Many people talk about real estate as a method of investment. It’s true that real estate can be a good way to invest, but there are obviously bumps in the road that can occur. One of the biggest bumps happens when a sex offender moves into the immediate area of a home you’re interested in selling eventually. You probably already know that a sex offender can reduce home value, which means your home may immediately be worth less than you paid for it, and that can be monumentally frustrating. Is it possible to still get a great return on your investment? Here’s what you need to think about so you can more successfully mitigate the problem of sex offenders impacting real estate value in your area.
How Much Is Real Estate Value Affected by Sex Offenders? Created By: PeopleFinders
1. Concentrate on Boosting Home Value in Other Ways
Most people don’t just buy a home to sell it in the exact same condition they bought it in. If you’re doing real estate investment, chances are you’re hoping to boost your home value in a variety of ways anyway. However, if your real estate is next to a sex offender, this is an even more important thing to pay attention to.
Whether you’re planning to go all out with additions to the home and gardens on the outside or you’re just hoping to do a bit of work fixing up obviously broken driveways and sidewalks, you can boost the home’s value in many ways. Consider talking to a real estate expert to learn more about ways to boost your home’s value, especially without adding too much to your investment.
2. Prepare for the Lower Home Value Early On
It’s a good idea to use a public record search engine on a regular basis to make sure you’re up to date on the area around a specific home. A public record search engine allows you to see more about the location you own, which may include things like whether there are any sex offenders close by, how close you are to essential services, when the home was built, and the previous list of people who have owned the home.
Every few months, you might want to use a public record search engine to look up any and all real estate locations you have. You’ll get to learn what’s going on around the area, including information about whether a sex offender may have moved in either next door or somewhere very close. That way, as soon as you see a new problem, you’ll be able to get ready for the drop in home value.
3. Know How Much of a Value Drop You’re Going to See
Homes near a sex offender often see a drop in value, but do you know the actual value drop that’s likely to happen? The numbers indicate that homes within about a 0.1-mile radius of a sex offender tend to see an impact on value. That larger radius often sees an impact of about 4%, while living right next door could drop the value by as much as around 12%.
This means that just because a sex offender is “in the neighborhood,” that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to impact your home’s value. If the offender is living further away than 0.1 miles, it’s unlikely that you’ll see any impact on value. Keep tabs on exactly how far away the sex offender is, and know that the closer the offender is to your home, the more likely you are to see a significant drop.
4. Understand the Sex Offender Registry in Your State and Beyond
Every state has its own sex offender registry, and the requirements for the registry may be different. In some states, only crimes against minors are eligible for the sex offender registry. In some states, any sexual crime may make you a sex offender, which may include both crimes against adults and crimes against children.
Additionally, in many states, when a sex offender moves to a different state, they must register with the police force in that state regardless of whether their crime would mandate registration in the new state. That means, for example, some people who have moved from a more strict state would not be sex offenders in your state under its current laws. Always look at the actual offenses in a sex offender registry to understand the relative danger they pose.
5. Consider Holding Onto Your Investment
One of the most interesting things about this phenomenon is the fact that this impact is not remotely permanent. As a matter of fact, almost as soon as a sex offender moves out, the home tends to bounce right back to market value. Plus, home appreciation continues to happen while the sex offender is living there, which means holding onto the home will often be a good investment option.
If you’re willing to hold onto your investment for some time and use it in different ways while you do, you might be able to outlast the sex offender and get a better price for your home. That may mean, for example, renting the home out while the sex offender is still living there. Once the offender moves out, you can re-list the home for sale to capitalize on its market value.
Conclusion
A home investment hasn’t gone down the drain just because a sex offender has moved in nearby or even right next door. As a matter of fact, it’s still possible to get a return on that investment, even if the sex offender is living right next door. You just need to focus on the investment process and possibly wait things out so the home jumps back to market value.
Remember, a public record search engine is your best option for keeping tabs on the people living around your home, whether you’re doing it because they’re a sex offender or just because you prefer to know more about the people around a piece of real estate. Click here to learn more about how home value interacts with sex offenders.
