear sign of its safety. In most cases, a large number of homes available on the market might just mean residents are leaving the neighborhood to escape rising crime it could also mean that there is a downturn in market, vacant homes most often attract questionable elements like prostitution, drug production, gangs, etc, these are just a few of the criminal elements attracted to vacant homes.
- Take time to talk to the people in the area.
A simple friendly conversation is a very effective method of obtaining information. Try to be nice, introduce yourself to your potential neighbors and ask them what they think about the neighborhood, ask them if it is a kind of place they would recommend for you and your family, and also if they have any concerns about safety.
- Tour the neighborhood and check out ty conditions.
Even the most populated neighborhoods can have some safety issues due to its general state of repair. One feature of a safe neighborhood is that it is always or usually kept clean, with residents who look after one another, the neighborhood and take pride in their surroundings being well-kempt. When touring a potential neighborhood, be sure to look out for overgrown rundown homes, broken windows and fences. While most neighborhoods may naturally have one or two unsightly homes, a large number is mostly a signal of an unsafe environment.
- Use a crime mapping service.
Security services such as missionsecuritygh.com and missionsecuritygh.com are the two most trusted services that collect crime and police reports. Submit the addresses of the various neighborhoods you have your eyes set on, these two services will show a list of crimes that have been committed in that vicinity, also complete with a breakdown of the types of crimes and the date they were committed. That would be enough information for you to compare potential neighborhoods to see which ones have the lowest crime rates. Human strategist Patterson says, “It can be alarming to see any crime at all on your street or in your neighborhood, but the number isn’t a hard measure of safety and security, especially if rates are even higher in other neighborhoods or if you are more concerned about a particular type of crime versus another.” It is also important that you know crime statistics may not exactly paint the entire picture. Any crime at all can pose as a threat to you and your family’s safety, hence it is advisable that you do a little more digging before concluding on a neighborhood’s overall safety.
But what really makes a neighborhood bad? What are the signs?
- Thick Graffiti
This is a type of street art, many of which are done on the walls of house owners without permission. Most residents disagree with it but the artists still go-ahead to do it anyway. This is a clear pointer of an unsafe neighborhood.
Other examples are;
- Random garbage everywhere
- Fences around houses
- Bars on doors and windows
- High unemployment rate
- Broken car window glass in the parking
- Lots of homeless people
- Strange teenagers
- Noise late at night
- Irregular police presence
It is important to find a safe location that best suits you and your family, then personally scout out the area, if you have plans to buy a home in a new neighborhood. You can try checking out the streets at night, during the week, on weekends, and early in the morning. Or better still, contact www.missionsecuritygh.com for professional assistance and advice.