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House hunting tip. Skip house where the neighbors had:
1. Hood up. (Working class)
2. Cars parked on the street. (Multi-family)
3. Cars parked in drive way. (Teenagers)
4. Bar window and door. (Dangerous)
5. Roof need of repair (about to foreclose)
1- So, working class is a bad thing to real estate agents now? Maybe they just caught the need for the hood up for say a minor thing? Someone is getting ready to put more windshield wiper fluid in reservoir and is looking for the container or a funnel to pour it through? You don't need to go to a dealer or repair shop for that.
2&3 - Maybe guests are visiting that day?
4 - possible
5 - Recent storm damage. Maybe other homes would have same but it's not too far to say that their homes either newer or already had roofs upgraded? Also, some storms like a tornado can damage one or two homes and leave others untouched. Maybe owner is in contact with roofers and just holding off for best time and/or price quotes?
Unless you visit these areas on a more frequent basis over an extended time, it is kind of hard to judge for sure.
We may have been accused of one or two items from that listed above at any given time as have our neighbors but it is a relatively decent subdivision to be living in. I think it attracts both working class and low to mid-range professional families.
None of my neighbors work on their own vehicles, I do.
They are now considered disposable for most who flip leases etc. Cars are brand new, and their houses are falling apart cuz' they cannot afford to fix anything while making perpetual payments.
About half of my neighbors do, including me. I do oil changes, I have done about 3 brake jobs, clean the throttle body on my wife's Mazda Tribute. One of my neighbors rebuilt a small block Chevy for his buddy and put it into his 1969 El Camino. If someone needs a tool, chances are pretty good someone else in the 'hood has it!
Every heard of garages? How would one know unless you are the neighborhood Glady Kravitz. It's not like one makes a practice of looking into neighbors garages. Even with the garage door up it's not something one pays attention to.
Working on the street side with the hood up is a bit redneckess, even for my state (MS) in a comfortable subdivision. I don't have any problem with it however as long as there is not a rusted frame on 2x4s in the front yard (and many times I feel sorry for the car and shake my head in pity at the owner - guys, that rusting 1969 Camaro in your yard is not your future retirement investment plan, it's simply a pile of worthless rusted metal that is beyond the point of anyone restoring).
As for me I have an old vette I maintain up to and including stripping the engine down to the heads and replacing the suspension. Again that's all done in the garage, car maintanance and repair is not a spectator sport - particularly when I bust a knuckle and holler in pain.
My, aren't you the well rounded automotive enthusiast...
I've done complete hot rods and restorations in my garage and driveway, and have done that sort of work FOR my neighbors, who know me as the go to guy when they need automotive issues solved.
That's fine. I don't want to see it in driveways and streets in the neighborhood. Go to a garage somewhere.
Every heard of garages? How would one know unless you are the neighborhood Glady Kravitz. It's not like one makes a practice of looking into neighbors garages. Even with the garage door up it's not something one pays attention to.
Working on the street side with the hood up is a bit redneckess, even for my state (MS) in a comfortable subdivision. As for me I have an old vette I maintain up to and including stripping the engine down to the heads and replacing the suspension. Again that's all done in the garage, car maintanance is not a spectator sport.
I have a 2 car garage that has one bay filled with my kid's hot rod truck project, and the other with an MGB that was torn apart for restoration. So I do my BMW and Suburban maintenance and modding in the driveway. And when we were first building the kid's project truck and disassembling the parts truck, it took up both bays plus. We'd roll it out of the garage to do things like sandblast the rear frame while the bed was partially disassembled in the garage getting the new wood coated in urethane and reassembled.
My HOA doesn't have any restrictions on car repairs but I hardly ever see anyone pop the hoods on their cars in my area. It's a typical middle class neighborhood but I guess people are too busy or uninterested in doing a little wrenching on their own. I feel like I'm in a deserted wild west town when I have my hood open checking stuff or refilling washer fluid.
We have a really good mechanic that when they do the oil change they do all sorts of maintenance, including filling the washer fluid and tire rotations, and if you come in on Tuesdays, and drop the car off -- wash the car. They charge no more than the other Oil Changer types of places.
But I have some really sappy trees so I have to pop the hood and refill a lot. I struggle, because of arthritis in my thumbs, but I manage. As far as I know, I am the only woman in my neighborhood who does this.
And amusingly enough, when I buy new wiper blades, I never get the chance to do it -- the guys at the auto store, walk me out and change them for me. I don't even ask.
No HOA, by the way. Wouldn't live in one. The cars that park in the yards are considered character.
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