Whether you're in the market to buy or rent a new home, or you're a homeowner already, safety is a priority. Undoubtedly, it's one of the first things that you'd be looking for when choosing a new neighborhood to live in, or would like to confirm your neighborhood's safety status.
Safety dictates how you live and the precautions that you would take, depending on the area you live in. As a homeowner, or future homeowner, it's your responsibility to keep your family safe. Bear in mind that you should be using the more traditional, and essential, home safety tools like an alarm system and alarm monitoring service to keep your home and family safe. You could also opt for installing video doorbells and smart locks to give you added peace of mind.
How safe is your neighborhood, really? It's easy to get a detailed idea with the apps and websites that exist today. These 5 tools will help you find out!
1. Find Out What's Happening with CrimeReports
CrimeReports is a website that allows you to check out what crimes have been reported in a given neighborhood. It's easy, too. All you've got to do is enter a specific address and learn about crime reports that occurred in the neighborhood of your choosing. This website is regularly updated by local law enforcement agencies so can be sure to get the most recent crime-related information and statistics.
As someone who wants to keep your neighborhood safe and let others know what's going on, CrimeReports allows you, as a user, to submit crime tips to local law enforcement from the website. It also gives you the option of signing up to receive crime alerts in your locality, so that you and your neighbors are on the alert.
2. Know Your Neighbors with Nuwber
How well do you know your neighbors? The truth is, most of us today don't really know our neighbors all that well. This is even more poignant if you're living in an apartment block, where you'll inevitably cross paths with a number of people on your way in or out of your building. For the most part, your neighbors are good people – just like you. They work nearby and might even send their children to the same schools that your kids go to.
Sometimes, your suspicions might play up and you need to confirm if you're just being silly or if there really is something to be worried about in that next-door neighbor, or the individual that lives across the street from you. With Nuwber, there's a way to put your suspicions at rest or give you reason to take the necessary precautions for the safety of your family. Simply type in your neighbor's name and bring up any public records associated with them. You'll be able to confirm whether your neighbor really is who they say they are or if they're someone you might want to keep your distance from.
3. National Sex Offender Public Website
Using their app and website are both free services. The National Sex Offender Public Website is a helpful tool – especially for parents. When moving into a new neighborhood or if someone new has recently moved in to yours, you'll be able to view up-to-date information about any registered sex offenders nearby. It's quite easy to do – just go to the website and search a specific area. This will show you if there are people of this nature to worry about. You'll also be able to view their photographs, which means you'll be able to positively identify and confirm if this is the case.
It's a helpful, user-friendly platform that provides vital, concise information. Whether you're a parent or not, this kind of information can be vital. For parents, the National Sex Offender Public Website also gives you advice on how to protect you and your children from any harassment that might occur.
4. Know Your Neighborhood with NeighborhoodScout
If you're looking to learn more about your neighborhood, NeighborhoodScout gives you the opportunity to do some scouting and find out everything you need to know. It's not just crime and property crime statistics that NeighborhoodScout offers, but also local school information. This is a great, all-round way to find out more about a locality that you may be looking to move into in the near future.
How does NeighborhoodScout work? It's all about what you want to know. Create a custom search to pull up real-time information about the area you want to know more about. It's a nifty tool, in that it compares your search to other neighborhoods in different cities. It also gives you state and national averages about the statistics that you're looking for. So, maybe you're not decided on a neighborhood that you'd like to live in, but you do have certain criteria that you and your family are looking for in a potential new neighborhood. This tool can give you a list of those neighborhoods that meet all your safety requirements, thereby giving you options and opening your mind to places you might never have thought about moving to.
5. AreaVibes
If neighborhood safety is your priority but you're also looking to get a bigger picture of a locality that you're dreaming of moving into, AreaVibes can help you do this.
When visiting the website, enter the address, name of the neighborhood, or zip code of the locality you want to learn more about. Just like with NeighborhoodScout, you'll be able to compare those local crime stats to national averages. To get an all-round idea of the neighborhood, AreaVibes also gives you data on schools in the area, as well as cost of living, working with what they call a “liveability” score out of 100.
6. InfoTracer Address Lookup Tool
Whether you just moved into a neighborhood, got new neighbors, or have been living somewhere for a while, getting to know who your neighbors are thoroughly is of utmost importance, and for so many reasons such as safety, familiarity, and sometimes just plain curiosity. And what better way to find important information on your neighbor through the only legitimate data you have on them: their address.
InfoTracer’s address lookup tool gives all available public records about someone by simply entering their address information (house number, street name, apt/unit, city name, state) in its search box, yielding an online report that includes the owner’s name, phone, email, court records, connected criminal cases, assets and much more. This tool doesn’t only give you a report about the current inhabitants but also details on when the property was built, the breakdown of the structure, and previous owners.
A very common question is, if charges are dismissed, do you have a criminal record? There are many ways to find out. Do your proper research if you are unsure about someone in your neighborhood.
