THE NOISY NEIGHBOUR

By Mike Lightbourn

The home looked great, the inspection went well when suddenly, ear shattering music spilled over from the house next door.

It’s a scenario that plays out from time to time - sometimes after the home’s been purchased.

If you’re buying a home, it’s smart to do a walk-about of the immediate area to get a feel for the neighbourhood you’re buying into.

Neighbourhood disputes aren’t uncommon. What matters is that your neighbour is reasonable and willing to work towards a solution.

In a survey of over 1,000 Americans by the legal website Findlaw.com, 42 percent said they have had a dispute with a neighbour.

The most common complaint between neighbours was noise. This accounted for almost half the disputes.

I’m not sure if the results of the survey are indicative of the situation here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if noise ranked high on the Nassau neighbourhood complaint list.

Noise topped in at 48% in the Findlaw survey, followed by pets (29 percent), child behaviour (21%) visual nuisance, property appearance, trash, etc. (18%), property boundaries (17%), suspected criminal behaviour (8%), health or building code violations (4%) and parking (1%).

Findlaw found that most issues between neighbours are satisfactorily settled without the matter turning into a legal dispute.

Still, it’s not a bad idea to do your homework. Ask your BREA agent to find out who the neighbours are. Then introduce yourself to them. It’s ok to be curious. Just don’t be nosy.

Similarly, the neighbours would like to know who is buying the home next door. This will give them an opportunity to get to know you as well.

WHEN THE NEW NEIGHBOUR ARRIVES

If someone moves into the home next to yours and you haven’t met them, go ahead and introduce yourself and perhaps take them a simple gift, such as a plant or some homemade cookies.

Walk over and welcome them to the neighbourhood. Introduce yourself and let them know you’re available to answer any questions they may have about the neighbourhood.

Keep the meeting short and sweet. Your new neighbours will probably be under pressure from the move.

Continue to greet them in passing, but don’t thrust yourself on them. Give them space. If a friendship is to develop, allow it to happen naturally.

What’s important is that everyone lives next to each other in harmony.

RESPONSE TO READER

In response to last week’s column, “The Silent Deal Killer,” I received the following email:
“If I’m trying to sell my home and the neighbour’s property looks neglected, what should I do? Can I talk to them about it? What should I say?”

Tell them what you receive for your home will be used as a yardstick in determining the value of their home. So the more your home sells for, the more their home will be worth.

A neglected home next to yours will drag down the value of your home.

Questions? Email me at ask@cbbahamas.com

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(Mike Lightbourn is president of Coldwell Banker Lightbourn Realty)