Quality of schools and crime volume are two factors that play heavily into the demand, appeal, and accordingly the real estate appreciation rates of neighborhoods. Bellevue, for example, is known for an abundance of quality schools and has the feel of a "safer" city (as a whole). So, it shouldn't come as much surprise that Bellevue real estate is one of the most expensive areas in the county and state.

Crime rates and neighborhood safety are an important component of quality of life for most families. For traditional buyers it often makes the difference of where they feel comfortable raising a family. The same can be said for investors who are considering the safety of their investment and the type of tenant they can attract.

I have found the Washington State Report Card from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to be a great site to review schools side by side. The individual school reviews contain information on student to teacher ratios, test scores, dropout rates, ethnicity, percentage of teachers with a master's degree, etc.

In regards to crime, this City of Seattle crime map is very easy to use and helps home buyers research their area of interests and the volume and types of crime consistent for those areas.

The City of Bellevue crime map is a bit more archaic, but the information is still there on a variety of maps which help visualize general volume of crime for particular locations.

We can help with additional information regarding real estate statistics (for example)… all you need to do is ask!

- Prospera Real Estate's Seattle and Bellevue real estate blog, news, market trends and statistics