I have a similar problem. My part of town used to be pretty nice, but over the last 10 years the demographics have changed and the crime rate rose. The final straw was the large influx of Katrina refugees into this area. According to my insurance agent, the area that I live in has the highest crime rate in the state of Texas! There is an unprecedented number of for-sale signs in my neighborhood as people flee like rats off a sinking ship. The tax appraisals are definitely higher than actual property values. Yeah, tell me my house has not lost value!
I don’t have the Katrina refugees, but I do have the crime. Can’t even sit outside in the summer — I hear gunfire most nights somewhere in the neighborhood. I blame government for scruing up a really nice neighborhood. Even people on low or fixed incomes used to take care of their homes. I can remember a time when even the housing projects were kept tidy. Not anymore. Trash everywhere (people and objects). An “I don’t give a chit” attitude set in and it just filtered down to everyone. I keep my home in fairly good shape, but there are times when I just want to abandon the place, move and leave no forwarding address, then let the borough condemn the property and tear down the home...another vacant lot.