Would You Be Mine? Could You Be Mine? Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

You are looking for a new home and think you have found the one.  Everything is just as you imagined and you are ready to make an offer, or so you think.  You may think you are ready to take the plunge but you have forgotten one of the most important steps when determining what home you should purchase.  You need to talk to the neighbors.  This one simple step can make a difference on whether your new home is a dream come true or a nightmare waiting to happen.  One of the biggest causes of buyers’ remorse is not finding out more about the neighborhood you are going to move into.  Sure you can do your due diligence, checking websites, looking up utilities and schools, and everything checks out on paper.  But what happens when the paper doesn’t tell you that the neighbor three doors down likes to water their yard in a speedo or the one across the street practices their drums for 3 hours a day.  Who else but the other neighbors around you know all the pros and cons of the neighborhood, and I most cases are all too happy to share it with you, a potential buyer. 

Before you put down your hard earned cash on any property, there are a few things that you need to ask the neighbors.  First, ask them about the house you are buying.  If anyone knows about any construction or repairs, it is the neighbor that was woken up by the people working on the home.  The neighbor will know if there were issues with plumbing, electrical, etc., just by knowing what van was parked outside the house each day.  Also, a neighbor will usually let you know if there was an issue in the neighborhood that affected all of the houses, like tree root damage of flooding.  Second, ask about the makeup of the neighborhood and the things that go on around there.  Do they all get together and do neighborhood activities, or does everyone just keep to themselves?  Depending on what type of person you are, this could be a deciding factor as to whether you will fit in.  Are there any problem neighbors that you should know about, like ones that party excessively every week end, or a house that has had numerous visits from the cops.  Third, ask if the neighborhood is kid-friendly.  This is a really important question whether you have children or not.  If you do have children, this will make the difference as to whether the community is safe for your children to play in.  If you do not have children, do you really want a community that caters to them or would an adult only community make you feel more comfortable.  The most important thing to consider, when moving into a new neighborhood, is whether you like the people you will be moving next to.   When asking your questions and talking to the neighbors, you need to ask yourself can I live here next to these people for the next 5, 10, 20 years. Keep in mind, these people could turn out to be life-long friends or a thorn in your side.