Home buyers are out in full force looking for that perfect home in a “decent” neighborhood. I St. Paul we have seventeen neighborhoods to choose from. Within those 17 neighborhoods, there are more than 100 sub-neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has a district council. One way to learn about the neighborhoods is to visit the district council website for the neighborhood.
If a decent neighborhood is an area with a low crime rate the best place to learn about crime in St. Paul is from the Saint Paul Police Department’s website.
The idea of a decency in a neighborhood is vague and subjective, yet most home buyers are looking for a “decent” neighborhood. In addition, to “decent”, the neighborhood needs to be “safe”.
This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the passage of the 1968 Federal Fair Housing Act.
As a real estate agent and broker, I can not recommend a neighborhood or even state that a neighborhood is decent or safe. I can not steer anyone into a particular neighborhood because that violates fair housing laws. Fair housing discrimination does not need to be intentional to be illegal. To learn more about fair housing rules and laws in Minnesota, visit the Fair housing basics web site.
For most people, it is the amount of money they have that will determine where they live. The most expensive homes are near the best schools. Great schools drive property values up. Higher property values mean property higher taxes which in turn means more money is spent on education.
There are private schools in St. Paul and public magnet schools. Parents have choices. To learn more about St. Paul Public Schools.
When choosing a neighborhood write a list of what is important and do some research. Drive through the neighborhood or walk through it when the weather is nice and people are outside again.
