Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes and that is part of why we are walking by the place on a regular basis(just half a mile from our current rental house). Hoping to run into them and just engage in conversation and see how it goes. Putting a face to the house next door may be all it takes.
My friends were building a new home... one of the last lots in the area and there were a few neighbors that had issues.
My friend did as you did... would go by often and bring the entire family with him on weekends.
As they met neighbors he would introduce himself saying how much he and the family were looking forward to living there and couldn't wait to move in...
This helped a lot because now there was a face to go with the property....
He also exchanged his contact information should anyone see problems or suspicious activity... so now they had a direct line of communication...
One older lady that was not very agreeable turned out to be one of the best neighbors ever... she was always home and never missed anything... she would sign for packages etc...
A few years after they had settled... they even laughed together at how their first contact went... and how his two little girls were afraid of her...
This is the time to set the tone going forward.... you have the address and can easily drop a card in the mail...
We had new neighbors move in last year... nice family with one 12 year old boy... the first thing they did was put a basket ball hoop on the curb... several of my 80 and 90 year old neighbors were irked beyond belief... I told them I would rather here him bouncing the ball then coming trough my window... there had been some home burglaries before they moved in...
We had a gung-ho board at one time and there was a new owner that started to build his family home with all required permits but no HOA approval... the new owner had inherited the property from an Uncle.
The Board went legal when the owner just laughed at them...
The end result was 3 years of legal fees that caused assessments to tripple... a home that was left unfinished and city staff that detested the HOA/Owner for being dragged into the mess.
The HOA was founded in 1948 and the CC&R were very basic and covered road maintenance, drainage, minimum home size, type of roof and setbacks...
Today, it is like a small telephone book...
After this fiasco, the Association hired a professional HOA management company at additional cost with a lawyer partner...
My HOA experience is been uneventful... but I will never buy into another one.
I can't say that mine was a "horrible" experience, but I do understand the aggravation of living next to the neighbor from hell, however we couch our feelings of things, one point stands out in all of this , and that is the notion of property "rights." And yes the HOA's are sometimes a real pain in and of themselves, with dictatorial boards and your neighbors acting as a type of policeman in their board roles.
I was going to paint my home and the "architectural" committee police wanted me to submit the color choice, I told her that it was going to be the same color, she still insisted upon a submission, I told her to take it up with the board and painted the house the next day, meanwhile the house behind mine was a junkyard with a mangy barking dog and unruly kids screaming at all hours, the summer months were often unbearable. I can understand the depth of complexity surrounding the voluminous text of modern HOA laws, most are mirroring the scope of people's notions of their property rights, and just how how little sense there is of a corresponding responsibility of obligation.
For those who feel that the OP is merely complaining I'd suggest reading the accounts of neighbors from hell, not the ones who are often uncivil but moreover the ones who are constantly being an annoyance 24/7. To the OP I'd say get out now, and try to find an older neighborhood where there is a balance of old, young and in between with plenty of room on each side of you and some greenbelt in back. A tall order I know, but, the alternative--well..
I can't say that mine was a "horrible" experience, but I do understand the aggravation of living next to the neighbor from hell, however we couch our feelings of things, one point stands out in all of this , and that is the notion of property "rights." And yes the HOA's are sometimes a real pain in and of themselves, with dictatorial boards and your neighbors acting as a type of policeman in their board roles.
I was going to paint my home and the "architectural" committee police wanted me to submit the color choice, I told her that it was going to be the same color, she still insisted upon a submission, I told her to take it up with the board and painted the house the next day, meanwhile the house behind mine was a junkyard with a mangy barking dog and unruly kids screaming at all hours, the summer months were often unbearable. I can understand the depth of complexity surrounding the voluminous text of modern HOA laws, most are mirroring the scope of people's notions of their property rights, and just how how little sense there is of a corresponding responsibility of obligation.
For those who feel that the OP is merely complaining I'd suggest reading the accounts of neighbors from hell, not the ones who are often uncivil but moreover the ones who are constantly being an annoyance 24/7. To the OP I'd say get out now, and try to find an older neighborhood where there is a balance of old, young and in between with plenty of room on each side of you and some greenbelt in back. A tall order I know, but, the alternative--well..
He didn't describe neighbors from hell. He described a chaotic moving day.
He didn't describe neighbors from hell. He described a chaotic moving day.
You are right. He didn't. But, if they bother him and his spouse already, imagine how they are likely to bother him once they move in.
That was really my point. I do find it odd that people are letting their trash spill over onto the property, moving day or not. Some people really do just assume that they can spread out into other people's personal space.
I know, I know... the house isn't sold yet. But, the OP is in the process of purchasing it and it is likely that this fact is apparent to the neighbors. So, with that said, laying down good money on a home next door to neighbors who don't respect the actual property, whether I live there yet or not? Nope. I would not care for it.
It would have to be my DREAM home for me to do it.
This isn't some situation where it's pretty much an empty lot with no grass yet and some framing. That's a whole, different story.
It's good the neighbor's kid apologized, but some kids do that to avoid conflicts, but really would be right out there after the OP left, doing donuts on the front yard.
You just never know. And it's that "not knowing" aspect that would give me pause.
That's all I meant.
__________________
When in doubt, check it out: FAQ
He didn't describe neighbors from hell. He described a chaotic moving day.
I'm assuming you didn't read the OP's following post, excerpted:
"I think we just have a bit of neighbor PTSD after the past year here in a rental house. There are 3 roosters across the street despite them being illegal. Our immediate neighbor has 8 kids who are constantly screaming, literally climbing our fence like we're under siege, and there is one autistic kid who likes to throw rocks at our house and has damaged the siding. There's also an apparent chop shop across the street".
The "neighbor from hell" is a very real thing and until you personally experience it, as the OP did in a rental house, you can't appreciate someone's hesitancy and apprehension at the thought of these people ending up as your permanent burden of poor choices. I still have the memories of that time I spent in my own hell and the fact that I sold at an inopportune time in order to save my sanity. This isn't something to argue, it's about choices and someone's asking for advice. Knowing the experience of others can help make those choices, why criticize them for their reluctance?
I'm assuming you didn't read the OP's following post, excerpted:
"I think we just have a bit of neighbor PTSD after the past year here in a rental house. There are 3 roosters across the street despite them being illegal. Our immediate neighbor has 8 kids who are constantly screaming, literally climbing our fence like we're under siege, and there is one autistic kid who likes to throw rocks at our house and has damaged the siding. There's also an apparent chop shop across the street".
The "neighbor from hell" is a very real thing and until you personally experience it, as the OP did in a rental house, you can't appreciate someone's hesitancy and apprehension at the thought of these people ending up as your permanent burden of poor choices. I still have the memories of that time I spent in my own hell and the fact that I sold at an inopportune time in order to save my sanity. This isn't something to argue, it's about choices and someone's asking for advice. Knowing the experience of others can help make those choices, why criticize them for their reluctance?
Because he is admitting that his view is tainted by his prior experience, and he could get out of this house only to end up with neighbors who are far worse. No place is perfect. No neighbors are perfect. What he described should not be deal breakers imo.
I can see it now. You'll get yourself on the board and spend all your spare time cruising the neighborhood measuring grass height, timing garbage can movements and seeing who's washing their car in the driveway.
There's always one! We found the one without even looking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by convextech
My mother was like this; she took walks all over the neighborhood with a little pad & pencil writing down every little thing. She went to every meeting and made life hell for the HOA too, who were actually pretty nice. Everyone in the neighborhood hated her.
Ahhhh, there's nothing like the feeling when the entire neighborhood wants to burn your house down because you're such a jerk. HOA's a remade up of volunteers and I'm sure they were so sick and tired of her nonsense. The meetings must have been extra special and long with her notepad there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by notnamed
There is no HOA, just CC&Rs. But I wouldn't care about any of that anyway. Is it somehow unreasonable to expect people to at least keep trash contained to their own yards?
If there's no HOA, then what's the point of CC&Rs? Who's going to restore order? The OP?
OP, I hope you do get a chance to meet them on one of your nightly walks, introduce yourself, find out about them, where they came from, what they do, etc, then ask, "What are you going to do with all the boxes? Can we take a couple?"
They may say that they are going to put them on craigslist, give them to another mover, or maybe they are going to store them in the garage somewhere once they make room. Or some trash companies require scheduling a bulk pickup, for a fee, and maybe they are planning on scheduling one big pickup as soon as all the boxes are emptied.
Or, maybe they are planning a big bonfire - does your CCR's allow those?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
