Can a neighbor’s unsightly home hurt your home’s sale? In a word, Yes.
Assuming you’ve spent some time prepping your home for it’s sale – staging, photos, pruning the garden, re-tiling and grouting. You’re home looks pretty good, if you say so yourself.
But wait, you leave your front steps and the neighbors across the street… well the lawn is yellow and their driveway needs to be re-paved.
An ugly view can certainly be a turn off for potential buyers. You can’t just snap your fingers and make everything better, but there are a few options to get your neighbors on your side for when the time comes to sell:
- Build A Good Relationship
When there’s a celebration, bring over some leftover dessert, say “Hi!” when you see each other on the street, once in a while if you’re watering your lawn, do theirs too. It won’t hurt.
Seek a good relationship with your neighbors, it will help in the long run. They will see you setting a standard for how a home should look (at least outside) and hopefully rise to the occasion.
- Update Them
Once you’ve cultivated a good relationship with your neighbors, it stands to reason that they want you to be happy and want to support you. When you decide to put your home on the market, tell them. Let them know when open houses are. Offer up the card of your gardener.
- Help Them Help Themselves
The truth is that you can’t force a neighbor to do any upgrades that will cost them money. That said, you can take your move as an opportunity/ reason to encourage them (subtly) to work on their home. “We re-seeded the lawn, best decision we ever made. Don’t you think it looks nice?” The simple action of you working on your home may allow your neighbors to rise to the occasion of their “Friendly Neighbors”.
List with me or call me today at: 604-218-9000 for a complimentary Home Evaluation!
