Funny you mention this - the slamming emptying of dumpsters located at commercial businesses starts just after 3 a.m. near my home on Mon. and Thurs. mornings. Near is a tad over a 1/4 mile away. Some sage advice there.

My biggest concern wouldn't be the inmates, it would be the employees of the "correctional facility" who live in the area.

Wow... constant helicopters... slamming dumpsters... hope you aren't offended if I discount YOUR real estate advice...:D

If the area has not had a tax assessment in a very long time, most real estate would have appreciated well beyond taxable value. I live in a county which last had a comprehensive property tax assessment in 1968. A house in my area would literally have to be on fire to command a sales price under taxable value.

I've had a house for about 15 years now, about a half mile from the Fed. facility where Bernie M is currently housed. There are about 5 total facilities near there and I've never had any trouble.

The value of the house has steadily increased over the years and it even bucks the national average by a significant amount.

Thanks for the input. Any other houses in the area that have had problems selling?

I have been called many things, but lazy is definitely NOT one of them. :)

Did you pay far below market value when purchasing your house?

Are you able to identify why your house "has steadily increased over the years and it even bucks the national average by a significant amount?"

What do you consider, "increasing.......by a significant amount?"

In my experiance location does matter in real estate, but only in regards to price. The saying in the industry is their is an a** for every seat. We have sold houses across the street from train tracks and industrial buildings. Insted of getting $350k-$360k for them we get $310k-$320k. Its simply a numbers game.

Figuring out how the prison affects the value is hard to do without a lot of experiance in the area. This is where your real estate agent earns their money, they should be able to help you put a number on it.

I'd knock on a few neighbors doors and see what they say.

As for security against break outs, I would recomend an insurance policy::D
http://forum.pafoa.org/imagehosting/...6a4a89369b.gif

That's interesting. Around here, taxable value is a joke when selling. Realtors have told us that you start below taxable value by just a hair or at least at taxable value if you feel lucky.

FWIW, I once owned a house in Indy, about a block from the women's prison, which is in town. I paid a decent price for the house, lived there 3 years and sold for a nice profit. I recently checked the neighborhood, and prices are still going up and the prison is still there. UMMV, but I didn't have a problem with it, and I am not talking about a cheap, beater type house, either.

If you purchase the house and end up reselling, I would use the following marketing tool. Print out the map of a neighborhood nearby from the sex offender database, showing the residences of convicted sex offenders. Then print out a map of the house with the prison next door and ask 'Where would you prefer your local sex offender live?"

That is pretty much what my wife said. We would actually be SAFER living near the prison than where we are now.

The only issue I can see is resale value. If I get it at the right price, that issue will become moot.


We are looking at 3 more homes tonight (one in the same general area, but about a mile away from the prison). Tried to do a 2nd showing at this home but they have live-in stagers that have a 1 year old and they turned us down saying it was too late. Their only job is to keep the house show-ready for visits while they live there for free. I'm going to have my realtor talk to their realtor about this issue. I think we requested 8-9pm... not that late. :rolleyes:

I decided I will just drive-by to see if there are any wierd lights or anything from the prison at night-time. I already know what the interior looks like and how I feel about it.

Small bit of trivia, guards at Alcatraz used to live on the island with their families. One lady (on the audio tour) claimed they never locked their doors, their community was so small and intimate they had no need to.

I'd guess the price should be a tad lower because of this but if all else is good, I wouldn't hesitate.

Actually Tom, it's NOT like buying in Detroit.

The houses are going for about 5750.00

You can EXPECT to be broken into if you are not at home.

If you are at home, expect a 50-50 chance.

Make sure that you don't kill any gang members who burglarize so you don't have to deal with all of them. Wounding is ok.

That's different from what our friend is looking at in Minnesota

No. Not that bad of course.

i did say a LITTLE like buying in Detroit.

I can see you have never visited Detroit
 

Um, I think you mean something a little more like this:

If someone did escape, would they be more likely to hang around the prison, or make tracks AWAY as fast as possible?

Detroit is a special case.

I'd want a half a dozen Tiger's as escort before looking at property.:D

Are values in Grosse Pointe holding up?

Benefits to both plans. I could let you assume I am running away but hang around till some heat dies down

There is a silver lining to almost everything. If you were to be imprisoned the wife could save big time on transportation for example. :D

You could ask some knowledgeable local real estate people about the reduction in value and resale difficulty of a location like that in your area. It may vary regionally. At least the prison is not in plain sight.

What is the CMA of that area?

Graplr -

I at one point researched the effect of promixity of federal prisons on property value and what I found suprised me.

Some of the most expensive real estate in the city was beside the prison. Literally a stone's throw away.

Several studies on the subject found no real correlation between the proximity of the prison and home values. It is much more based on the actual neighbourhood and crime, etc., independent of the prison's geographic location. In other words, if a good neighbourhood happens to be adjacent to a prison, it's still a good neighbourhood. If it is a ghetto, it's a ghetto, etc.

As far as crime rates - again, it's more based on the city as a whole and the neighbourhoods - not due to prison location, etc. When you think about it, a prison has a large security force working within and around it. Beside the city's police force, you have correctional officers, security officers, prison staff, associated doctors and service providers, etc. In other words, plenty of people who could potentially recognize a convict. If convicts were to escape (not as common today with the advances in security technology), the prisoner isn't going to hang around the prison. They will try to leave the city asap. Perhaps some mentally ill prisoners might wander around, but in reality you already have such specimens wandering free in any given city - prison or not.

So I would not let the proximity of a prison influence your decision to purchase a home. I would check the neighbourhood itself - if the prices per size of the home/lot match other similar neighbourhoods that are farther from the prison, there is your answer right there.

A good idea before you purchase would be to chat up some potential neighbours who live there already, preferably some old-timers. Get their perspective.

Good luck!

A general comment - I would shy away from buying a personal residence that is located adjacent to a commercial/industrial/institutional zone, as the current use of the commercial property may be converted into something more objectionable during the term of your homeownership. I recall one example in my area where a decent housing development was built adjacent to a large undeveloped area that was zoned commercial. When the residences were constructed, the commercial area was a nice quiet patch of woods. A few years later, the commercial property was converted into a driving range, complete with high-mounted flood lights to allow evening hours. Those homeowners who previously were able to enjoy a nice quiet summer evening on the front porch are now lit up like prisoners trying to sneak out of their barracks at Stalag 17. Yes, they can sell and move away, but the new commercial development has dinged the resale value of their property.

There is no more land to be developed in the immediate surrounding area. The prison was built there in the 80s.

CMA? Christian Motorcycle Alliance? ;)

Very interesting. The problem with trying to chat up the old-timers is the owners of this home were the only old-timers in the area. The house 10 years ago was on 37 acres. The subdivided it dedicating ~6 to the current home, 10 to open DNR space and the remaining are now 15 homes. So anyone living close will have only lived there for 5-8 years. I did notice a play set in the backyard of the closest neighbor which I would assume indicates the neighbors have kids.

Chat up the ones with kids then? They are obviously comfortable raising a family there...they may have already done research of their own.

Comparative Market Analysis
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Country Music Association

Should give the same answers either way :D

Even when the trees are bare-arse nekkid in winter?

Just get a coupla dobermans.

Or one of these

http://newsimg.ngfiles.com/135000/13...l_smiledog.jpg

In Maryland, the deciduous trees may have full plumage on them right now, but not in MN. So yes, even in winter the trees block the view. There is a good 2-3 acre wide tree section of DNR land. Many pine trees, very thick.

You mean my 20 pound Pug won't suffice? :D The Pug was my ex-wife's choice and I kept her (she really is a good dog and a GREAT watchdog). So my wife wants to get a dog of her own, well at least one she thinks is her own. A large one. Currently she is interested in Great Danes.

depends on what they are trying to correct....

Female penitentiary, I can see. Literally. Think Jailbabes.com :D Male prison, not so good.