Affordable homes

Hi, My partner and I have been living in Geelong for the past year and we are keen to buy a house now, but unfortunately we don’t have a lot of money to our name and we are low-middle income earners. We are looking at Norlane to potentially buy a house, but we are well aware it’s not a desirable area, however is it as bad as people say it is? Has it changed much? I know crime is an issue, but is it as bad as people say it is? I know I can drive through the area and find out, but you can’t make a decision from a 10min drive. We just want a house with a front yard and back yard, can’t afford anything else.