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I might not be so willing to tell on your Realtor...
And although he did tell you about this neighborhood...could he tell you about each and EVERY neighborhood? Would you expect him to know everything??? Of course not.
I'm not even going to ask WHY he was in this neighborhood "all the time"!!!
Vicki
OF course he can't know everything about every neighborhood. But when his sister and BIL live in one that I'm looking at, I'll take his word for it!
The internet has really changed the home-buying process for many of us.
I would still research a potential home in person:
1) Visit the neighborhood at different times of the day and night. Assess the degree of home/yard maintenance, my own perception of safety, traffic/parking issues, pedestrian/cyclist safety, level of noise/light/trash pollution.
2) Talk to the immediate neighbors and discover if they are welcoming. Find out a little about the history of the neighborhood. Find out about the house for sale. Find out about my potential neighbors. My focus would be to establish that the neighborhood has a mix of people at various life stages.
I would also research online:
3) Research on the local government websites: Town of Cary, Wake County, North Carolina. Read planning documents, budget documents, etc
4) Research using the online archives for local news media: the Cary News, Raleigh News and Observer, Triangle Business Journal, WRAL etc
5) Research using google maps and the new Streetview function
6) Research the census tract information at American FactFinder. You can search by address.
7) Research using the various real estate data sites (Wake County Real Estate Data, TARR, Zillow, Real Estate ABC, Realtor, HPW, Yahoo Real Estate etc) and marketing data sites like Claritas //www.city-data.com/forum/raleigh-durham-chapel-hill-cary/66351-zip-code-look-up.html
8) Research on the Cary Crimemapper and possibly call the local police for more information on particular incidents
9) Research on the Wake County Public School System site and the various school review sites
10) Research generally on the web (citysearch, yelp etc) and ask questions on city-data and other localized forums, blogs,
My realtor just needs to show me the homes for sale in my price range within my chosen geographic area. I will let them know which ones feel like home and meet my personal needs. Hopefully their expertise will then shine in writing an appropriate offer and fighting for my interests.
The internet has really changed the home-buying process for many of us.
I would still research a potential home in person:
1) Visit the neighborhood at different times of the day and night. Assess the degree of home/yard maintenance, my own perception of safety, traffic/parking issues, pedestrian/cyclist safety, level of noise/light/trash pollution.
2) Talk to the immediate neighbors and discover if they are welcoming. Find out a little about the history of the neighborhood. Find out about the house for sale. Find out about my potential neighbors. My focus would be to establish that the neighborhood has a mix of people at various life stages.
I would also research online:
3) Research on the local government websites: Town of Cary, Wake County, North Carolina. Read planning documents, budget documents, etc
4) Research using the online archives for local news media: the Cary News, Raleigh News and Observer, Triangle Business Journal, WRAL etc
5) Research using google maps and the new Streetview function
6) Research the census tract information at American FactFinder. You can search by address.
7) Research using the various real estate data sites (Wake County Real Estate Data, TARR, Zillow, Real Estate ABC, Realtor, HPW, Yahoo Real Estate etc) and marketing data sites like Claritas //www.city-data.com/forum/raleigh-durham-chapel-hill-cary/66351-zip-code-look-up.html
8) Research on the Cary Crimemapper and possibly call the local police for more information on particular incidents
9) Research on the Wake County Public School System site and the various school review sites
10) Research generally on the web (citysearch, yelp etc) and ask questions on city-data and other localized forums, blogs,
My realtor just needs to show me the homes for sale in my price range within my chosen geographic area. I will let them know which ones feel like home and meet my personal needs. Hopefully their expertise will then shine in writing an appropriate offer and fighting for my interests.
Agents really come in very handy on the closing part of the deal - the negotiations - the repairs, (they know the right people), title issues, financing, etc.
Reality is what it is.......You find a home for sale, the neighbors are gone on vacation......looks like a nice quiet place. You make your deal only to find out the neighbors have 9 kids and they aint well behaved. Happens every day and if YOU as a buyer don't do YOUR own due diligent research, you might get burned! The agent is not and cannot say one word to you about those kids.
That being said, people do stereotype, in fact we all do, most of the time we don't notice it. In my Neighborhood in Alaska it is predominately Caucasians that reside here. I happen to be Hispanic, my husband white. In our neighborhood there are two black families here. The first to arrive had 4 teenage boys and they were very bad news. They got into drug dealing, gangs, had parties, blasted their base drive music and came and went at all hours of the night. They literally were terrorizing the entire subdivision. As fate would have it, this family and their fine teenage boys got busted and they all moved away but mom. A few months later another black family moved into the subdivision. Yep, you guessed it. Most folks would not give them the time of day. People ignored them gave them dirty looks etc. It was disgusting in all fairness. Turns out this family was super nice, law abiding people and happen to live next door to me. They have lived next to me for 3 years now and are the very best neighbors anyone could ask for.
So for millions of scenarios like this, this is why we have the fair housing act. If people set criteria on kids, race, age, etc, we would all be heading down that path of wrongfully judging and diminishing a living situation.
I simply suggest as a buyer going and talking to the neighbors before you buy. Drive by after working hours, sit and watch. Get a feel for what really goes on there. Don't ask your agent to engage in this because chances are they won't and are not supposed to. For them it is illegal, for you it is just making sure.
Reality is what it is.......You find a home for sale, the neighbors are gone on vacation......looks like a nice quiet place. You make your deal only to find out the neighbors have 9 kids and they aint well behaved. Happens every day and if YOU as a buyer don't do YOUR own due diligent research, you might get burned! The agent is not and cannot say one word to you about those kids.
That being said, people do stereotype, in fact we all do, most of the time we don't notice it. In my Neighborhood in Alaska it is predominately Caucasians that reside here. I happen to be Hispanic, my husband white. In our neighborhood there are two black families here. The first to arrive had 4 teenage boys and they were very bad news. They got into drug dealing, gangs, had parties, blasted their base drive music and came and went at all hours of the night. They literally were terrorizing the entire subdivision. As fate would have it, this family and their fine teenage boys got busted and they all moved away but mom. A few months later another black family moved into the subdivision. Yep, you guessed it. Most folks would not give them the time of day. People ignored them gave them dirty looks etc. It was disgusting in all fairness. Turns out this family was super nice, law abiding people and happen to live next door to me. They have lived next to me for 3 years now and are the very best neighbors anyone could ask for.
So for millions of scenarios like this, this is why we have the fair housing act. If people set criteria on kids, race, age, etc, we would all be heading down that path of wrongfully judging and diminishing a living situation.
I simply suggest as a buyer going and talking to the neighbors before you buy. Drive by after working hours, sit and watch. Get a feel for what really goes on there. Don't ask your agent to engage in this because chances are they won't and are not supposed to. For them it is illegal, for you it is just making sure.
It it one of the hardest things we do as agents I think, not "steering" people into or out of neighborhoods, or discussing if it is a "family friendly neighborhood" we become so close to our clients, mine are all good friends by the time we find their "perfect" home, you want them to be happy with the choices they make, and the schools they choose, and the neighborhood they live in! Just more laws we have to live by! The good old government at work! I do not think the average person sees anything wrong with discussing it, but like Mike & Vicki said, you just can not do it!
It it one of the hardest things we do as agents I think, not "steering" people into or out of neighborhoods, or discussing if it is a "family friendly neighborhood" we become so close to our clients, mine are all good friends by the time we find their "perfect" home, you want them to be happy with the choices they make, and the schools they choose, and the neighborhood they live in! Just more laws we have to live by! The good old government at work! I do not think the average person sees anything wrong with discussing it, but like Mike & Vicki said, you just can not do it!
I totally agree !!! And buyers feel the same way about their agents !!!
I've enjoyed this thread, but I still think the whole "good neighbors" thing is sometimes a disguise for the "right neighbors." Notice I said sometimes but not always.
Our apt office can't tell folks the diversity % in the community.
Well, for one thing, how do you define "Diversity"?
Black vs White vs Hispanic vs Other?
Gay vs Hetero?
Kids vs No Kids?
Natives vs Transplants?
Churchgoers vs Non-?
Sports Fans vs Opera Buffs?
Left-handers vs Right-handers?
Each of these would have a different proportion for the exact SAME group of people; how would you know which one your asker was talking about?
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