When considering a potential house, the neighbors should play a significant role in your decision. Many people tend to forget about this critical aspect when touring homes, especially if they have already fallen in love with the potential property. But if you end up living next to the neighbor from hell, you might regret your decision all too quickly.
However, do you have to give up that perfect real estate property just because of a bad neighbor? What can you do if you love the house but don’t feel the same way about the people living next to it?
Here are the best ways to deal with this dilemma:
1. Determine what kind of “bad neighbor” they are
Not all bad neighbors are intolerable. There are some horror stories about people who go out of their way just to inconvenience their neighbors, but these are quite rare and more common in less-than-pleasant areas. Unfortunately, you can’t tell much about a potential neighbor just from a few visits to the house. You might not even get to meet them while touring–or if you do, only a few words might be exchanged. That said, you can only get to know your neighbor more deeply when you move.
However, in some cases, you can tell if a neighbor is a bad one from only a few visits to the area. For example, if the house next door has an unkempt yard, or if they immediately make a bad impression with rude comments, they’re probably not all that great of a neighbor. If this happens, think carefully if you can tolerate this kind of people living around you or not.
2. Work with your real estate agent
Choose a real estate agent that knows the neighborhood and its occupants. While they might not disclose obnoxious neighbor behavior to avoid losing the sale, they can describe the type of people living on the street in a more professional way. It’s up to you to translate their descriptions into your own interpretations. For example, if they mention that the people living next door is a “big family with lots of kids,” you can take that as neighbors who make a lot of noise.
It’s also a good idea to ask your real estate agent to find you a house with pleasant neighbors first thing. In this way, you don’t fall in love with a home that turns out to have bad neighbors.
3. Consult with your family
When it comes to big decisions like choosing a new house, it’s vital to get the opinion of everyone involved. If you take your spouse or older kids to the tour with you, get their idea about the neighborhood and the neighbors. After all, it’s not only you that’s going to have to live in the community, and they might have observed certain things that flew past you.
It’s better to decide as a family. If everyone agrees that avoiding bad neighbors is not worth giving up the house, then buy it. If not, continue touring other potential homes.
Everyone deals with bad neighbors in their own way. The bottom line is that if you can deal with these types of people, push through with buying the home. Otherwise, spare yourself from future headaches and find another house.
