So you're damned if you do, damned if you don't.
My husband and I bought a house in Denver in an “iffy” neighborhood. It was all we could afford. The first year, there was a drive-by shooting next door. And I called social services because they had a toddler wandering around in a backyard with weeds higher than she was.
We painted the house, installed new windows, I planted roses and my husband built a fence.
Then I got together with neighbors and we created a neighborhood association. Every Saturday morning, we would go to the playground and clean up the graffiti on the play structures.
New businesses opened up, including a high-end wine shop and a Starbucks.
Ten years later, we sold our house for $114,000. Last I heard, it was nearing a million dollars.
Gosh I miss Denver.