What’s Your Neighborhood’s Friendliness Score?

Transcription

Hey, Jim Duncan with RealCentralVA.com and Nest Realty Group (archived: 2011) here in Charlottesville, Virginia thinking about the various ways that my buyer clients assess neighborhoods. I provide data on the value of the homes in the neighborhoods what the recent solds and actives are, etc.

We can look at the walkability of the neighborhood, the demographics, [clarification for the sake of not having my meaning misconstrued by my words – I am the source of the source of information for my clients. I have never cared about racial makeup, and for those customers who express that as a concern, I choose to not work with them] … data is a tool (no longer available). What I could have said better is that there are datasets for almost anything and everything imaginable. My job is to help my clients assess things for themselves; I don’t do the assessment. It’s why I say, “If you’re concerned about sexual offenders, look here (archived: 2024),” rather than telling my clients one way or the other about sexual offenders’ locations.] , the racial make ups, the income, however you want to look at it. One way you cannot assess it online that many of my clients do assess neighborhoods is the friendliness factor. So here is my question: what is your neighborhoods perceived friendliness factor?

Here’s how my clients and I assess neighborhoods perceived friendliness factors: if you’re driving through a neighborhood, how many people walking on the streets wave to you? It really simple. It’s something that when I moved to Charlottesville 20 some years ago, my mom and my sister were driving through a neighborhood and after we went through the neighborhood my mom looked at us and said: “kids, what did you all think about that place?” and one of us, either my sister or I said: “you know, we didn’t like it mom because those boys didn’t wave at us” and it was really simple, but quite profound and we didn’t end up moving there, but we did move to a neighborhood that was quite friendly and still is frankly.

So my question is for buyers and sellers: what is your neighborhoods or the neighborhoods that you’re searching perceived friendliness value? Whether you’re a seller or a home owner, do you wave at people? It’s something that seems simple and perhaps irrelevant, but it matters. It matters to my clients, it matters to people who are searching for neighborhoods and places to live, it also mattes from a human standpoint. Is your neighborhood friendly? Think about it and I would love to hear your feedback. Jim Duncan, RealCentralVA.com (434) 242-7140. Y’all have a good day.

It’s amazing what you can do with PolicyMap.

This is the Estimated typical (median) income of a household in 2009 in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area: