I am lucky enough to be a Certified Relocation
Specialist for the Cartus Network. Cartus is the largest
corporate relocation services network in the country. Lately I
have helped clients from Google, Microsoft, and BiogenIdec who
relocate from the Seattle area to Cambridge, Somerville, and the
Greater Boston area. Frequently I am asked the question: "is
this neighborhood safe?". I am told, by some, that Seattle is
statistically safer than Boston. While this may or may not be
true, Massachusetts real estate law prohibits me, as a licensed sales
agent, from making any claims or voicing any opinions regarding the
safety of any area. Sometimes clients think that I am joking,
or obfuscating facts when I tell them of this law.
"Why can't you tell me if this (or that)
neighborhood is safe? Are you kidding, or hiding something?"
My answer is that I wish I were joking, and also that
I wish that I could comment. However this law has come about in
order to protect consumers against promises of safety, in an
inherently unsafe world. Unscrupulous agents could, and in the
past likely have, promised that one neighborhood or another is "very
safe", or safer than another, only to have these claims blow up
in their face when days, weeks or years after the sale, a resident
confronts an issue with crime which makes them feel unsafe. The
inherent problem with the word -safe-, is that we all have our own
definitions of what "being safe", or "feeling safe"
is. Safe is an elusive illusion. In the past, the courts
have determined that promises of safety are inherently flawed.
However a feeling of safety, in ones home especially, is a goal
practically everyone shares.
My family and I happen to feel safe in Somerville.
I have two young children, who sometimes walk to school, and often
enjoy riding their bicycles on our street. There is a dog-park,
5 blocks from our house which closes at 10 PM, where my wife and I
regularly walk our little dog Buster both day and night. We have made
a conscious effort to get to know most of the people who live on our
street as well as the adjoining streets, and try to remember most of
their names. I think that feeling safe, resides more with the
individual than with their surroundings. Taking the time to get
to know your neighbors goes far when trying to create a safe space in
which to live. Also, being sensible about your surroundings,
and cautious if need be, is a skill which should be exercised no
matter where you are.
When looking for a new home, I always recommend
visiting the prospective neighborhood a few times. Seeing a
home in broad daylight is a great way to gain an initial impression,
but does not substitute for taking a walk there in the evening,
nights and weekends. Moving to a new city can be an
intimidating affair, but with the help of a local expert in real
estate, an attitude of hopeful optimism, and an educated assessment
of the neighborhood, almost everyone can find a house in which they
can feel safe to call home.
