Atlanta’s shiny new homes offer a false sense of safety as burglary rates soar five times above national average.
🔍 Why It Matters: While 64% of Atlanta’s new-home residents believe their fresh drywall doubles as a security system, the city’s burglary rate of 754.4 per 100,000 residents tells a different, more break-in-prone story.
🏠 The Security Paradox: New homeowners nationwide are living in a bubble of misplaced confidence, with 53% assuming their property is burglar-proof simply because the paint hasn’t had time to dry. Meanwhile, these fresh-faced residences are actually 43% more likely to report break-ins than their weathered counterparts.
💰 Penny-Wise, Security-Foolish: A staggering 39% of new-home residents invest exactly zero dollars in actual security measures. Even more eyebrow-raising, 21% are relying on the security equivalent of a cardboard cutout policeman—fake cameras and empty threat yard signs.
🏙️ Atlanta’s Alarming Reality: The city’s burglary rate isn’t just high—it’s stratospheric at 754.4 per 100,000 residents, making it more than five times the national average of 130.9. Yet local new-home dwellers continue to live in bliss, with nearly two-thirds feeling “safe” behind their unlocked doors.
🔮 The Big Picture: This security disconnect reveals how marketing of new developments often sells safety as a built-in feature rather than an ongoing investment. The modern homebuyer’s assumption that “new equals secure” creates a perfect target for opportunistic burglars who recognize that fresh facades often hide minimal security infrastructure.
The Sources
- Vivint’s study of U.S. new-home residents
- FBI burglary data
🛑 🛑 🛑
Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
