Freeman:

Long Beach is a great city to live, learn, work & play. This is based on personal experience for the last 14 years. And as the 5th largest city in California, it has a lot of different neighborhoods, each offering unique qualities that appeal to the people who live there.

If your house shopping is all about statistics, then you are in luck. Long Beach is a very modern city. Pretty much, every statistic you want to know about a particular house and / or neighborhood can be found on line. Looking at 123 Friendly Lane and have have some questions? Want to know if that extra room in permitted? Want to know what schools your children will go to? Want to know how many cars were stolen in the neighborhood last month? There are websites that will give you all this information and more. (I tried to put the links in the response, but obviously don't know how to do that, as the answer would not post. Sorry.)

Just a quick caution. Where you buy your home is not purely about statistics. It is about who lives next door, the parks, the community, the demographics (like are there any other 5 year old kids in the neighborhood for your 5 year old kid to play with). These are things you find out by talking to the neighbors, hanging out in the neighborhood on a weekend afternoon, or weeknight, checking with the local schools, hanging out at the local park. These are things you do during your due diligence period to make sure you are buying the right home.

Where should you start, you might ask, with a city as large as Long Beach? Start by finding a great real estate professional who will:
1. Listen to what you REALLY want in your home and help you find it.
2. Provide the resources you want and need to do your due diligence.
3. Walk you through the entire process from determining what you want, to finding it, to buying it, to closing and moving in.
4. Negotiate a great deal for you.

If you would like to pursue this further, feel free to contact me through my profile or just call. Your home is out their waiting for you, you just need to find it. Dare to Dream.

Shel-lee Davis
Real Estate Consultant
RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
http://shel-lee.listingbook.com

Hello Freeman,

A wise agent will not answer this question directly for you due to the litigation aspect here in the state of California.

My best advice for you is to first identify the areas of Long Beach which can provide you inventory that fit your needs and affordability. This of course can be obtained from your agent. Then begin to perform your home work on these areas to confirm they meet your safety factors. Much of what you would need can be obtained from the police department or other sources of information which your agent can guide you to.

This is my professional opinion for you.