Jump to content

Menu

Would you buy a house next to a known sex offender?


Recommended Posts

Until 20 min ago I was ecstatic about a house we have the chance to purchase. That is until I found out the next door neighbor is a sex offender. I'm not even positive that he still lives there, it's just the last reported address.

 

His convictions were in 2003 for lewd conduct under 16 and two prior charges of molestation in the late 90's. He is in his late 40's.

 

I highly, highly doubt we will buy the house now (unless of course he has moved) but I was curious to know what others would do/thoughts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 141
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Would you be able to tell if they still live there?

 

I am sure I could find out through the realtor as she is very familiar with the area and people. It's a small town of only 400 so it would be pretty easy to find out.

 

Glad I'm not alone in my thinking. As cool as the house would have been, like most of you said, just not worth my children's safety.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No way in Hades.

 

Wolf's uncle is a convicted offender. Two of his victims were his dds.

 

We've been very clear that if he EVER gets our contact information, or his enabling wife, all holy Hades would break loose, and they live in another province.

 

There's no way I'd choose to live next door to a creepazoid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is little to stop a registered SO from moving in near you wherever you buy. I would not think I was increasing my safety by passing on an otherwise great house. Because I would tend to assume there are some, registered or not, in basically all areas. Sex offenses are far too common for there to be many areas with no sex offenders. The sex offender registry does little to reduce risk. You still need to be cautious and careful regardless of what you know (or don't know) about your neighbors.

Edited by kijipt
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is little to stop a registered SO from moving in near you wherever you buy. I would not think I was increasing my safety by passing on an otherwise great house. Because I would tend to assume there are some, registered or not, in basically all areas. Sex offenses are far too common for there to be many areas with no sex offenders. The sex offender registry does little to reduce risk. You still need to be cautious and careful regardless of what you know (or don't know) about your neighbors.

 

Yep, sex offenders moved in next door to us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, sex offenders moved in next door to us.

 

Do you feel creeped out knowing that information?

 

My husband and I were talking that its possible for offenders to be anywhere we move. Most don't report their status so there's no way to know for sure. Still I don't know that it eases my mind enough to do it.

 

A neighbor across the street works for the county sheriff dept. Dh said he would go talk to him and see if there have been any problems since they moved to the community.

 

I just don't know though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

A neighbor across the street works for the county sheriff dept. Dh said he would go talk to him and see if there have been any problems since they moved to the community.

 

 

A lack of problems can simply mean that the guy has been smart enough not to get caught again.

 

The vast majority of s*x offenders will repeat or escalate those offenses over and over again for years and years. It seems like the urge never goes away. Recently, I saw on the news that an 85 year old man was arrested for molesting kids. :eek: He had a long history of it, but at his age, no one was particularly worried about him any more... until he got caught. :glare:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Until 20 min ago I was ecstatic about a house we have the chance to purchase. That is until I found out the next door neighbor is a sex offender. I'm not even positive that he still lives there, it's just the last reported address.

 

His convictions were in 2003 for lewd conduct under 16 and two prior charges of molestation in the late 90's. He is in his late 40's.

 

I highly, highly doubt we will buy the house now (unless of course he has moved) but I was curious to know what others would do/thoughts.

 

Go there and find out! Ask at the door for Mr. X, and say you were talking to the neighbors in the area about the house for sale. If they say there is no Mr. X, then you can inquire a bit? "Oh...property records showed that Mr. X resided here, so I was wondering...is that the last owner? " Get the person talking and you will find out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

kijipt: There is little to stop a registered SO from moving in near you wherever you buy. I would not think I was increasing my safety by passing on an otherwise great house. Because I would tend to assume there are some, registered or not, in basically all areas.

This is true too. Check the area. You could buy a house and a registered sex offender move in next door immediately.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lack of problems can simply mean that the guy has been smart enough not to get caught again.

 

The vast majority of s*x offenders will repeat or escalate those offenses over and over again for years and years. It seems like the urge never goes away. Recently, I saw on the news that an 85 year old man was arrested for molesting kids. :eek: He had a long history of it, but at his age, no one was particularly worried about him any more... until he got caught. :glare:

 

Exactly! We checked all the surrounding towns and found multiple men 65+ that had convictions in the last 10 years. Blech! Makes my skin crawl.

The fact this specific guy has been charged 3 times in 15 years is enough for me. I wouldn't be able to send my kids outside to play..EVER. It would put me on edge all the time and that is no way for kids to live.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we lived in the last apartment (our 1bdrm) it was open to anyone and everyone who had money. The landlord didnt do a background check of any kind on anyone. We had FOUR Sex Offenders living in the 40 unit building. 1 lived across the hall from me (and he has his wife and children living with him and his wife babysat other kids in the building).

 

Here is my opinion....

Would I move back there or move in that house youre looking at? IF i had to, yes or if it was perfect circumstances other wise? yes. However, it is MY responsibility to keep an eye on my children. Thats not to belittle anyone who has been abused by a sex offender- PLEASE DONT TAKE IT THAT WAY....im saying i never, ever let my children play outside at the apartment and if i lived in the house your looking at, i would make sure i knew the friends they played with and they had a buddy system for walking back and forth to their house and mine + what to do in an emergency situation.

 

I would definitely go ask the Sheriff and do your research but you have to look out for your children too. :grouphug:

 

and again, i mean NO offense to anyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So for those who say no, do you move every time an offender moves in? How sure are you that there are no unregistered offenders in the area?

 

Maybe it is living in an urban center but I don't know how one could expect to avoid proximity to any and all registered offenders. And having been raped as a child by a non-registered offender, it's not like I am pro-SO or anything, believe me. Personally I consider those I know of less of a risk than those I don't. And most sex offenses against children are perpetrated by someone the family knows and trusts and has unsupervised access to the child. Kidnapping by someone you don't know or trust is much much rarer. Just food for thought. Not living by an offender is not a sign of or guarantee of safety.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In addition to all the obvious reasons, it's got to make the house a lot harder to sell, should you need to.

 

:iagree:

 

That's an excellent point. Who wants to live next door to a convicted s*x offender??? It could kill your resale value, as well as make the home nearly impossible to resell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I feel sorry for the homeowner (seller), but I don't think I'd do it. I have two young daughters.

 

That said, the reality is that we can't know which of our neighbors might have those kinds of tendencies, since most aren't listed on the registry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's my thing:

 

I would never deliberately buy property near a toxic waste dump. Is it possible that after buying, a discovery could be made of one nearby? Sure it is. But, I'd never *knowingly* raise my kids next to one.

 

Same thing w/a sex offender.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So for those who say no, do you move every time an offender moves in? How sure are you that there are no unregistered offenders in the area?

 

Maybe it is living in an urban center but I don't know how one could expect to avoid proximity to any and all registered offenders. And having been raped as a child by a non-registered offender, it's not like I am pro-SO or anything, believe me. Personally I consider those I know of less of a risk than those I don't. And most sex offenses against children are perpetrated by someone the family knows and trusts and has unsupervised access to the child. Kidnapping by someone you don't know or trust is much much rarer. Just food for thought. Not living by an offender is not a sign of or guarantee of safety.

 

I agree with everything you wrote and actually had a similar conversation with a friend awhile back. I was the one pointing out that the unregistered, never before caught SO worry me more. And most abusers are known to the family.

 

BUT, I don't know that I could knowingly move next door to a registered sex offender. Same neighborhood, sure. Next door... I don't know. It may not be logical, but I just don't think I could do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share


×
×
  • Create New...