Advice on living in hood

[Daniel Maciag]

I am thinking about buying a 3 Unit MF house within 1 hour of train/bus commute to NYC for about 300-400k. The issue is, this is in the hood. I plan on being in and out within 2 years of renovation and renting out everything, and staying in basement before I find another deal in a safe area.

I figured, the market cant go lower in this area as it's already low, and even if it goes lower, the downside is dwarfed by the long term potential upside due to spacing issues in the city.

The question is, during these two years, what do I bring with me to work/home? Do I carry a pocket knife (not pun) or attend a Martial Arts class (pun)? The safety rating on trulia is about 45-50% for this area, so it's not like im buying in detroit or hunts point where you can't walk down the street. I don't plan on returning home late, but if I do, I'd be sure to drive out the garage through back door. 

If anyone has experiences doing this, any feedback will be good. I can run fast but I'm not willing to take a bullet. I'm eastern european (slav) and am medium height and fairly athletic, but not bodybuilder and definitely not bulletproof.

[Account Closed]

Originally posted by @Daniel Maciag:

I am thinking about buying a 3 Unit MF house within 1 hour of train/bus commute to NYC for about 300-400k. The issue is, this is in the hood. I plan on being in and out within 2 years of renovation and renting out everything, and staying in basement before I find another deal in a safe area.

I figured, the market cant go lower in this area as it's already low, and even if it goes lower, the downside is dwarfed by the long term potential upside due to spacing issues in the city.

The question is, during these two years, what do I bring with me to work/home? Do I carry a pocket knife (not pun) or attend a Martial Arts class (pun)? The safety rating on trulia is about 45-50% for this area, so it's not like im buying in detroit or hunts point where you can't walk down the street. I don't plan on returning home late, but if I do, I'd be sure to drive out the garage through back door. 

If anyone has experiences doing this, any feedback will be good. I can run fast but I'm not willing to take a bullet. I'm eastern european (slav) and am medium height and fairly athletic, but not bodybuilder and definitely not bulletproof.

I miss the "hood."  I grew up in the "hood"  in an area where there was a de facto line of demarcation between rich and poor folks in Harlem. That said, let me chime in.  Here are some "rules" for white folks who invest in the "hood."  As I see them.

1.  Hire a property manger.  Even if you are house hacking. You never want your property manager to ever meet with you to discuss anything about the property, while at the property. Why? Because you'll be evicting people at some point.  You don't want someone who is being evicted to make YOU a target for retribution.  I'm black, and I'd still do this.

2. Go talk to tenants.  Have conversations with them in advance of moving there. You don't want to be greeted with contempt and suspicion.  You want to be seen as a new neighbor / friend and not an "invader."  Again, you're not thinking about buying or land lording them, you're thinking about becoming a neighbor. The more convos you have and the more respect you treat people with, you'll earn a "hood card." Your "hood card" is basically like a get out of jail free card.  I've seen countless times where black folks will step in to protect a white person they deem to be "cool" (hood card carriers) from being a target.

3. The car you drive should be half as nice as the nicest car you see in the area.  

4. Don't run around acting afraid.  You draw attention to yourself when you do everything in your power to avoid being seen.  Ducking around corners, sneaking in to get home, etc.  I've seen people become victims strictly off the fact that they were acting afraid and outward displays of being afraid of black folks can be viewed as "racist."   If you're viewed as racist, you're a target.  I've seen it happen growing up. Sad but true. Guy sees a group of black guys, then darts across the street to avoid walking past them.  He's now identified himself as a target vs. walking by with a smile and nod.  

I hope my 2 cents helps.