Safest Type of Housing for Single Women (gated community, condos, townhouse)
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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?
Personally I don't like living in a building with lots of other people. Apartments, condos, etc. They're all strangers, basically, and rotate in and out.
Townhomes can be ok. You usually get more settled people in townhomes.
But a single family home seems safest, so long as you're in a good area to begin with.
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?
We watched that, too, but I lived in LA during that time period. 100 degree summer nights were a real treat with all the windows locked up tight with that lunatic running around (and no AC!!) Ugh.
If I had to live alone now, I would probably choose a gated, townhouse community.
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?
I’m a single woman and I’ve lived alone in a condo and townhouse. I had a security system and for the most part I felt safe until unemployed men with violent tendencies were placed in my neighborhood due to Section 8. Now I’m planning to buy a single family home because I think I will feel safest in a nicer neighborhood without being in such close proximity to potential problem neighbors.
Personally I don't like living in a building with lots of other people. Apartments, condos, etc. They're all strangers, basically, and rotate in and out.
Townhomes can be ok. You usually get more settled people in townhomes.
I’d go with the gated community and agree with the poster who mentioned various people moving in and out of apts and condos. The rural area I live in, always has someone posting to look out for a suspicious car or truck doing this or that, usually late at night. A gated community would do a good job of keeping these characters who are up to no good, away from your house. Barky dogs work too.
A gated community’s safety is in direct proportion to how often the gate is in working order. i’ve seen some where it seemed the gates were almost always left open due to maintenance issues.
Personally I consider a safe area and/or neighborhood a better bet than a gated community, IMHO. My previous house was in a semi-rural community that was very safe. I could leave my house unlocked when I went out and left the front door routinely unlocked after I had my heart attack in case I had another episode and couldn't provide access to the rescue squad. My current neighborhood on the outskirts of the nearest city seems to be very safe as well. I've left the basement door accidentally unlocked at night and the back door unlocked when shopping - no problems ever. There are people at home all day around here and they have eyes on all visitors, known and unknown. I don't have a security system and don't feel that I need one. TBH, the only time I've ever been attacked in my life was out in a public area, so perhaps that influences my feelings about safe housing. I've always felt safe in my own home, especially a single family house.
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 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.
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Now I’m planning to buy a single family home because I think I will feel safest in a nicer neighborhood without being in such close proximity to potential problem neighbors.
