Value of Asking Neighbors About The Area (Trenton: insurance, crime)

[DecayingAngel]

My hubby and I found a nice little house in Tabernacle and were getting ready to put in an offer. One thing I try to do if at all possible is talk to the neighbors--the in-person equivalent of this forum. I've found them to be probably the best source about a property.

In this case it proved a deal breaker. Not only did they tell me the area is suffering a rash of daytime burglaries (one in the house right next to us) but the property in question has had two buyers who never got through settlement because the 2 yr. old septic won't pass inspection. Wouldn't that have been a nice surprise for us...

And this is in a beautiful area. Appearances can be deceiving, I guess. Talk about getting discouraged. We've been looking for a house almost a year now.

I cannot stress enough the importance of asking the neighbors about the property you might have in mind. If we found this out after we moved in (the burglaries) I would be afraid to leave to go to the store (just as the neighbor now is), not knowing what to expect when I returned home.

People say it's all over now but frankly where we have lived for the past 20 years it has always been considered safe. People around here still don't even lock their cars (although we do having come from South Trenton). This is just so discouraging.

Guess this is more of a rant then anything but I thought I would mention how valuable "asking around" can be.

[EEEPNJ]

Good post - you are 100% correct.
I recommend this to people in regard to schools too - GO to the school your kids would be attending at dismissal and ask, ask, ask.

[MoorestownResident]

Tabernacle can be very dicey. It is generally outside the commutable areas of BC so it tends to be more blue collar. The areas around 206 and the riff-raff can be problematic for a variety of reasons. There are some newer luxury communities in Tabernacle but best to really do your homework. Keep in mind that during recessions, crime tends to be up in most towns.

If you want a wooded setting in that general area with better address, schools and location, check out Southampton, Shamong and Medford. You're going to run into a lot of septics in these areas, a high water table and homes without basements.

If you're going to buy anywhere out there, even in Medford, really do your homework and pay attention to what you are getting. Talking to neighbors is always a great idea.

[86Sebring]

We were interested in a house in a flood zone, realtor said nothing to worry about, just pay the insurance.
We started talking to some neighbors while checking the house, they mentioned that road was under 4ft of water recently needless to say, we started looking in other areas
absolutely talk to neighbors before buying a house, great help

[doc1]

Originally Posted by 86Sebring

....We were interested in a house in a flood zone, realtor said nothing to worry about, just pay the insurance.

You fired your realtor immediately, right?

[DecayingAngel]

Originally Posted by doc1

You fired your realtor immediately, right?

Sounds like the realtor should have looked up the history regarding it's flood zone past. I can't understand how someone in the business would not have known about such a serious problem in the area.

That's why I always feel like I've been doing all the research on prospective houses. Although the buyer's agent we now have I must say is very thorough on stuff like this, unlike "regular" dual-agents we previously dealt with.