Reasons Not to Buy a House

There are all kinds of reasons for not buying a house.  Traditionally it's because the house is too small, has too few bedrooms, is too expensive, is in bad shape, lacks a garage, etc.  All the reasons have to do with the structure and condition of the house.

Another reason for buying or not, is the location and neighborhood.  Real estate agents are not supposed to make a judgment call on the quality of the neighborhood.  If asked, most will suggest you call the police department or check for crime records on-line. 

A St. Paul home buyer, however, can make their own judgment about a neighborhood.  One such judgment caught me by surprise when my client and I were in the midst of our house tour.  My client looked up to the electrical wires where several pair of shoes were hanging.  The shoes weren't ratty looking, but were in fact practically brand new.  Her statement, "We don't need to look at this house." 

My quizzical look was answered by some St. Paul street training. My client had learned that shoes hanging in the trees or from electrical wires like this were a sign that drugs were available at that location.  Being a single mom, she had no interest in a neighborhood with that kind of "street" reputation.

Comments

[Bonnie Erickson]

Steve, This question is worthy of a whole post. The legal reason for not making a judgment call about a neighborhood is the regulations about steering (which, by the way, was proven in the last 2 years to still be happening in our area). It is illegal to steer a client to or from a neighborhood. It's a negative when a client WANTS a diverse neighborhood and we can't steer them TO the neighborhood either! As far as "good or bad" neighborhoods, I feel comfortable in neighborhoods that my friends would never dare to drive through. The "quality" of a neighborhood is very subjective. Crime stats are best found through the police department. Demographics can be gotten from community websites which is where I would go to get that info as well!

[Stephen Gross]

Realtors really can't talk about the neighborhood? That seems pretty crazy. For my money, neighborhood is the top priority in selecting where to live. The home itself, believe it or not, is #2 on the list. How are you supposed to get info on the neighborhood? And I'm not just talking about crime stats (!).