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I lived on the 2nd floor of a gated community condo for about 4 years before buying my SFH. I felt totally safe there as you would need a very tall ladder to get into any of my windows or the sliding glass door. Plus all my windows overlooked the pond and a lot of people would sit out on their lanais. The front door was steel also. There were 4 units per floor.
After moving to this SFH 3 years ago it took me a while to feel safe. I have a SimpliSafe alarm system and I keep my doors locked at all times. The only thing that's gone missing is the beautiful wreath I had at the front door which was just taken in the last week or so, possibly from a delivery person.
OP be aware of strangers coming to your door to try and sell you something or a service. Around here sometimes these guys work in pairs and one distracts you at the front door and they get in the back especially since so many people leave their back door or slider open because they have a fenced yard.
Yea I actually feel safer in my apartment than I would a SFH. To me it's the one drawback. It would be very difficult for someone to sneak in my bedroom windows on the 3rd floor. What are they gonna do hop on a noisy ladder? The way my balcony is set up that'd be pretty hard to get into as well, even from the adjacent unit. Really the only entry point is my front door.
Like many people, we've been spending a lot of our Quarantine time watching tv in general, Netflix and Amazon Prime in particular. One of the more delightful programs we're watching is Night Stalker, about the creep in Los Angeles back in the '80s.
The film showing him opening ground-floor windows and sneaking inside the house made me wonder about where it's safe for a single woman to live. Attacks happen with other family members present, too, but too many of us ladies are vulnerable.
Are you better off in a high-rise apartment or townhouse? A townhouse community? A gated community?
I like to worry about things. Any thoughts?
You like to worry about things? You take enjoyment in fear?
A woman's safety is not dictated by the dwelling she's in.
I lived on the 2nd floor of a gated community condo for about 4 years before buying my SFH. I felt totally safe there as you would need a very tall ladder to get into any of my windows or the sliding glass door. Plus all my windows overlooked the pond and a lot of people would sit out on their lanais. The front door was steel also. There were 4 units per floor.
After moving to this SFH 3 years ago it took me a while to feel safe. I have a SimpliSafe alarm system and I keep my doors locked at all times. The only thing that's gone missing is the beautiful wreath I had at the front door which was just taken in the last week or so, possibly from a delivery person.
OP be aware of strangers coming to your door to try and sell you something or a service. Around here sometimes these guys work in pairs and one distracts you at the front door and they get in the back especially since so many people leave their back door or slider open because they have a fenced yard.
I carry. Problem solved.
Never, ever, answer the door to anyone you dont know or not expecting.
Safest buildings are attended buildings. Here, that usually means a hi-rise with 24-hour door staff. It's still possible that crimes will happen in such a building -- typically from delivery men or other crazy tenants -- but it's far. far less likely. (And let's be honest, crazy neighbors and delivery men can be found anywhere.) Problem is that, of course, rents (or sales prices) are much higher in such buildings.
Getting a dog is a great suggestion if the 24/7 doorman thing isn't feasible. (Personally, I get a creepy feeling from gated communities, but they can add a dollop of safety too.) And whether SFH, condo, or rental, I'd advise any single woman I know to install a Blink, or similar set up near the doors and any vulnerable (locked) windows. I have relatives who have done this and are happy with the sense of protection it affords when they hear creepy sounds around their place.
Of course, the best bet is just to choose to live in the safest neighborhood you can afford. But that's too often easier said than done.
@citylove101: I know whether a person can get a gun in NY are iffy, so a shotgun is good for the house/apartment. Practice because they recoil quite a bit.
Great, safe, neighborhood > gated community > 24 hr security guards > good neighbors > locked, impact resistant windows and doors > two good buddies (Smith &Wesson).
In my experience, living in a neighborhood with at least one "Pittsburgh Alarm System" have been the safest ones for when I've been living solo. Even when I lived in some sketchy parts of town, I never felt unsafe in my own home.
**A Pittsburgh Alarm System is living in a intergenerational neighborhood with longtime residents who tend to keep an eye out for each other---particularly a neighborhood with a retired older person who is aware of everyone's comings and goings and what's normal for each resident. Bonus points if said neighbors listen to a police scanner.
I live in one of those right now sort of. In my case, I have multiple residents coming and going at all times in the evening. One guy gets home around 10:11, another one goes to work around midnight if somebody else comes home at one somebody goes to work at two, and so on. And it’s not like you can set your watch by it.
Consequently, when it’s really quiet I find it creepy.
__________________ Solly says — Be nice!
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Solly says — Be nice!
