How much crime is too much crime?

[Jonathan Shnoravorian]

Hey guys, doing research in a few areas. I see some neighborhoods of properties that are presented to me on realtor crime heat map as a tier 4 (5 being the worst). General areas I've looked in for multiple markets where cash flow is pretty good averaging a C- in crime report. My question is, how do you know if the crime is just not worth it, or if I'm overreacting? I'd love to be in better neighborhoods, but those are a lot harder to find and don't cashflow as well. At the same time, I don't think that I'm buying in completely run down ghetto's either. I guess I just don't know whether or not a deal is worth it because of the crime report. I don't want to pass up on good deals where the crime isn't as bad as it seems. I hope I'm making sense. If someone can shed some light on how I can get a clearer picture and understanding on this I'd appreciate it. 

[Joe Splitrock]

@Jonathan Shnoravorian depends on the type of crime. If we are talking gunfire, it is hard pass for me. Random bullets hitting your rental property is going to scare off any decent tenant.

I like to look at it from a practical standpoint. Would I feel safe walking around in the neighborhood during the day time? How about at night time? Taking that to the next level, would I let me my wife or mother walk by herself during the day time? How about at night time? If the answer is no to any of these questions, then who do you expect to rent the property to? You are basically stuck with people who don't care or have no choice due to problems (money, criminal, etc.) People who don't care are probably "rough" themselves.

If you do invest in a neighborhood with crime, try to find a location that is in the path of progress. What I mean is look for signs the neighborhood is improving instead of declining. If you think it will only get worse, there is no reason to invest.