Starting Out
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback
Updated over 4 years ago, 05/18/2020
Neighborhood Scout WTH?
So I signed up for the pro version of Neighboorhood Scout about three months ago in an attempt to get an accurate data set for neighborhoods I was not personally knowledgeable about. It seems pretty thorough and I had assumed it was accurate.
So currently, we are under contract on our first buy and hold in the Northside of San Antonio in an area called the "Deco District". Our project is in the rougher part of the district, but houses very nearby are appraising very high and it is considered to be a trendy part of town. You can see dozens or rehabs that have been done as well as dozens ongoing less than half a mile away. Everything is roses essentially, there is a nice grocery store and a Starbucks about half a mile down the street. And while the neighboorhood appears to half a 50/50 mix of poverty and wealth, you can tell the area is gentrifying rapidly. Plus my wife grew up there 30 years ago and marvels at how nice it's becoming.
So tonight out of curiosity, I run the address tonight in Neighboorhood Scout to see what they say. It gets an 8 out of 100 for murder! A 6 out of 100 for rape and is considered one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city!! I've driven that neighboorhood half a dozen times now and while I might not want to live there now, I could see myself living there in two or three years.
So my question is, how accurate is Neighboorhood Scout? How much of their data is sourced from historical records?
This part of the city was ravaged with gang violence back in the '90s, but there is no sign of that now.
Am I making a mistake buying here?