Crime statistics will be misleading

RE: "Trulia launches crime maps in 50 metros" June 2

Dear Editor:

I found this information to be both interesting and troublesome. We already have a lot of problems with uninformed consumers thinking they are as smart as experienced Realtors because they used incomplete information they got on Trulia.

Trulia cannot tell someone what upgrades a home had or about the leak in the basement. Now, the crime statistics they offer will be misleading and will likely lead to more uninformed conclusions.

For example, in suburban Chicago, cities that have malls will always appear to be crime-ridden compared to adjoining suburbs that don't happen to have the same level of retail traffic.

Obviously, you are more likely to get held up in a shopping center parking lot than at a church. But anyone who lives in the area knows that the housing subdivisions themselves are essentially identical in every way.

Incomplete information is usually worse than none at all.

Mike Cohen
Broker-owner
SPECTRUM Real Estate Group, LLC.
Chicago, Ill.

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