Do Neighborhood's Sex Offenders Lower Property Values?

Oh...wait, the actual headline is "Guns at Home: Do Neighborhoods' Firearms Permits Lower Property Values?"

According to Realtors across the country, the knowledge that a neighborhood is populated heavily with gun permit holders may cause househunters to think twice about buying in that area.

New York-based Realtor Jason Saft predicts the hesitation will come predominantly from house hunters with families....

"It might not matter as much if you're single, or a couple, or you don't have kids. But if you have three children, for example, you probably wouldn't want to buy a house in a neighborhood where there are a number of registered gun owners," Saft told AOL Real Estate. "It just puts thoughts you don't want to think in your head."...

"One or two gun owners in a small area, I could let go," Molina told AOL Real Estate. "But 14 gun owners in one small area? Personally, even I would have to think twice about living there. I would worry about my safety."

According to Denver-based Realtor Dave Ness, this could potentially translate into a decline in real estate values in such neighborhoods. The value of homes for sale in areas with a high proportion of gun permit holders, Ness said, might plummet if the neighborhood were stigmatized as a "gun-concentrated" area.

What about those of us who prefer neighborhoods with high concentrations of gun ownership? If the realtors are so worried, they should lobby for ending gun registration and the requirement for permits in the first place.

Maybe all these realtors cater to the criminal element, in which case I can understand their concern. Really now, if you were a serial killer looking for a new house, wouldn't you prefer one in a victim disarmament zone?

More here.