When you’re shopping for a new home, the real estate agent will be directing your attention to the open kitchen and spacious closets, but no one’s mentioning the guy next door with a drum kit in the garage where his band practices two nights a week. The same goes for the couple across the street who seem to enjoy fighting in the driveway much more than in the privacy of their own home. And those neighbor issues can cause more trouble than you may expect.
Research shows people care who lives around them, as one survey from Anytime Estimate finds 82% consider good neighbors just as important as price or location and 19% would pay at least $10-thousand over asking to avoid bad ones. Nearly half (45%) say they’d move if they couldn’t stand the people living nearby. The thing is, there’s no neighbor inspection before closing, and a Lending Tree survey shows about three-quarters (73%) of Americans dislike at least one neighbor, while nearly a quarter have called the cops on one.
That’s why a little detective work goes a long way to help you spot potential problems with those who live around the house you’re interested in. This is how to spot bad neighbors before you’re stuck living next door to them.
- There’s a constant stream of cars coming and going - It’s no big deal if there are a few cars in the driveway, but if strangers are pulling up and then leaving 20 minutes later all day long, you have to wonder what’s going on. It could be innocent, like a big family, but it could be a home business or an Airbnb. In the Lending Tree survey, 21% said they’d consider moving if the house next door became a short-term rental.
- Nobody seems to care about the yard - You may not notice the overgrown yard or trash piled up for weeks during a 20-minute showing, but you definitely would if you saw it every morning.
- Come back after dark - The neighborhood may feel totally different at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning than on Saturday night at 10. Experts recommend visiting at different times before buying so you can see how the noise, traffic and vibe differs.
- Talk to the people who already live there - Ask the real estate agents about the neighbors, but don’t expect to get the dirt on every dispute. Asking other neighbors may give you the inside scoop, so knock on a few doors and see who’s talking. It may be a little nosey, but it could save you a lot of money and headaches down the road.
Source: Vice
Photo: Getty Images