What tops the list of must-haves for U.S. homebuyers?

It’s not the size of a house, a specific number of bedrooms or bathrooms, the quality of nearby schools or commute time to a workplace.

No, it’s personal safety that was ranked by 78% of buyers as their top priority when shopping for a new home, according to the results of a nationwide poll for Redfin, a Seattle-based online brokerage.

Two other safety-related nonnegotiables rank No. 2 and No. 3 on the list: 74% want to live in an area with a low crime rate , and 68% want their next home to be someplace at a low risk of a natural or climate disaster.

But even though safety is key to homebuyers, so is finding a home that’s affordable.

More than 1 in 5 homebuyers, 22%, said they’d be willing to trade off personal safety as a mu

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