Fifteen Percent of Homeowners Are Majorly Concerned About Crime in Their Neighborhood

Wilmington, NC, November 16, 2008 --(PR.com)-- In a November 2008 survey on HomeInsurance.com, homeowners reported their concerns about crime in their neighborhood with 49 percent of respondents not fearing crime at all; 37 percent being only somewhat concerned; and 15 percent feeling that crime is a major concern in their area.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S.D.J.) National Crime Victimization Survey, property crime rates have dropped dramatically about 70 percent since 1973. Property crimes include burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft.

“Fifteen percent is a large number of homeowners who still fear crime in their neighborhoods, however, property crime rates have seriously dropped over the past few decades which is good news for homeowners everywhere,” said Carlos Lagomarsino, CEO of HomeInsurance.com.

The U.S.D.J statistics show Property crime rates climbed slightly between 2003 and 2006 which is reflected in a spike in theft-related home insurance losses during the same period. The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) reports that in 2005, theft made up 2.5 percent of homeowners insurance losses which increased in 2006 to 3.6 percent.

While rates had spiked in 2006, The I.I.I. data also shows a decrease once again between the years 2006 and 2007 in the number of property crime offenses in the U.S.

In a 2006 FBI Crime Rates in the United States report, each state was ranked for the number of property crimes experienced within its territories. Amongst the highest were Washington D.C., Arizona, South Carolina, Hawaii, Texas and Florida. Some of the states to experience the lowest number of property crimes were South Dakota, North Dakota, New Hampshire New York and New Jersey.

“Homeowners should feel relatively safe compared to other times in U.S. history when crime rates were 3 or 4 times greater than they are now. While neighborhood crime is still a problem, concerned citizens have been able to minimize much if it through neighborhood watch groups and awareness,” said Lagomarsino.

HomeInsurance.com has been providing top notch home insurance shopping services for homeowners all over the country under the direction of CEO Carlos Lagomarsino. Lagomarsino has been in the home insurance business since 1992 and has worked one-on-one with thousands of homeowners over the years.

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