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Answers (16)
- thevoice
- Contributions:4
I think you have heard it all here. Your comfort is the issue. I live in Beautiful and upcoming neighborhood of Washington Highlands. OUtside of my condo community I feel very safe going to bus stop, public transportaion, sports and entertainmen venues in my immediate area. Washington DC is not small community of 6,000 but of over 600,000. Infact the safest community I lived in was one that was considered by outsiders as dangerous. Its About the sense of community that exist that makes a place safe or not. My advice is to take everything else into consideration first that is important to you. Close proximity to transportation,parking,closet space,price schools etc. Then once you have narrowed that down. Start looking for your choices. Go to the sites in the day and the night, during the week and on the weekend. Talke to neighbors if you can. You can findout from DC.go who is your ANC for the area you are thinking about moving into get police stats.
I would recommend moving to Brandywine Crossing II or any of the areas in my community as a safe place.
I would recommend moving to Brandywine Crossing II or any of the areas in my community as a safe place.
- Michael Hardiman, "DC Realtor Mike"
- Contributions:2
A very common question, to which we are not allowed to give a straight answer. The reason is the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits agents from "steering" clients to or away from an area based on opinions rather than facts. So the best we can do is refer you to www.city-data.com or other sites, and you have to decide your definition of what is "safe" for you and look at the statistics. As a practical matter, you and the agent should drive through various neighborhoods and see what you think from the visuals, preferably at different times of day/evening.
- Eric Rice, "Eric.Rice"
- Contributions:2
Safety is a matter of personal comfort. There is no substitute to actually going to the neighborhoods and seeing how you feel at different times of day/night. DC is a very competitive and fairly expensive market so often times the best way to initially narrow it down is to layout you size and price requirements and then see what neighborhoods fit into that catagory. If none of those are suitable then you can look to expand some criteria - price, size, location - untill you end up in an area you are comfortable with. I would be happy to assist you in your search if you are looking to wrk with an agent that knows DC and the surrounding areas very well!
- John MacArthur, "jmac"
- Contributions:13
You ask a question that agents hear everyday. By law, we are required to give you an answer that makes us look like morons and sends you down a road of searching statistical data.
Any one that works and lives in the area understands what you are asking. Every agent knows what you are seeking. We just can't share our opinion. Data is fact. You must understand the accuracy of the data. The data is skewered because it is created by law enforcement agencies that are trying to impress locals that crime is down and school systems that are determined to follow the edicts of "no child left behind"..
There is no collection of data that will reveal the information regarding your quiet enjoyment of a home. Information about that is as varied as the likes and dislikes of any group of potential buyers. It is best discovered on a personal level through experience (yours and the shared experience of people you meet in various neighborhoods.).
I humbly suggest that you find an agent that will drive you through various neighborhoods that have homes that meet your general criteria. Use your eyes to see the pedestrian traffic. Treat your home search as you would a visit to any new area. If you don't feel comfortable, you won't be comfortable.
The data you find on line may not truly represent the living experience of any neighborhood. I have lived here all of my life and I think the DC area has continued to evolve.
In the DC area, where you work will eventually be a bigger concern. Access to the Metro (on a line that gets you to and from work easily) is a major factor. All the amenities of the city are easily accessible from just about any neighborhood, getting to and from work daily is a bigger factor.
I love the city and if you need more information I would be glad to provide it for you.
Any one that works and lives in the area understands what you are asking. Every agent knows what you are seeking. We just can't share our opinion. Data is fact. You must understand the accuracy of the data. The data is skewered because it is created by law enforcement agencies that are trying to impress locals that crime is down and school systems that are determined to follow the edicts of "no child left behind"..
There is no collection of data that will reveal the information regarding your quiet enjoyment of a home. Information about that is as varied as the likes and dislikes of any group of potential buyers. It is best discovered on a personal level through experience (yours and the shared experience of people you meet in various neighborhoods.).
I humbly suggest that you find an agent that will drive you through various neighborhoods that have homes that meet your general criteria. Use your eyes to see the pedestrian traffic. Treat your home search as you would a visit to any new area. If you don't feel comfortable, you won't be comfortable.
The data you find on line may not truly represent the living experience of any neighborhood. I have lived here all of my life and I think the DC area has continued to evolve.
In the DC area, where you work will eventually be a bigger concern. Access to the Metro (on a line that gets you to and from work easily) is a major factor. All the amenities of the city are easily accessible from just about any neighborhood, getting to and from work daily is a bigger factor.
I love the city and if you need more information I would be glad to provide it for you.
- Gordon Haraway, "1stTimebuySpecialist"
- Contributions:250
Hi Raemarie1, The response from Tammy Britt is correct, real estate agents are prohibited by law from stating their opinion of if a neighborhood is :Safe". as with many metropolitan cities, Washington DC has established neighborhoods as well as areas undergoing what is commonly referred to as gentrafacation. It is these neighborhoods in which the demographics are rapidly changing from a generally mixed bag of working class, poor and desittute population. Which is more often than not areas that see more street crimes of opertunity such as burglery, street holdups, car thefts, home invasions. As these neighborhoods evolve and new homeowners become more involved in their communities these crime issues becomes less and less of an issue.
I had a friend whole bought a dilapidated row house near in Capital Hill a number of years ago. He bought it very cheap, at the very beginning of when the neighborhood started to gentrify. It was a high risk/high reward senario,. by being one of the first to take a chance he was able to buy his home for very little and saw a tremendous upside to his value. The trade off was there was still a lot of crime he had to put up with, getting a dog helpped in his case, no one ever broke into his home and he could walk the streets afterdark feeling somewhat safe.
Bottom line, drive the neiborhoods during the day preferably on a weekend, then drive through at night 10pm-2am to get a feel for the status of the neighborhood. And while a real estate agent can't share certain aspects of a neighborhood. You can always ask, do they know anyone in the neighborhood, or do they ever shop in the neighborhood. Also vist the retail establishments day and night. Good luck
I had a friend whole bought a dilapidated row house near in Capital Hill a number of years ago. He bought it very cheap, at the very beginning of when the neighborhood started to gentrify. It was a high risk/high reward senario,. by being one of the first to take a chance he was able to buy his home for very little and saw a tremendous upside to his value. The trade off was there was still a lot of crime he had to put up with, getting a dog helpped in his case, no one ever broke into his home and he could walk the streets afterdark feeling somewhat safe.
Bottom line, drive the neiborhoods during the day preferably on a weekend, then drive through at night 10pm-2am to get a feel for the status of the neighborhood. And while a real estate agent can't share certain aspects of a neighborhood. You can always ask, do they know anyone in the neighborhood, or do they ever shop in the neighborhood. Also vist the retail establishments day and night. Good luck
- Melissa Woycechowsky, "Melsky"
- Contributions:26
Keep in mind that if you talk to neighbors they may paint a more rosy picture of the area because they want people to buy there and keep their home values up.
Sometimes neighborhoods will have message boards, web pages or email lists and these can be really helpful.
Also make sure to drive by any property that you are considering at various times of day or night, including after midnight. Sometimes a quiet area during the day will have a lot of activity in the middle of the night, especially if there are bars in the area.
Sometimes neighborhoods will have message boards, web pages or email lists and these can be really helpful.
Also make sure to drive by any property that you are considering at various times of day or night, including after midnight. Sometimes a quiet area during the day will have a lot of activity in the middle of the night, especially if there are bars in the area.
- Susan Isaacs, "susanisaacsre"
- Contributions:15
For buyers who are looking for information on areas they are not familiar with in the DC Metro area, I recommend starting with CityData .http://www.city-data.com/city/District-of-Columbia.html It provides a wealth of information. For crime statistics, I suggest
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime and http://www.spotcrime.com/dc/washington
and for transportation proximity to listings, you can search on my website or others for listings near metros.
Once you've identified the basic areas you think you might like, interview buyers agents and create a relationship with the one you trust to do the best job for your needs. Take a few days to drive the areas of interest and see a few listings in each location to get a feel for the type of homes in your price range in each. You'll be able to pinpoint the areas in which you feel most comfortable and move forward with your home search.
Good luck and feel free to contact me for help.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime and http://www.spotcrime.com/dc/washington
and for transportation proximity to listings, you can search on my website or others for listings near metros.
Once you've identified the basic areas you think you might like, interview buyers agents and create a relationship with the one you trust to do the best job for your needs. Take a few days to drive the areas of interest and see a few listings in each location to get a feel for the type of homes in your price range in each. You'll be able to pinpoint the areas in which you feel most comfortable and move forward with your home search.
Good luck and feel free to contact me for help.
- Tammy Britt, "TammyKnowsDC"
- Contributions:24
Raemarie1,
I am a single woman living in DC and I absolutely love it! I am also a realtor and prohibited from discussing safe neighborhoods, this is a fair housing violation.
Below are a couple of websites that should be useful.
http://www.dc.gov/DC/OCTO/Maps+and+Apps/Online+Mapping/All+Online+Maps/Crime+Map
http://dc.everyblock.com/crime/
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Tammy
I am a single woman living in DC and I absolutely love it! I am also a realtor and prohibited from discussing safe neighborhoods, this is a fair housing violation.
Below are a couple of websites that should be useful.
http://www.dc.gov/DC/OCTO/Maps+and+Apps/Online+Mapping/All+Online+Maps/Crime+Map
http://dc.everyblock.com/crime/
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Tammy
- LaNita Cates, "remaxagent33"
- Contributions:289
Actually the police department won't share that info with you either. It all comes down to YOUR opinion. The police can't say "Yeah, this is safe" and then the following week you are the one unlucky homeowner that gets robbed. The best way is requesting a FOIA (freedom of information act) on neighborhoods that YOU have driven and like. The FOIA can tell you what crimes/reports have been reported in that neighborhood. It's YOUR job to do your homework. Your idea of safe is going to be different than someone else's.
- Call The Sisters, "Call The Sisters"
- Contributions:373
Find an agent who will supply you with government websites which track demographics.
An agent should not discuss crime rates or ethnic demographics with you. An agent should not "steer" you to or away from any area. You must make the decision of where you want to look yourself.
If your question was about living close to public transportation - that is something an agent can define for you.
An agent should not discuss crime rates or ethnic demographics with you. An agent should not "steer" you to or away from any area. You must make the decision of where you want to look yourself.
If your question was about living close to public transportation - that is something an agent can define for you.
- Rudi Hofmann, "LUXURY HOME LOANS CA"
- Contributions:7435
There's 572,000 people living there in various neighborhoods that have taken the chance. As you get to know the area you'll begin to feel more comfortable.
Happy funding, Rudi
Happy funding, Rudi
- Helen Van Ryzin, "Home Sales For You"
- Contributions:114
One good place to start looking is Washington Post Dc Neighborhoods:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/real-estate/neighborhoods/index.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/real-estate/neighborhoods/index.html
- Priscilla Sims, "priscillasims"
- Contributions:106
Contact the local police department and they can share with you crime rates and crimes in different neighborhoods or neighborhoods that you are looking at property. Keep in mind, real estate agents are not permitted to tell you their opinion of neighborhoods....it is a violation of fair housing. Also, when looking at houses, go at different times of the day and talk to neighbors. Neighbors LOVE sharing their opinions...good or bad! Best of luck to you!
- Sharon Kopcza, "sharonkopcza"
- Contributions:22
Contact a Realtor in Washing D.C. and they will be able to advise you and send you current listings so you can see in advance what is available.
- marvin garcia, "garcia31"
- Contributions:33
Please contact me if you want to talk about it and give you my service ok from now thanks and have a good day, Marvin Garcia
I am a single woman considering moving to Washington D.C., what neighborhoods are safe?
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