There are several steps that any buyer should do to determine how safe and neighborhood is likely to be.

1 – Ask the local police/sheriffs department

Gather the street names closest to the home you and considering and ask them to check on the streets. They will in most cases tell you if many calls are made to the area.

2 - Megan's Law Database

Visit: http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/  

This site offers a search feature and will show the current location of known sex offenders. 

3 – Online data

www.city-data.com is full of statistics and information.

http://www.propertymaps.com is another good site, which has crime statistics.

4 - Talk to neighbors

Talk to several people.  Most people are friendly and will share everything they know.  Nothing beats the insight of someone that has lived in the area for years.

5 – Visit the neighborhood at various times of the day and night.

What is the condition of the surrounding block or two?  What condition are the houses?  Are the front yards manicured and well cared for?  Broken down cars, chain link fences, and pit bulls are not a good sign. 

At the end of the day ask yourself this one question:  “Do you think it would safe for your grandma to walk around the block alone at night?”  Hopefully after completing the 5 steps listed above…that would be an easy question to answer.

Source: Eugene Hacker/Trulia