We're contemplating a move to the suburbs and went to a few open houses today. We found one house that we really liked - it needs some work, but hits the majority of our must haves and would be under budget. The issue is that 3 -4 of the surrounding houses look really unkempt - overgrown shrubs, dead lawns, fences in disrepair, generally looked kind of abandoned but I know they are occupied. The rest of the street is really cute, and these few houses really stick out....it's weird. Anyway, would this be a deal breaker for you? We really like the house but imagine I will be super annoyed looking at these houses every day....plus I'm kind of worried that if these folk don't care about the condition of their home, they're not going to be the best neighbors. Just to be clear, this isn't an issue of certain things needing to be updated - these houses are not being maintained at all.
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That would be a deal breaker for me. I wouldn't want to look at it, plus I think it would kill resale value. Lastly if they really don't keep up their yards that can be a risk for vermin that could then become a problem for you.
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Yeah, you're probably right... When we bought our house, one house on the block wasn't in great shape and these are the neighbors we have issues with.
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It depends, can you get a feel from anyone as to why they aren't being kept up? Is it an up and coming neighborhood? Does the city/town have any rules that could potentially be enforced if you complain? For example here you can get fined if your grass is over a certain length, if you have junk in your yard, of the property hasn't been painted in a long time and so on. Maybe ask your Realtor if there are any provisions that might make it easier for you to complain (and we are not in a development and we don't have a hoa.) I would worry a little about resale value but ultimately if it was perfect we would still go for it.
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Definitely a deal breaker for me!
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Deal breaker!
One thing we always do is drive around the neighborhood.
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It would be a deal breaker for me, too.
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Thanks guys. Pretty certain it's a deal breaker for me, I just wish I could move this house over one block!
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@Cole: it's an established neighborhood. If I had to guess, I would say the houses are in foreclosure or pre-foreclosure and the owners have stopped maintaining them but continue to live there. If it was just one house, Id be ok with it, I think. But it's a handful of houses on an otherwise well kept block.
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I would make sure it is not overpriced since you mentioned it is under budget.
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I would offer an even lower price than the listing. I dont think I could judge neighbours strictly on the state of their home. Growing up in a single parent lower income family, sometimes the esthetics of the house and yard are the least priority. But if you get a negative vibe from it then thats probably your answer!
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This was the case a few blocks from me when I moved in. In the last 3 years ALL these eye sore houses have sold and have been beautifully renovated (2 by young families and one was a flip). I live in a high cost area or older homes, so people routinely put a lot into their homes. One of the flipped homes literally sold for 400k more than we paid for our house ( and we put in around 75k). I learned they were all owned either by very elderly or by estates, so it was just a matter of time. Not sure where you live, but depending on the area, it might not be as bad as it seems!
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A deal breaker for sure
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It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. I would ask around and find out about them from the neighbors.
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It would be a deal breaker for me, especially if you think those house might be in forclosure.
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It would depend on price , location and potential. Also what exactly "unkept" looks like. I remember someone on here posting about wild "unkept" grass from their rear neighbour and it wasn't at all crazy to me and many other bees.
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We bought a house and there were some so-so neighbors, especially the one next door. But, we are glad we stuck with the house because little by little the not as great neighbors have sold and better ones have come along! We also noticed that once one neighbor starts improving things, it really motivates others to work on their own home!
So, if those houses are in foreclosure you might just luck out with some new neighbors soon!
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Deal breaker for me. If you think they are going into foreclosure, I'd be worried about the state of the neighborhood in 3-5 yrs and it would kill your resale value.
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@Reese: I was coming on here to post about that - I think you're thinking of my neighbor. For the first couple years we lived here they had shrubs all growing into each other, trash dumped at the back of their property, weeds growing like crazy (it wasn't just their grass!). It stood out in this neighborhood because everyone else has high standards. After they saw how hard DH works to keep the place looking good and that he even helps them from time to time, they started making an effort and bringing in a landscaper. So it can be turned around...but 4 houses, I'm not sure...
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Could it also be that they are income properties? I would try to find that out before I made a final decision.
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@Madison43: Have you tried looking on Zillow to see if they're in foreclosure/pre-foreclosure? I've noticed that when younger families bought short sale homes in our neighborhood they put a ton of money into renovating and landscaping, so the house ended up looking beautiful. If the surrounding properties are as well kept as you say, that might be the case!
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I'm not sure...I think I would definitely see if I could ask around to the neighbors and get a feel for how things are. If I wasn't able to gather much information I think it would probably be a deal breaker for me but having great neighbors was one of the things that was really important to us when we were looking at homes.
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I would ask around to see what the situation is. We live in a very established neighborhood which means some people have been here for 60 years! Some if our elderly neighbors just can't keep it up, but they're wonderful, sweet neighbors.
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It depends on the area but this would be considered a red flag for me. Unless it's in a desirable (read: gentrifying urban) neighborhood where property values are already high and increasing, I would definitely be concerned about resale value/declining property value. However, In New Orleans I barely concern myself with it. Abandoned properties are just par for the course.
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Depends I guess on other variables, but most likely not. When we were searching for our inv property/second home, this was def a criteria we discussed.
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So, a realtor can't tell you things directly. But my realtor really encouraged us to walk the block and try to talk with folks. When you are telling them you are thinking of buying the house all kinds of gossip could come out.
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Do you know if there is an HOA? Maybe there is one and you can get these neighbors to comply.
I would worry about this as well.
If you really loved the house, you could talk to the neighbors to see if others are annoyed by it or not. If the other neighbors don't care, then that would be a red flag for me.
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hmmm, prob not.
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That sucks! Wouldn't be a deal breaker though... Is this your forever home? Or you plan to live there for a long time at least? If so, the situations w/ the neighbors can change. I would still consider the house if the neighborhood and rest of the block is in good shape.
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DH and I bought a condo without realizing what terrible condition the house across the street was in. We live in the city so we are used to there being a few dilapidated houses here and there but it was a large multi-family that was falling apart. There was also a drug dealer serving his customers from a first floor window. We looked into it more and it turned out it was a trust fund baby owner who was a slumlord. We reported numerous things to the city and luckily, enough people complained to make some changes. Less than a year later it was sold for $$$$ to a developer. We now look at a beautiful building with nice tenants and have no issues. Oh and the drug dealer got arrested.
Long story short, I think these situations can turn around quickly but I would check in with other neighbors if possible and see what the story is.
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No way. We are pretty angry right now that our next door neighbor has moved away and kicked his renters out and he is letting his house go to pot. We email our HOA weekly about it.
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that's a tough one--but it would be a deal breaker for me. also, in this area we worry about shabby houses getting torn down and mcmansions going up all around us.
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I would consider it. If the rest of the street and surrounding area is good I would't rule it out without further research. My key concern would be whether the neighbours were anti-social in the sense that I wouldn't feel safe or they were causing disturbances. If the occupants are older people unable to keep up with the maintenance I would go for it.
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If the house was perfect otherwise, I'd probably still get it. Our next home we're planning on living in for at least 10 years (probably more) and a lot can change in that time. Houses that were once badly maintained could become well-kept next year, and vice versa, houses that were once well-kept could look terrible in a few years. Next year my next door neighbour could paint their whole house Barbie pink. There is no way to really predict or control something like that enough to rely on it, so I probably wouldn't let it influence my decision too much.
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@Reese: yeah, this is less wild grass and more like the houses you wouldn't trick or treat at for fear that they were haunted or that you would fall through the porch waiting for someone to answer the door!
For those that asked, there is no HOA - it's an older, very established neighborhood. I'm guess I'm going to do some digging to find out what the situation is with the owners while we keeping looking at other options. Ugh.
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