When searching for a place to live, the safety and amenities in an area are incredibly important. You must ensure that the place you are moving to will be best for you and your family. One of the best platforms to check the safety of a neighborhood is AreaVibes.
AreaVibes is an excellent resource for finding information about a neighborhood. The 100-point liveability score will give you an overview of what matters most to you. However, the information can be general for those looking for in-depth details.
With over 50,000 cities and neighborhoods covered on the platform, you can find the information you need. Keep reading further to learn about the pros and cons of using AreaVibes.
Pros of Using AreaVibes
Free to Use
One of the biggest benefits of using AreaVibes is that it requires no subscription. Some platforms like NeighborhoodScout offer more information, but the cost of using the platform is expensive. You can access all of the features on AreaVibes for free.
User Ratings
Along with the reviews on the platform, AreaVibe has user ratings that give people the opportunity to review an area. You can hear all of the good and bad about an area—straight from the locals. These comments help you understand an area’s way of life.
Custom Filters
The easy-to-use interface on AreaVibes makes it simple to customize your search results. Whether you want to see the crime rate or demographics, you can set the platform to provide you with the information.
Comparison Feature
If you want to know how neighborhoods stack up against each other, you can use AreaVibe’s comparing feature. This platform feature allows you to make informed decisions about moving to an area.
Cons of Using AreaVibes
General Crime Data
When looking for the crime data of the area, you will get general information. The information provided is a letter rating from F to A+ that gives a quick overview of a location. If the area has an F or D rating, you can assume it’s a more dangerous area.
Along with the letter rating, total crime statistics are split up depending on the crime category. These letter ratings will help you determine if the crimes are serious, like violent or property crimes.
Real Estate Focused
Most people utilize AreaVibes for its real estate application. Better platforms are available if you are looking solely for a crime map. AreaVibes will showcase other factors of an area like the schools, housing prices, and employment.
You may find these features distracting if you don’t want to know information related to the area’s real estate. You can choose a platform that focuses more on crime rates and data if that’s what you prefer.
What’s The 100-Point Livability Score?
AreaVibe’s main measuring tool is the livability score they give all neighborhoods. The score was designed to give people a fast way of measuring the quality of an area. This score comprises seven key factors that matter to those interested in the area.
The seven categories that make up the livability score are:
- Amenities
- Cost of Living
- Crime
- Employment
- Housing
- Schools
- User Ratings
These categories provide the best overall picture of living in a location. The categories are split further into sub-categories that make up the categories. For example, the amenities category gives a rating for the area’s shopping and fitness facility options.
The AreaVibes team uses community surveys and official U.S. crime statistics to create these letter ratings. To ensure you get accurate ratings, you should use AreaVibes to learn more about an area.
Should You Use AreaVibes?
When you need a free tool to find general data about a location, the AreaVibes platform is an excellent choice. The main benefits of the platform are the liveability score and custom search features.
You can quickly get the information that matters most to you and avoid sifting through pages of data. However, you will only receive broad information regarding a neighborhood. There are other platforms if you are looking for in-depth information.
Some users report that the information isn’t as up-to-date as on other platforms. The data trends could be a few years behind, depending on the information presented. We recommend reading the user ratings for the most recent reviews.
Conclusion: AreaVibes Review
AreaVibes is a helpful tool anyone can use to learn more about a city or neighborhood. The site is user-friendly and helps people navigate the information. If you want a well-rounded look at a neighborhood, you can learn about the cost of living, employment, and crime data.
However, there are more options if you are looking for the best crime map to show you more details. The AreaVibes platform only scratches the surface of the amount of crime in a specific location.
Don’t remain in the dark about the quality of a neighborhood, check it out on AreaVibes!
Have you ever compared AreaVibes.com to Niche.com? I ask because AreaVibes ratings for crime tend to be a lot lower than Niche.
Trying to find a new home out of state (1,000+ miles away) and, having moved away over 30 years ago, I don’t know the area all that well anymore. It’s very confusing to have their grading systems being so far apart.