One of the most common questions realtors face when they are working with buyers is about safety concerns regarding the neighborhoods being looked at. Where is that information found? There are several sources such as the local papers, homeowners associations, etc…but probably the best source is from the Loudoun County website.
Loudoun county utilizes a website for daily crime reports which is located at https://www.loudoun.gov/4727/Daily-Incident-Report. Here you can look at the towns to see where incidents have occurred and what type of incidents. The archive will allow you to look at reports in the past as well.
In addition to the daily crime reports, you may find viewing trends helpful. This information is found at the LCSO Significant Incident Report link.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Dept Facebook page posts the latest incidents or traffic alerts plus other timely information. If you are on social media alot, this may be a good place to keep up to date with the happenings on Facebook.
Not directly related to crime incidents but something that could be of interest to you, is to receive the latest alerts from Loudoun County. The alerts you can receive include emergency information, news releases, traffic information, weather alerts, election information and more. To sign up, vist www.loudoun.gov/alert.
When you are out looking at homes and start to question the safety of the neighborhood, please don’t be shocked if your real estate agent can’t give you that kind of information. It’s not that we don’t want to give it to you. We do… and we definitely want you to feel safe in your new home and out of harms way. But we have some ethics and laws that prevent us from steering our clients either to or from neighborhoods.
As a real estate agent, we have to abide by these regulations. While I can’t tell you whether or not the home you love is in a safe neighborhood, I can and will tell you that whatever home you are looking at, please check the crime reports for that neighborhood and town.
Also, if the concern comes up, I advise my clients to observe the area as they drive through. Check out the general vibe of the neighborhood and see how they feel. Oftentimes, you can learn a lot just by driving through the streets or business areas nearby.
If you have any questions about Loudoun County, please reach out or leave a comment below!