Crime, Schools, Registered Sex Offenders - Henry, Clayton, Fayette,etc.

When a buyer identifies a property that they are interested in purchasing, they often want to research the subdivision/neighborhood before moving forward and ask question such as

• "Are there any sexual offenders in the area?"  
• "What is crime like in this area?"
• "What are the local schools like? Are they good?"
• "Are there any children in the subdivision that my kids can play with?"

A smart buyer looks into these things rather than just purchasing any house that they fall in love with. While some of these things may be more important to one buyer than to another - it's always smart to do research before pursuing a property... but how? Where do you find this information, especially if you're not familiar with the area? Here are a few suggestions...

Local Police Department Websites: Check your local police department's website for crime information. Some may provide crime maps and crime statistics. If they don't have information online, call the local police department. Here are some links that you may find helpful:
              Clayton County: Request for Crime Statistics
              Fayette County: Fayette County Crime Map
              Henry County: Henry County Crime Map

Sex Offenders: There are several websites that provide information on registered sex offenders and some of the crime maps above include this information. The following is a link to the GA Bureau of Investigation's Georgia Sex Offender List:  Georgia Sex Offender List via Georgia Bureau of Investigation

Schools: There are many ways to research local schools. You can start on the internet and if it's really important to you, you can visit the school itself and set up a meeting with the principal to ask questions, tour the school, etc. Check the Georgia Department of Education's website for test scores, check out the individual school's website to see what they have going on and see photos of recent events, search for parent reviews online (after all, parent reviews give us a behind the scenes look (with a grain of salt of course!). Here are some links that may help you research the local schools:
              Georgia Department of Education
              School Reports via GA Dept. of Education
              Atlanta Journal Constitution Schools Guide
             
              Clayton County Board of Education
              Coweta County Board of Education
              Fayette County Board of Education
              Henry County Board of Education
              Rockdale County Board of Education

Neighborhood/Subdivision:  Unfortunately there's not a website that you can visit to give you stats on individual subdivisions and neighborhoods. If you want to know certain things about it, you'll have to check into it yourself. Your Realtor should be able to help you with some things such as information on the homeowner's association and fees, covenants and restrictions, etc; however, it's always recommended that a buyer drive through a subdivision of interest several times and at different times of the day to make sure it's a place that he/she wants to live. It may seem like a quiet, quaint subdivision on a Monday afternoon but what is it like on a Friday or Saturday night? Are there cars parked on the street all night? It may be helpful for you to walk the neighborhood on a weekend or evening to chat with neighbors out walking, working in their yards, etc. Neighbors will always be quick to give you the scoop in the subdivision!