Nolte: Two Top Real Estate Sites Remove ‘Racist’ Crime Data

A sign "For Sale" is displayed in front of a renovated individual House in Washington on A
ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty

Two real estate sites, Realtor.com and Redfin, have decided not to include crime data in their websites because of racism or something…

The idiots at Realtor.com explained it this way:

As a relative newcomer to the real estate industry, I’ve been struck by how entrenched this problem is. Stories abound about Black, Hispanic and Asian homebuyers receiving unequal treatment, starting with their ability to see whatever homes they like, and continuing through to the appraisal and mortgage processes. At virtually every step of the way, too often people of color find hurdles in their path, making it difficult to turn their dreams of home ownership into reality.

These challenges also afflict people by virtue of their gender, sexual orientation and religion. Whatever the root cause, more must be done to level the real estate playing field for all. We at Realtor.com have been working to break down those hurdles.

For example, earlier this month, we removed the crime map layer from all search results on Realtor.com to rethink the safety information we share on Realtor.com and how we can best integrate it as part of a consumer’s home search experience.

The idiots at Redfin explained it this way:

We recently decided not to add neighborhood crime data to Redfin.com. We were considering this because we’re very much focused on answering all the questions people have when they’re considering a home purchase, and we know that one of these questions is whether they’ll feel safe in a given home or neighborhood. But the data available don’t allow us to speak accurately to that question, and given the long history of redlining and racist housing covenants in the United States there’s too great a risk of this inaccuracy reinforcing racial bias. We believe that Redfin–and all real estate sites–should not show neighborhood crime data.

People Are Interested in Safety, Not Crime

One big thing we learned through our research is that there’s real variety in how people define and evaluate safety, and that it doesn’t line up very well with purely crime-based data. When we survey people about what they want to know about a neighborhood, they define safety in a number of different ways: people variously say they care whether there’s trash on the street, care solely about violent crime, or care whether they are going to frequently see people who are homeless.

Do these idiots honestly believe that 1) this gibberish makes any sense to any sane individual, or that 2) people are going to make the most important investment choice of their lives without looking at crime data, or 3) that this woke, Orwellian nonsense will convince people that they shouldn’t be concerned with crime data when buying a home?

Something you frequently hear from me in reference to woke is how it’s a violation of human nature. Well, this is a perfect example. On no planet is someone going to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars without looking into the primary need of human nature—which is safety. And it’s not only physical safety but the safety of a massive investment.

Simply put, this is not going to work. Eventually, Realtor.com and Redfin will either lose a ton of business or have to reverse course.

As far as this claim of racial bias… Do these idiots honestly believe that racial minorities are unconcerned with crime statistics when looking into buying a new home?

You cannot mess with people’s safety, and you cannot gaslight them with woke buzzwords into believing it’s “appropriate” or “correct” to move their family somewhere without knowing just how safe it is or isn’t.

If there is one constant in American politics, it is that crime matters. Years ago, I told you that this defund the police nonsense would end in a disaster and then a reversal. Well, violent crime is now exploding in these Democrat-run cities, and now some of the bluest cities in America are reversing course and promising to clamp down on crime. I’m no genius, no fortune teller. It’s just that that particular outcome was the only possible outcome. And it’s the same here with Realtor.com and Redfin. There’s nothing decent or compassionate or progressive about withholding crime data from homebuyers. It’s wholly immoral and unacceptable, and the outcome is inevitable.

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.

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