Child Molester next door house value?

[Cassidy]

Hi I just found out from one of my neighbors who has children that the man who has just moved in next door to me is a twice convicted child molester. He recently moved in to take care of his elderly Father and Mother.I verified it on the state web page and also called the local sheriffs department and they confirmed it. Now I have no kids but I own the house I live in its worth about 500 thousand my parents left it to me when they moved to England to retire. The house is in a nice neighborhood with upper middle class family's. Does him living next door to me decrease my property value. And if so by how much?

Thank you

To answer your question this is what I know about the guy. He grabbed two girls walking home from school took them in his apartment and molested them. Ages where 5 and 7 he served 10 out of the 15 years he was sentenced to. He just got out of jail 4 months ago and is on parole. I haven't seen it myself but my neighbor tells me when the guy goes jogging during the morning he has an ankle bracelet on. The whole thing is beyond creepy never would have thought it not in our neighborhood I grew up here very shocking.

[DavidZ103]

most buyers do not check this stuff out. any buyer who does will just walk away and have no interest in house.

[chatsplas845282]

Many buyers do not check this stuff out.
MOst realtors do not check this out.
Yes, it can make your house less attractive to knowledgeable buyers, but no set decrease in dollar value. It is a temoporary situation.

[steveko777623]

It sure does. What family would want to live next to a Predator ? Your half-million dollar house would be worthless to me-compared to the risk of my children's safety. Some areas have passed ordinances that ban people of this type from living in certain areas,Check with your town as to what you can do....I hope the other people with children are aware of this guy and put pressure before another child is hurt...I am sorry-I have no compassion for animals that harm children...I check out my tenants and any areas where I buy for these type of things...

[silverbullet514]

As noted by others, many people don't check these things out before buying, and at least where I live, there is no obligation to disclose, so it may or may not affect the price if you sell.

The value of your house is only important if you need to sell or refinance. The problem may go away before you need to worry about it.

I have no idea what the value of my house is, and I don't care, because I don't intend to move.

[Ranger4402031]

"He recently moved in to take care of his elderly Father and Mother."

Unless you plan to sell in the near future this may be a moot issue. What if his parents pass away in the next two years, he sells their home, and moves away?

Also, what did he do as far as sex crimes go? Some sexual predators are worse than others. If twenty years ago he was 18 and had a 17 year old girlfriend whom he had sex with, then that is far less worse then if he is a pedophile who rapes young children.

Also, has he stayed out of trouble? If so, for how long? Maybe one time in his life he made a very troubling mistake, went to jail or prison and he has followed the law ever since?

I think you need more information on the man before asking how his presence will impact property values.

[Lone132]

By law, now that you know this info, you must pass this info onto any prospective buyer.

What if someone with children bought the home and their child was molested? You could be liable for not warning the buyer.

However, since you don't have children and don't have your home for sale this is all quite irrelevant at this time.

[Jennifer490711]

Before we bought our house I checked the sex offender website for the neighborhood we were thinking about buying in. We were planning on getting married and having a child in our first house and if there had been one living in the neighborhood it would have made me think about looking elsewhere. Most people who check will either buy or not buy in the neighborhood - most won't use it as an angle to get a lower price, they just won't buy your house.

[smedrik495]

It won't effect the house value. Nobody checks that out.

[CrystalA142]

Most likely, People that don't have children won't check into it. But alot of parents does check to see if there are any sex offenders. I'm in the process of buying a place. When I went house hunting. I mapped out the whole entire neighborhood to see if there was any sex offenders and there wasn't. If I did find a house that was too close to a sex offender. I would pass on it, even if I fell in love with the home. I just can't take any chances.