Your neighbors can sometimes make or break a deal on your home…

It’s official! The “for sale” sign has been placed in your front yard and you’re ready for showings to start.  You’ve taken all the steps to get your home “market-ready” and it’s looking great.  Curb appeal?  Check!  Repairs and new paint?  Check! But wait—there may be one factor that you haven’t considered: The neighbors…..  The way your neighbors behave could have a serious impact on your home sale.  Why?  Buyers know that once they purchase, your neighbors become their neighbors.  If you didn’t already address any potential neighbor situations before you put your home on the market, it’s time to assess the situation and take the appropriate actions if needed.

Ways Neighbors Can Sabotage Your Home Sale

No one wants to live next to a noisy neighbor. If you have a neighbor that is always playing loud music, hosting parties, and causing a nuisance, you could have a serious issue at hand.  Buyers can be very responsive to this, and that type of behavior could chase them away.  It’s not uncommon for potential buyers to drive by on evenings and weekends to see what the neighborhood vibe is like at different times. 

Neighbors with a messy or poorly maintained yard can also cause distress to potential buyers.  Nobody wants to live next door to a home with overgrown landscaping and weeds everywhere.  Many times this is the result of an absent neighbor, who could potentially be as dangerous as the dirty ones if they are away for months.  Leaving the house for an extended period of time can cause the grass to get high, infestations and other issues.  Imagine if the sprinkler system started leaking, the owner couldn’t be reached, and it caused a flood on adjacent properties?  Yikes!

How to Prevent Your Neighbors from Derailing Your Home Sale

A sensitive approach is necessary when dealing with neighbors whether you are selling your home or not, but if it is on the market, then exercise even more caution. You don’t want any retaliation or resentment to escalate the situation and create a worse scenario that could impact your open houses, showings and ultimately the sales price of your home.  Noisy neighbors that argue on the lawn, fight, or have teenage children that like to party can be hard to deal with and difficult to approach during such volatile situations.  Depending on the laws in your state or community, you can report certain incidents to the authorities so proper action can be taken.

Messy neighbors? The approach may depend on the size of the mess. If the mess is an issue of public safety, qualifies as a code violation, or goes against HOA rules, you can report the situation to the proper outlets. With the Knoxville city limits, visit the City of Knoxville Neighborhood Codes Enforcement Page to learn more about codes violations regarding dilapidated buildings, dirty or overgrown lots, illegal dumping and abandoned vehicles.

A face-to-face conversation may be in order if the mess doesn’t qualify as a public nuisance.  Stop by and explain to your neighbor that it would mean a lot if they could address the mess at least while the home is on the market.  During your conversation, make sure you are polite and reasonable.  Of course, if you find the situation to be uncomfortable or unsafe, then it may be better to step back and re-think the approach for another day.

It’s rare to live next door to the perfect neighbor (and if you do—consider yourself very lucky).  In day-to-day life you may be willing to overlook certain things, but when it comes to finances and the sale of your home, sometimes the situation calls for a remedy.  The Holli McCray Group has a team of experienced listing advisors that are available to help guide you through any potential neighbor issues BEFORE selling your home, so that you have the best chance to sell it for the highest price possible in the shortest amount of time.  Contact us today for a consultation!