House Hunting? How Important Are Neighbors?

When looking for that next home, something that may not be on the must-have list but is certainly worth mentioning is good neighbors. These people may not be first in a homebuyer's mind, but they can make all the difference in the world.

Neighbors can make your life better by:

 
  • Being true friends. Meeting someone who lives on your street is the norm when first moving in, but friendships often blossom this way as well.
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  • Becoming someone you can count on. It's always nice to know you can rely on someone who lives close by for an extra cup of sugar, to take your trash cans in if you leave town and to keep a watchful eye out for the neighborhood.
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  • Improving the value of your home. Good neighbors maintain their properties and keep them looking good as new; they even update and add on to them. When other homeowners in the community take pride in their homes, it can only make your house look better and possibly appreciate.
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  • Being quiet and family-friendly. Living in a family-oriented community generally means residents promote a family-friendly atmosphere. Residents drive slower, unspoken rules of good conduct are followed and loud parties are few and far between.
 

Neighbors can make your life worse by:

 
  • Being unfriendly. Maybe you don't need a new best friend, but you certainly don't need a surly neighbor who won't give you the time of day either.
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  • Bringing down the value of your home. Neighbors who have unusual tastes and don't maintain the exterior of their properties can bring the whole block down, including your house.
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  • Being the life of the party... most the time. Everybody likes a good party, every now and then. But hearing parties day in and day out, especially while you're trying to sleep can be down right invasive.
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  • Breaking the rules. Dogs barking all the time, Christmas lights left up throughout the year, nonworking vehicles parked all over the yard and uncut lawns are just some city code violations that can annoy homeowners who live in the same vicinity.
 

Never underestimate the power of neighbors- both good and bad, as they can certainly impact your quality of life in your next home.

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Categories: Home Buying

Cities: Virginia Beach Chesapeake Norfolk Williamsburg Newport News Hampton Suffolk Yorktown Richmond


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