Buying a Penn Estates Home - FAQ #3 Safety, Security & Quality of Life

It may come as a surprise to some of my neighbors that not everyone has the same high opinion of Penn Estates as we do. Let's face it: A quick search of the internet for information about Penn Estates, as well as about life in the Poconos in general, reveals some not-so-flattering accounts of life here. As a matter of fact, I will admit to being a bit distressed at the one-sided information I found when researching what potential buyers might come across when they search certain topics. So, lest everyone out there get the wrong idea about us, let me try to balance the perspective a bit and tell you what I know. As a Mom, as a community volunteer & self-appointed advocate, a homeowner, and as a REALTOR(r), I feel I have to.

Penn Estates is home to over 6,000 people and compares in size to a small town. There are twenty-six miles of roads that serve 1700 properties. We contract with a private security firm to provide us with staff and services to manage the 24/7 safety needs of the community: guest registration & access control, patrols, traffic monitoring, emergency assistance, complaints, etc.

We are served by regional police departments, Stroud and Pocono Mountain, which cover a huge area of our county and are under-funded and under-staffed, just like most police departments that serve high-growth areas of the country. They rely heavily on and cooperate greatly with our private force to serve Penn Estates along with all of the other communities and towns in the areas they serve, and they are excellent in their response to 911 calls and crime investigation.

So my answer to the question "Is the community safe?" is 'Yes.' Is it perfect and crime-free? Of course not. Am I comfortable raising my teenage daughters here? Absolutely.

However, I think a better question is, what is Penn Estates, or any other area one might considering buying a home in, doing to address growth problems related to crime? How are these neighborhoods countering the negative effects of the continued population explosion our area is experiencing? IMHO, this is very important because as growth continues (which it will because it is a great place to live!), crime inevitably will too.

"What are areas doing to prepare themselves for that?" is a question that potential homebuyers should be asking when they research places to live.

Here in Penn Estates, we have been fortunate to have the support, guidance and cooperation of the Stroud Regional Police Department in establishing a model Neighborhood Watch Program, which we hope will be an example that the 'Burgs (the Boroughs of Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg) and other communities in the Poconos follow. We have already held the training session for the first group of volunteers and look forward to the grand opening of 'watch central' in the Community Center building at the main amenity complex (stay tuned for more info on that).

The areas that acknowledge the inevitability of issues and address potential issues proactively are the areas that will keep crime rates low and continue to grow property values.

Yes, the Poconos has its share of troubles, as would be expected in an area which is expanding so quickly. Undoubtedly, when you search for information on the area in general or particular communities, news articles and reports of specific crimes will come up. Robberies, grafitti, gangs, domestic violence, arson...no doubt you have come across stories about any of these things occurring in different parts of Monroe County...Brodheadsville, Saylorsburg, Bushkill, Effort, downtown Stroudsburg and, yes, Penn Estates have been affected at one time or another.

An unfortunate fact about bad news is, it always makes headlines...don't even get me started on THAT, as I could go on and on about the unbalanced reporting and fact-less accounts that make it to print.

But remember that the good things that happen every single day in neighborhoods and communities across Monroe County don't make headlines. And ask yourself, is paying attention to headlines going to give you a clear picture of what life is like here?

It is difficult to know what information to believe and whose stories are accurate. I know that even my claims will be scrutinized and perhaps even written off as a sales pitch. To be sure, no matter who you ask, they will say that THEIR neighborhood is the best =) Everyone has an opinion and bad news is plentiful, especially in someone ELSE's neighborhood!!

So my advice to you is, do your homework and seek out a balance in sources and in perspectives. Then, make the decisions that are best for you and your family.  Who knows, buying a home in Penn Estates or other areas of the Poconos just might be the best move you ever made!

• For specific questions related to crime in Penn Estates, feel free to email me, contact the Stroud Area Regional Police Department or the Pocono Mountain P.D. For information on State Police and other police departments and private forces in Monroe County, visit the Monroe County Control Center site.
  

• 2007 Crime Rates in the Monroe County Poconos This link has crime rates broken down by type of crime and jurisdiction. Penn Estates is located mostly in Stroud Regional, with a small portion of the community being part of Pocono Township.

Comments

[Captain Marvel]

Lisa,

Well done.

It’s nice to know that the regional police departments are intimately involved with the community’s security.

I am in the midst of closing on a property and building a new home in Penn Estates and in my research, I have to admit… I was a bit alarmed by the limited and generally negative tidbits strewn about one of the online forums (all by a single commenter – whose assertions were subsequently debunked by other members of the forum community btw).

That said, one of the things the Pocono Record mentioned was that criminals were finding refuge within the many gated communities of the area specifically because the regional police were banned from the gated properties. Apparently, the Pocono Record suggested, would-be criminals felt protected from the regional police.

Clearly that is NOT the case with Penn Estates.

I commend Penn Estates for establishing that relationship and implementing the neighborhood watch program.

My family and I can’t wait for our place to be built and begin spending time there!

Thanks for the post!