Should I buy this house in Evanston for $53K as an investment? (Chicago: crime, tenant)

[KRAMERCAT]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

It's in the Hood. But $53K is a good price for the Hood in Evanston. I wouldn't want to live there, but it could be a good investment property...

But at that price, I'd worry that the foundation was bad or that there was nuclear waste burried in the back yard or something.

But why wouldn't you live there - because your neighbors would be black?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by KRAMERCAT

But why wouldn't you live there - because your neighbors would be black?

It's the burglaries and violent crime in the area. And the gang activity.

Were you unaware that Evanston had rough spots? Sure, they corrolate with the areas where poor black residents are clustered. So what? That's not unusual. There are also many educated, successful black residents in Evanston.

[KRAMERCAT]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

It's the burglaries and violent crime in the area. And the gang activity.

Were you unaware that Evanston had rough spots? Sure, they corrolate with the areas where poor black residents are clustered. So what? That's not unusual. There are also many educated, successful black residents in Evanston.

Can you give me a zip code? I wonder if you ran a 'compare 2 cities' zip code comparison if the crime rate would be higher, than say, Uptown.

[Avengerfire]

You really cannot do too much honest research by Zip Code. Any Zip Code covers parts of different neighborhoods in Chicago. The same goes for Evanston.

[ajolotl]

Originally Posted by KRAMERCAT

But why wouldn't you live there - because your neighbors would be black?

I would prefer not live where *all* of my neighbors are black, regardless of crime rate. So what?

[Humboldt1]

However, I would not want to live around all ghetto blacks.

As far as I know there is not a single suburb with more than 75 percent black poipulation that is safe or desirable to live in with good public schools.

There are certainly black professionals who live in the nicer parts of Evanston but the poorest and most crime ridden areas of Evanston are dominated by blacks (i.e. Dodge around the high school).

Many of the poor black areas in Evanston have abandoned homes with boarded up windows. Evanston is a mixed bag, with mansions and ghettos only a few blocks apart.

Be careful when buying in Evanston, especially in the poor black areas which are cheap but crime ridden.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by KRAMERCAT

Can you give me a zip code? I wonder if you ran a 'compare 2 cities' zip code comparison if the crime rate would be higher, than say, Uptown.

I'm sure the rough spots in Uptown are worse than, or at least comparable to, the rough spots in Evanston. I do not live in a rough part of Uptown, however.

[Flatlander]

Check this out, if you go to cityofevanston.org...here's a direct link:
City of Evanston - Police - Crime Statistics & Reports

You can read about the daily crime, including what the crime is/was and where it happened. This way you can see/read for yourself. Then you decide how you feel about being mugged, assaulted, and robbed at gunpoint. Or what you think about your kitchen window being kicked in and robbed in the middle of the night. Granted these crimes happen in all neighborhoods throughout Evanston but in some neighborhods crime is more likely.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Flatlander

Check this out, if you go to cityofevanston.org...here's a direct link:
City of Evanston - Police - Crime Statistics & Reports

You can read about the daily crime, including what the crime is/was and where it happened. This way you can see/read for yourself. Then you decide how you feel about being mugged, assaulted, and robbed at gunpoint. Or what you think about your kitchen window being kicked in and robbed in the middle of the night. Granted these crimes happen in all neighborhoods throughout Evanston but in some neighborhods crime is more likely.

This house is RIGHT by Evanston Township High School, and is pretty much in the roughest part of Evanston. Looking at a few of those crime maps, there are shots fired several times a month within a few blocks of this address (and those are just the ones reported to the cops). I wouldn't live there, but do see that this house could be a great investment at that price as long as you can repair whatever is wrong with it at a reasonable cost.

[tully]

As others have said, its a frightening area. It is not uncommon to see listings under 100k in that part of Evanston (between the channel and Green Bay Rd.) I just searched and there are currently 6.

The low price may or may not have to do with condition. It may simply be the price necessary to sell in that area, to qualified buyers. Anyone that would buy there without serious pause is likely unqualified.

If you're set on Evanston, go condo, east of Ridge.

If you're simply in a speculative mood, raise your limit to 100k and buy a SF or multifam near-west. IMO. Anywhere near Logan Square if you can manage it, they do pop up in that ballpark from time to time. (monitoring MLS for several weeks, if not months, should be your first step regardless.)