what's the deal with north natomas? (Sacramento, Roseville: apartment, renters, HOA)

[volleyballer]

Originally Posted by cityx

Of course if I was stuck living there like yourself I would have to force myself to look at the brighter side of things. At least try to acknowledge the current realities and soon to be realities of the urban planning nightmare known as North Natomas.
I lived in an area of town that is also considered an armpit - and to think twenty or thirty years back it was actually pretty nice.

I've been living in an N. Natomas apartment for almost 3 years, and I have seen a gradual decay since the day I moved in, apartment community-wide and city-wide. There are a lot of low-income apartments, which aren't a problem in themselves, however some of the problem kids/families are transplanted into these new apartments, thus city problems are in N. Natomas now. They didn't leave their problems, they brought them.

But don't take my word. Just ask police officers if you should move/buy in N. Natomas. I've done that, and that's why I don't want to buy here, even though the prices are very tempting. Police issues are another problem in N. Natomas in my opinion. I hardly ever see the police here except when they're parked at at Raleys around 9:00 p.m. for some reason. I don't know. But being that the area is so new, and the neighborhoods are gradually crumbling (not all, but enough), I'd be very cautious to buy. Mind you, I didn't touch on flooding...

[mingalabaa]

Originally Posted by cityx

Then you better invest in a canoe and a bullet proof vest -lol

I was talking about shooting and stabbing.

[Gguy]

Isn’t crime every where in and around Sacramento unless you go far away ?. Me and my wife both work in downtown and looking for a place to buy a home and raise our 2 year old daughter. We wanted to stay close to work to have family time.. Checkout the options we have

ElkGrove – Crime
South Natomas – Floods and Crime
North Natomas – Floods and (crime?)
West Sacramento – Floods and Gangs
Davis-Pocket-E.Sac – Too costly to afford (for a nice home)

Roseville/Folsom/FairOaks – Too far from work

I have been looking for last 12 months and finally got in a contract today for a home in gated Westlake community in North Natomas for 380K.

I agree there is a element of Crime in north Natomas –but where else a common like man who wants to raise kids in a safe and affordable neighborhood can go?.

It all comes down to Karma and Fate ?? – I don’t know – In god we trust ….

[wburg]

It seems like the most widespread social problem around here is paranoia!

[mingalabaa]

Originally Posted by cityx

Of course if I was stuck living there like yourself I would have to force myself to look at the brighter side of things. At least try to acknowledge the current realities and soon to be realities of the urban planning nightmare known as North Natomas.
I lived in an area of town that is also considered an armpit - and to think twenty or thirty years back it was actually pretty nice.

I am not stuck here as I own nothing. It's more or less like this everywhere. A friend of mine in nice Roseville area got his car broken into when he was in the hospital and that was a while back.

[mingalabaa]

Originally Posted by wburg

It seems like the most widespread social problem around here is paranoia!

I agree.

[B to the T]

Heres a link, crime tracker...

http://faneuilmedia2.com/kcra/crimetracker/index.html

[cityx]

Originally Posted by mingalabaa

I agree.

Maybe the paranoia is based on a whole lot of reality.

[jc4u]

I've lived in South Natomas for 3 years and North Natomas for 9 years and have religiously checked crime reports and trends. I moved 6 times in North Natomas during the housing craze since I am an investor as well. What I've observed is during new phases of housing development, you get the perception of a safe and clean neighborhood. Usually, within 2-3 years, you can start seeing the neighborhood fall apart.

The only thing keeping the neighborhood safe and clean are strict Homeowner's associations. I know some people hate strict HOAs but they're the reason home values stay higher in Natomas Park or Westlake than the other neighborhoods. It doesn't mean they are immune to crime. It means they are safer and cleaner.

The only two safest and cleanest neighborhoods in Natomas are Westlake and Natomas Park. Here's what I've observed of all the neighborhoods I've lived in and/or rented homes

Natomas Park (NP)
In 1999-2001 NP started out very clean and safe because of the strict HOAs. As in all new developments, they hired a pseudo security guy in a Ford escape who was unarmed and ineffective. I used to catch him asleep at times. As the foreclosures started hitting, crime started getting worse. The NP board met monthly and recognized the rising crime so NP then hired multiple 24/7 armed security guards who roam around extensively in there "police-like" squad cars. I see them patrol at least 2 times/day. I see them pull over cars. They're also friendly. At one time, my 3yr old ran out of my house and security was immediately there to help. The strict HOA meetings keeps the place cleaner and safer

WESTLAKE
Safer because behind gates. That's not to say that the gate keeps out crime. It's mainly safer because when you are in a community behind gates, you tend to be closer with neighbors which is what keeps a neighborhood clean and safe. I currently live here and we pretty much know who is visiting and who are the residents. They also have very strict rules about parking on the street. Multiple cars parked on the street increases crime b/c there is less visibility from house to house. You can see pedestrians easier when there are no cars on the street and also on the driveways.

REGENCY (RP)
No HOA. Drive by the neighborhood and look at the difference between NP and RP.

CREEKSIDE/NATOMAS CREEK
No HOA. Never lived here but our friends said they were constantly burglarized.[/

NATOMAS CROSSING (By Walmart)
The homes on the left side do not have an HOA. The neighborhood has fallen apart. The homes on the right have a relaxed HOA so not being that strict has also caused crime to peak. We had some rentals there which constantly got burglarized. Especially auto theft of break ins.

NATOMAS CROSSING (By El Centro)
No HOA. When we first moved in, very safe and clean. After 3 years, crime ridden. Our neighbor's house was even broken into while they were sleeping. They also had a toddler in one room and a baby in another. All there electronics were stolen. Other neighbors have complained.

SOUTH NATOMAS
I only lived in the apartments by the river. There was not as much crime close to the Garden Highway but when I did my grocery shopping on Truxel and El Camino, it felt very unsafe. Lot's of kids loitering. SN tends to be very unsafe but we have many friends who live there and say there are pockets of nice neighborhoods since they are close with neighbors.
SACRAMENTO
Also, Sacramento has it planned to not segregate people so they have a rule to incorporate low-income housing in all neighborhoods. This is why there is always a pocket of bad areas in even good neighborhoods like Land Park. This is not the case in some of the older neighborhoods because there simply was no real-estate available to incorporate low-income housing like the Fab-40s area but they are always pockets of bad areas. This is not the case in other cities like Roseville or El Dorado Hills.

BOTTOM LINE
A strict HOA makes the neighborhood cleaner and safer. Unfortunately, the hundreds of foreclosures have deteriorated some of the NP and Westlake neighborhoods but it'll get cleaned up as the market gets better.

If you look at all the other comments, they tend to be generic about North and South Natomas areas. In actuallity, you need to look at the communities within N.Natomas.

By the way, I may sound like I'm on the HOA board. I'm not. These are my observations. Don't just take only my word. Just ask some of the other local realtors/investors with local offices. They'll give you the best scoop. Don't bother asking non-local realtors/investors. They're clueless of Natomas.

[GLS]

Originally Posted by jc4u

I've lived in South Natomas for 3 years and North Natomas for 9 years and have religiously checked crime reports and trends. I moved 6 times in North Natomas during the housing craze since I am an investor as well. What I've observed is during new phases of housing development, you get the perception of a safe and clean neighborhood. Usually, within 2-3 years, you can start seeing the neighborhood fall apart.

The only thing keeping the neighborhood safe and clean are strict Homeowner's associations. I know some people hate strict HOAs but they're the reason home values stay higher in Natomas Park or Westlake than the other neighborhoods. It doesn't mean they are immune to crime. It means they are safer and cleaner.

The only two safest and cleanest neighborhoods in Natomas are Westlake and Natomas Park. Here's what I've observed of all the neighborhoods I've lived in and/or rented homes

Natomas Park (NP)
In 1999-2001 NP started out very clean and safe because of the strict HOAs. As in all new developments, they hired a pseudo security guy in a Ford escape who was unarmed and ineffective. I used to catch him asleep at times. As the foreclosures started hitting, crime started getting worse. The NP board met monthly and recognized the rising crime so NP then hired multiple 24/7 armed security guards who roam around extensively in there "police-like" squad cars. I see them patrol at least 2 times/day. I see them pull over cars. They're also friendly. At one time, my 3yr old ran out of my house and security was immediately there to help. The strict HOA meetings keeps the place cleaner and safer

WESTLAKE
Safer because behind gates. That's not to say that the gate keeps out crime. It's mainly safer because when you are in a community behind gates, you tend to be closer with neighbors which is what keeps a neighborhood clean and safe. I currently live here and we pretty much know who is visiting and who are the residents. They also have very strict rules about parking on the street. Multiple cars parked on the street increases crime b/c there is less visibility from house to house. You can see pedestrians easier when there are no cars on the street and also on the driveways.

REGENCY (RP)
No HOA. Drive by the neighborhood and look at the difference between NP and RP.

CREEKSIDE/NATOMAS CREEK
No HOA. Never lived here but our friends said they were constantly burglarized.[/

NATOMAS CROSSING (By Walmart)
The homes on the left side do not have an HOA. The neighborhood has fallen apart. The homes on the right have a relaxed HOA so not being that strict has also caused crime to peak. We had some rentals there which constantly got burglarized. Especially auto theft of break ins.

NATOMAS CROSSING (By El Centro)
No HOA. When we first moved in, very safe and clean. After 3 years, crime ridden. Our neighbor's house was even broken into while they were sleeping. They also had a toddler in one room and a baby in another. All there electronics were stolen. Other neighbors have complained.

SOUTH NATOMAS
I only lived in the apartments by the river. There was not as much crime close to the Garden Highway but when I did my grocery shopping on Truxel and El Camino, it felt very unsafe. Lot's of kids loitering. SN tends to be very unsafe but we have many friends who live there and say there are pockets of nice neighborhoods since they are close with neighbors.
SACRAMENTO
Also, Sacramento has it planned to not segregate people so they have a rule to incorporate low-income housing in all neighborhoods. This is why there is always a pocket of bad areas in even good neighborhoods like Land Park. This is not the case in some of the older neighborhoods because there simply was no real-estate available to incorporate low-income housing like the Fab-40s area but they are always pockets of bad areas. This is not the case in other cities like Roseville or El Dorado Hills.

BOTTOM LINE
A strict HOA makes the neighborhood cleaner and safer. Unfortunately, the hundreds of foreclosures have deteriorated some of the NP and Westlake neighborhoods but it'll get cleaned up as the market gets better.

If you look at all the other comments, they tend to be generic about North and South Natomas areas. In actuallity, you need to look at the communities within N.Natomas.

By the way, I may sound like I'm on the HOA board. I'm not. These are my observations. Don't just take only my word. Just ask some of the other local realtors/investors with local offices. They'll give you the best scoop. Don't bother asking non-local realtors/investors. They're clueless of Natomas.

Thank you. Very informative. Any data on Westshore (the new development west of El Centro between Arena and Del Paso) yet?.