Need honest answers about Northridge! (Los Angeles: real estate, apartments, crime)

[ITChick]

Originally Posted by davidt1

That location is close to the Devonshire police station. Give them a call. They are the best source on current local crime statistics.

I will do that. Thanks.

[ITChick]

Originally Posted by laysayfair

Is the person doing the describing selling you something or have anything to gain or are they someone who's opinion you can trust? I think that's a good idea about the police station. Call and ask them about the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, the person doing the describing does have a lot to gain if I buy this property for them. I want to take this person at their word, but the area is one that I'm not familiar with at all, which is why I have my suspicions.

[ITChick]

Originally Posted by CESpeed

This area is a stone's throw from CSU Northridge and is the nicest and safest part of Northridge. You'll not only have LAPD but campus police as well. I can't speak for all of Northridge, but I did attend CSUN and I would walk around that area by myself at night and never had a problem. I have a friend who still lives in the area and the only change I've seen is they've build a shopping center on Devonshire. It's still a safe area.

As for the crime rate, I would assume they are probably petty crimes like someone's car being broken into. I haven't heard of violent crimes happening.

I appreciate the input.

I'm just still confused why that area would have such a high crime rate.

[laysayfair]

Originally Posted by ITChick

I appreciate the input.

I'm just still confused why that area would have such a high crime rate.

Are you going to be buying this house sight unseen?

[Hungry For Cheese]

That sounds like a great area...well not great, but average/above average IMO. A lot better than other areas. It's close to CSUN and the PD. Don't worry about crime...I promise you it isn't as bad as you think it is.

[ITChick]

Originally Posted by laysayfair

Are you going to be buying this house sight unseen?

As horrible as this sounds, since I am helping this person out, it may end up being bought sight unseen.

I want to do the right thing, and I may be spending some time there as well. I don't want to find out that I made a horrible investment just so I could help someone else in their time of need. I am relying on this person who is telling me what a great investment it is and how I can help them at the same time and therefore I have my concerns.

[ITChick]

Originally Posted by Hungry For Cheese

That sounds like a great area...well not great, but average/above average IMO. A lot better than other areas. It's close to CSUN and the PD. Don't worry about crime...I promise you it isn't as bad as you think it is.

I really hope so. When I looked at those crime stats, I was shocked as they were worse than Compton and comparable to Watts! Is that area surrounded by some bad areas nearby?

[laysayfair]

Originally Posted by ITChick

As horrible as this sounds, since I am helping this person out, it may end up being bought sight unseen.

I want to do the right thing, and I may be spending some time there as well. I don't want to find out that I made a horrible investment just so I could help someone else in their time of need. I am relying on this person who is telling me what a great investment it is and how I can help them at the same time and therefore I have my concerns.

I see regret written all over this transaction. Don't do it. You are setting yourself up.

[Hungry For Cheese]

Honestly, you really need to drive a bit for crime...heavy crime. Most violent crimes happen or could happen in Sun Valley, Pacoima or cities the line the Eastern mountain range. In the valley you only have to watch out for the gang banger looking Mexicans for the most part, and there really isn't any. If you see some in other areas, they are usually out of the hood to seek a safer life, raise a family(although they could still have a twisted look at life compared to you or I)...but they aren't looking for trouble like their younger counterparts who still live in the hood. The 15 to 22 year olds have the most to prove....it'll be fine.

[ConsideringLA]

Cite your source for crime stats. Sometimes these are compiled based on the city, which Northridge IS NOT - it is a community/neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles. Sometimes the stats are based on the police precinct, which perhaps could be skewed by a neighboring area. You honestly need to drill in and do more homework than visiting a web site and plugging in a zip code, which may simply map you to LA or Pacoima or Panorama City's stats.

I don't live in Northridge (we're currently in Sherman Oaks, which is about 5-7 miles away), but you have to understand that LA/Valley is a dense area with millions of people - it changes very fast from street to street. There's more here than you can appreciate from pictures or even Google Maps Street View (which is a good start to get a "driving tour" of the area) - if you're going to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars "helping someone out", invest a weekend and a few hundred bucks to fly out.

Some more free advice: since there is a university nearby, the property may make for a great rental. Check Craigslist for rent rates on similarly situated homes (size, etc) to see if cap rates make sense to have the thing cash flow.

Again, your source for crime stats sounds very suspect if Porter Ranch is showing high crime - the area has an average household income around 100k.