[Cinnamon79]

Hello,

Currently, I (female, 28) live in Germany and will spend a year in New Haven from this summer on. Now that I have heard so many scary things about New Haven, I was wondering if you have any suggestions on where the "really dangerous" areas are in New Haven? I will work at Yale. So this info would also be relevant for me finding a save place to live at...

Thanks a lot already!

[mels]

New Haven isn't scary, unless you have spent a sheltered life and have never been in an urban area. I lived there as a single female and never felt unsafe. Bad neighborhoods include Newhallville, Fair Haven, and parts of the Hill neighborhood. Westville, East Rock, and downtown are all good areas. Lower State Street has really turned around and is a good area now. I lived in Westville and it is more residential than other areas. Downtown is the best bet if you want to leave your car at home or not bother with the bus.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by mels

New Haven isn't scary, unless you have spent a sheltered life and have never been in an urban area. I lived there as a single female and never felt unsafe. Bad neighborhoods include Newhallville, Fair Haven, and parts of the Hill neighborhood. Westville, East Rock, and downtown are all good areas. Lower State Street has really turned around and is a good area now. I lived in Westville and it is more residential than other areas. Downtown is the best bet if you want to leave your car at home or not bother with the bus.

It's all relative. I will never forget coming back from Germany in 1990 and listening to the recorded message (movie) on Lufthansa for German tourists going to the United States. It warned how dangerous the States were. Mind you, this was immediately following the several car-jackings (deaths) of German tourists in greater Miami. In any event, it was shocking to see how we were perceived by others.

The statement above about being "sheltered" doesn't apply here. A German could've lived in Frankfurt or Berlin all of his/her life and never experienced any crime.

I have heard exactly what mels states below regarding the good areas. As an real estate agent, that's all I can say (per licensing laws).

[mels]

Conversely, an American can live in NYC their entire life and never see a crime committed. I am the child of European immigrants so I have spent a fair amount of time on the other side of the pond. There is certainly crime in European urban areas, just far less crime involving guns.

[Friendship-Properties]

New Haven really isnt too bad at all. Long as you stay out of the 'projects' you should be just fine. Also your realtor should know the bad neighborhoods and the good ones.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by Friendship-Properties

New Haven really isnt too bad at all. Long as you stay out of the 'projects' you should be just fine. Also your realtor should know the bad neighborhoods and the good ones.

The REALTOR® should and probably does but can't say anything according to Connecticut licensing law. The thinking behind the law is "what constitutes 'good' from 'bad'?" What if the REALTOR®'s definition of "good" isn't the same as the consumer's?

[Dockside]

Originally Posted by Rich Lee

The REALTOR® should and probably does but can't say anything according to Connecticut licensing law. The thinking behind the law is "what constitutes 'good' from 'bad'?" What if the REALTOR®'s definition of "good" isn't the same as the consumer's?

That's interesting. How about common sense...say, an area that looks okay, but has section 8's and sex offenders. Are you allowed to bring this up with a customer? Or steer them towards a web site to obtain that info?

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by Dockside

That's interesting. How about common sense...say, an area that looks okay, but has section 8's and sex offenders. Are you allowed to bring this up with a customer? Or steer them towards a web site to obtain that info?

We are allowed to suggest that clients drive through an area at different times to get a feel for the surroundings. We are not allowed to mention anything about Section 8 (sources of income), race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic composition, marital status, sexual orientation, school system, prisons, or churches. We are allowed to talk about overall population of the town, real estate statistics of current or PRIOR properties, and the town's physical location within the state and highway network.

The state has testers call offices on an on-going basis to see how agents will answer pre-determined questions. An example is: "I'm a <<blankety-blank>> female looking for a town or neighborhood where I would feel comfortable." Agents fall into this trap by saying, "Oh, then you'd like x-y-z."

We are allowed to refer clients to web sites or their attorneys. My standard blurb is, "Are you familiar with this area? Do you have any friends or family members who are whose opinions you trust? They would be a good source of information..."

Getting back to the "common sense" comment, have you seen the NAR commercial where the son tells his father that he's ready to purchase a property? The father says, "Be sure to get a good REALTOR®," as a plane flies over head. It is amazing to me that lawsuits arise from folks who buy within a certain radius of Windsor Locks claiming that they had NO IDEA planes would be flying in and out of the airport.