Can’t Sell Your House Because of Bad Neighbors? Here’s What You Do
You could be doing everything right to sell your home. Decluttering, landscaping the yard, frantically keeping everything spotless and it still may not make a difference if a potential buyer notices bad neighbors. Smart homebuyers understand that checking out the neighborhood also involves checking out the neighbors. Many times, bad neighbors will stand out right away. They could be loud and noisy, rude and disrespectful or it could be that they don’t take care of their house or yard and are a poor reflection of the good neighborhood you live in. Either way, you may feel you must act to successfully sell your home. Here are some tips and tricks to dealing with bad neighbors when selling your home.
1. Talk to them
The first step in trying to reach a compromise is to go speak directly with the source of the problem. The good thing about this approach is that because you went to the neighbors before taking the issue to a higher authority, usually the neighbors involved will respect you more for it. It also keeps retaliation situations at a minimum. When you talk openly to your neighbors, politely let them know you are trying to sell your home, why it is important to you and just ask them to fix the issue. Many times, bad neighbors might not even know that they are doing something that is upsetting those around them. Be reasonable with your request and be sure to sneak in there that you thought it would be best to come to them first.
2. Offer to help
If your neighbors have an unsightly lawn or are collecting junk outside of their house, it may be a good decision to offer to help them clean it up. Maybe you have a storage shed they can use until the house is sold. Maybe you have a couple hours to spend on a Sunday afternoon helping them donate items to charity or pull up weeds in the yard. If other neighbors are just as upset about a mess or poorly maintained home, they could even offer to lend a hand. You may even want to shop around for cleaning, junk removal or lawn maintenance services. It might end up being worth your time or money in the long run and your other neighbors will probably thank you as well.
3. Seek outside help
If the house next door is a rental, you should be able to find out who owns it online and may be able to find a way to contact them to let them know about their tenants. If the neighbors are noisy and loud, you may be able to contact the homeowner’s association or the city. Find out what noise ordinances are and find out if any of them are being violated before contacting an outside agency. There may also be guidelines set by the homeowner’s association or the city regarding how homes in certain neighborhoods must be maintained.
If you find yourself in a situation with a bad neighbor, it is usually a good idea to try and resolve the issue directly with them before contacting anyone else about it. Bad neighbors are usually more responsive when they don’t feel threatened. If you are still having a hard time and need to sell your house fast, We Buy Ugly Houses® will buy your home regardless of nasty neighbors.
