In a perfect world where nothing goes wrong selling your home would only depend upon what is inside the boundaries of the property, you are selling. There would be no exterior factors of the surrounding neighborhood or community that would make an impact on the ability to sell your home. As long as you have taken great care of your home and gotten it in top condition ready to sell there should be no hiccups, correct?
Unfortunately, it has happened where circumstances within a perfect home’s neighborhood have inhibited its ability to successfully sell. Where one of the biggest contributors tends to be the neighbors. One less-than-ideal neighbor could significantly impact the ability to sell your home.
Here are some not so uncommon circumstances that have led to difficult situations in home sales and what you can do if you end up facing them.
A neighbor who is interested in your property
If your neighbor loves their location and has long dreamed of expanding their property lines, they may be interested in buying your home and have a strategy of scaring off buyers and competition in hopes to purchase at a lower price.
There have been stories of home sales where a neighbor makes themselves regularly available every time a potential buyer steps into the property eagerly sharing negative untruths about the property with its owners.
In this situation, it may be a good idea to consult a real estate lawyer and see what your next steps could be in handling this type of neighbor. Even if you prove there is nothing wrong with the home it could be difficult to get a buyer who has talked with the neighbor to purchase a home next to this type of person. It may be within your interest to sell to this neighbor but only after communicating your leverage in the knowledge of their misconduct.
The neighbor with a less than ideal property
Even in the nicest and most sought-after neighborhoods, there could be one homeowner that does not keep their property up like everybody else. There could be several reasons why this is happening sometimes it is just merely a situation where the homeowner is too busy and cannot afford to hire help or is just physically unable to care for the property themselves.
One situation where this can be increasingly detrimental is in the situation of shared space like a driveway. If you are keeping your side of the driveway neat and tidy while the other side has landscaping overgrowing it or a collection of junk piles it does not help to sell the home.
Dealing with an unsightly property that may turn buyers off especially if it is a neighboring property may mean offering to help take care of some things at your neighbor’s home. If you live in an area with a homeowner’s association it is highly likely that some violations are taking place and you may want to anonymously have a talk with the association board about the current condition of the person’s property.
Neighbors is creating an unpleasant atmosphere when buyers are present
It is not uncommon for a neighborhood to have a neighbor that is particularly unhappy with their current living situation and as such makes the atmosphere around them less pleasant. Or maybe they are just blissfully unaware or uncaring that other people are within earshot and sight of what they do outside of their home.
It can happen when neighbors are using their outdoor spaces while buyers are touring a home and making a ruckus or exhibiting behaviors that seem less than ideal and this causes buyers to head for the hills.
In this situation, it might be a good idea to talk with the other neighbors around you and ask them if they have noticed this disrupting behavior. You could ask them to come with you to have a talk with the neighbor about how their conduct outside the home makes for an uncomfortable outdoor environment for everyone. Unfortunately, this does not mean that they have to change their behavior but it could mean that they might.
Having interesting neighbors is not all that uncommon. This is why we see so many situations of unpleasant neighbors written into TV shows that we laugh about. For more advice on dealing with difficult neighbors, it is always a good idea to talk with an expert real estate agent.
For more information on real estate on the Forgotten Coast please contact us anytime.
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