Neighborhood safety is one of the main things to consider when buying a home, especially if it's a neighborhood you don't know too well. Sometimes the area looks nice, but you don't know what happens there at a different time of the day. This is why it's important you thoroughly research the area before deciding to move there.

One hurdle in your way with neighborhood research is that the real estate agent might not be that helpful. As a housing professional, they would want to avoid controversy, so they might not tell you if the place is good for raising a family, for example. Luckily, there are different research tools and forums available that can help you understand your potential neighborhood better. Here are 6 different ways in which you can know more about your hood.

Contact other people in the neighborhood

These days searching for the details of your neighbors is easy. By simply searching the address of the property on a people search engine like Nuwber, you can find out who lives in the neighborhood. The search engine will return links to public information, like contact details and publicly-available records.

Find out the livability score of the area

Sites like AreaVibes give livability scores for areas based on factors like crime, cost of living, and education. The site also displays reviews left for neighborhoods, so you can get first-hand accounts of the living conditions. The process to find information is fairly simple: You can find the location by name, along with other options, and rearrange the list of places according to housing prices, crime, etc. AreaVibes also has a city comparison that allows you compare livability score or cost of living of two cities.

If you're concerned about crime rates, you can also check CrimeReports to see a breakdown of the types of crimes taking place in the area. The service collects police and crime record reports and lets you filter by agency names and incidents. CrimeMapping is another option you have for the search. Besides searching by location and agencies, you can also create custom alerts based on your interests.

If you prefer an app for your research, then NeighborhoodScout is an option. The app provides crime stats, including property crime, violent crime rate, etc.

Find your neighbors online

Having a conversation with someone living in the neighborhood is the best research option. But, if you can't get hold of the neighbors directly, try looking for them on a forum like Reddit or Quora. These forums have subforums on a number of topics. An added benefit of forums is that they often contain old responses to questions along with new ones. This format allows you to clarify any myths or misconceptions about the neighborhood: It may be that the bad area has now been transformed. By simply asking your question, you can start a discussion on the topic and learn new things in the process.

Find out the number of homes for sale

Sometimes the number of homes available for sale can give an indication about the neighborhood. For example, an increase in the number of homes for sale can indicate that people are not satisfied with the living conditions. So, if you notice more listings than normal on the property websites, view the crime reports of the area and contact your realty agent for information. Zillow is a well-known property lister. The website has a large database of for-sale properties and allows you to search across the country. Besides sale and rental properties, you can also find options for locating agents, home inspectors, and loans.

Take a tour of the neighborhood

Don't limit yourself to driving through the neighborhood or certain parts. Walk through the area to get a sense of things. The slower pace of walking gives you more time to observe and observe more things. Look for rundown homes, overgrown yards, condition of the cars, etc. If the neighborhood is generally well maintained then, it shows that the people living there care about their surroundings.

During your work also note the security measures people have taken. Are there any security fences? Is there broken glass on the pavement? The type of security measures will also indicate what happens in the neighborhood.

If you have someone living in the neighborhood, ask them to help you out by joining Nextdoor. Nextdoor is a social network that's designed for people living in the same neighborhood. To become a member, you need to verify your address. Like other social networks, neighbors can connect with each other and stay up to date with everything going on there.

Nextdoor can be your entry into the neighborhood. Instead of having just one source of information (your friend), you can talk to multiple neighbors and get a preview of how things are over there.

Search your location on the national sex offender directory

The National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) is a database of registered sex offenders. Whether you're looking to raise a family in the house or not, the website is useful because it gives you an idea of the safety of the neighborhood. Besides the database, you can also find information and addresses on Family Watchdog. The service divides the data into specific types of crimes, including rape and sexual battery. The site also allows you to search people by name/ school and sign up for alerts so you know when an offender has relocated to your area.

Following these steps will allow you to develop an understanding of the neighborhood you want to research. Compare the livability scores, crime stats, and general living conditions of different neighborhoods. Communicate with the people to further inform your opinion. At the same time don't allow statistics to override your gut feeling. if the neighborhood does not feel right, don't move there just because the price is right or the neighbors are friendly. After all, you are making one of the most important investments of your life.