Louisville perception (Lexington, Frankfort: real estate, city hall, to buy)

[ddavison]

Originally Posted by tomocox

40211 is the middle most western zipcode of the pre-merger city of Louisville. It is unfortunately perceived to be unsafe due to flooding, racism, and crime. There are literally thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of these architectural gems all around our nation whose market values have been destroyed by flooding, racism, and/or crime. Which caused this home to be effectively worthless? But the more important and even essential question is, "how can we restore it to be a demanded home once again?

Race doesn't matter much to me, but I won't want to move to an area if it is known for crime, drugs and a bad educational system. My wife grew up as a white child in a mostly black neighborhood in Huntsville, Alabama. I've visited her family on several occasions and it looked like a very nice, affordable place to live and raise a family. When her parents sold that house and a rental property on the same street, her father remarked that the appreciation was much lower than in other parts of the city because of its make-up. While realtors never mention race, they tend to show black people houses in mostly black areas and white people houses in mostly white areas. Since there is still a large discrepancy between average incomes between the races, this tends to devalue the homes in minority neighborhoods. Personally, I would look at this as an opportunity to buy a much nicer home; however, there are normally other benefits in areas where income levels are higher.

Maybe if we as home-buyers start telling the realtors in the very beginning that we don't care about living near minorities it will actually help. I think we need to find a way to shatter the belief that we all need to live next to our "own kind."

Here is an interesting link discussing part of the problem with crime
Smart Library

To paraphrase and summarize the article...
In order to reduce crime, it looks like we need to increase employment (male employment rate has a more direct impact on reducing crime), have less homes run by single parents, and decrease welfare hand-outs.
None of these are very shocking but actually fixing those issues will take some time. Unfortunately I think the nation is moving in the opposite direction. We seem to be devolving into a two class society and the middle class is getting smaller and smaller.

[tomocox]

Originally Posted by ddavison

Race doesn't matter much to me, but I won't want to move to an area if it is known for crime, drugs and a bad educational system. My wife grew up as a white child in a mostly black neighborhood in Huntsville, Alabama. I've visited her family on several occasions and it looked like a very nice, affordable place to live and raise a family. When her parents sold that house and a rental property on the same street, her father remarked that the appreciation was much lower than in other parts of the city because of its make-up. While Realtors never mention race, they tend to show black people houses in mostly black areas and white people houses in mostly white areas. Since there is still a large discrepancy between average incomes between the races, this tends to devalue the homes in minority neighborhoods. Personally, I would look at this as an opportunity to buy a much nicer home; however, there are normally other benefits in areas where income levels are higher.

Maybe if we as home-buyers start telling the Realtors in the very beginning that we don't care about living near minorities it will actually help. I think we need to find a way to shatter the belief that we all need to live next to our "own kind."

Here is an interesting link discussing part of the problem with crime
Smart Library

To paraphrase and summarize the article...
In order to reduce crime, it looks like we need to increase employment (male employment rate has a more direct impact on reducing crime), have less homes run by single parents, and decrease welfare hand-outs.
None of these are very shocking but actually fixing those issues will take some time. Unfortunately I think the nation is moving in the opposite direction. We seem to be devolving into a two class society and the middle class is getting smaller and smaller.

I am a Realtor, and while I understand why you wrote what you did and have the feelings you must honestly have, most Realtors rightfully fear the loss of their license or at best one heck of a huge cost of defense for words taken totally out of context. Please do not disparage (I don't think you were) Realtors for being mum.

I feel that the greatest issue destroying 40211 property values happen to be the number of innocent children caught in the middle of crossfires. Several children have been hurt, even killed by such stupidity.

As far as the employment issue, and this is very controversial, if the unemployed blacks would apply for the jobs the Hispanics cross the borders to fill, there would be no employment problem in area's such as 40211.

[censusdata]

With all the busing Jefferson Co schools does schools on the West End aren't any worse than schools on the South or even parts of the East End.

The Portland neighborhood has a nice, affordable Christian private school system. It also has tons of pre-Civil War era buildings, including many huge Italianate style mansions (most built for steamboat captains) that cost under $100,000. Portland is very working class and low income, but there are some nice, safe areas on it's Northern side.

[tomocox]

Please note, Portland is not 40211, but 40212. One of your great statistical resources will also note that there is something obviously "wrong" with west end schools. They are not producing children with educations equal to the central/eastern schools.

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by tomocox

As far as the employment issue, and this is very controversial, if the unemployed blacks would apply for the jobs the Hispanics cross the borders to fill, there would be no employment problem in area's such as 40211.

Part of the reason the West End is experiencing massive population loss is the lack of jobs. From 1990 to 2000 all neighborhoods in the West End lost btw 3%-24% of their population - in just 10 years!

[ddavison]

Originally Posted by tomocox

Please do not disparage (I don't think you were) Realtors for being mum.

My intent was not to disparage Realtors. I understand the hesitancy to bring up any controversial subjects in our litigious society. I' have no idea what it is actually like to do your job, but speaking from my own personal preference, I would like it if Realtors took me to at least one or two houses in an area "outside my norm." I would think you could still play it mum and gauge your clients interest based on their early reactions. I would welcome and expect any facts like you stated above about the children getting caught in cross-fires.

Censusdata, thanks for posting the pics. I look at those houses and think of great potential. Thanks for posting the zip codes as well. I tried looking up houses for sale yesterday but didn't see "Portland" listed as an area in any of the searches I tried.

[ddavison]

I'm also always on the lookout for commercial, religious or academic buildings for sale in areas that would be zoned for residential. I've seen a few shows where unusual buildings like these were converted over to residential and that really piques my interest too.

[Traveler87]

Thank you censusdata on your nice words on Cleveland.

Interesting fact, not sure if it is true, will have to look it up on this end. Currently, Cleveland and Louisville have some of the highest development dollars going into their downtowns.

[Windwalker]

Cleveland rocks! Some fantastic contemporary architecture. Great art museum. Sure, there are bad areas (what city doesn't have them?), but I was thoroughly smitten with Cleveland and didn't really expect to be, to be honest. You can sit in the stadium, watch the Browns play and look out on Lake Erie. It's really pretty.

[BNEAT0001]

Louisville is hated i go to uk in lexington and am from Taylorsville which is close to the Vil I like Louisville but in Lexington there seems to be a jelousy toward the 16th largest city. And you know there's that uk UofL Rivalry and most people in KY pull for uk for some dumb reason