Ways to Deal with Your Neighbor’s Rundown Property

So, you are about ready to sell your house. You have done everything possible – cleaned, organized, remodeled, repaired – to ensure you get the best offers on your home. There is one tricky area, however, that you do not have as much control over; your neighbors. While your neighbors crumbling garage across the street may not have bothered you, potential home buyers could be scared away. How do you stop the neighborhood eyesore from lowering your property value? While there is no single, simple solution to the problem, here are five potential tactics you can use to encourage your neighbor to tidy up their property.

Talk to Your Neighbor

This strategy may seem pretty basic, but you would be surprised how many people are simply unwilling to have a difficult conversation. While asking your neighbor to clean up their mess may be challenging, there are strategic ways to soften the blow. Try saying, “You know, the more my house sells for, the more your house will sell for if you ever decide to move.” Add another nice touch like a bottle of wine to show your neighborly spirit. If direct conversation is hard, send over a very polite note and a gift.

Do the Dirty Work Yourself

In many cases, the neighborhood eyesore is home to elderly individuals or those unable to properly clean. If your neighbor is unable to properly maintain their property, it may be time for you to step in and do it yourself.

Offering to help is not just for elderly neighbor situations. If you notice your neighbor’s home or garage in need of repairs, ask if you can help. As one home restoration specialist says “Most people would be surprised how much they can convince people to do when they offer to help do it.”

Get in Touch with Your HOA

If your neighborhood has a homeowners’ association (HOA), take advantage of it. One of the reasons HOAs exist is to help keep property values within the neighborhood from declining. You can always try more diplomatic methods first, but if it comes down to it, your HOA can help pressure your neighbor into maintaining their property. 
They may issue fines to any neighbor not in compliance, or in other cases, they may simply fix the issues and then bill the neighbor.

Call City Officials

If you have been in a long going battle with your neighbor, and all else has failed, it may be time to reach out to your local government. It may be a situation where your neighbor is actually in violation of local codes and can be forced to clean up. Your best bet is to do this well before putting your home on the market, as in many cases the city may give your neighbor 90 days to comply.

You may also discover that the rundown home is a bank-owned foreclosure. In this case, you can likely get in touch with the bank that owns the property and insist that they maintain it.

Let Your Garage Increase Your Property Value

Modern home buyers expect a lot when searching for a home, and one area in particular that they focus on is the garage. At Blue Sky Builders, Inc., our team of garage experts can help you ensure your garage is in tip-top shape and ready to sell. We offer creative garage design and remodeling that can boost your property value and provide interior touches like smart garage storage and lighting that will make potential buyers do a double take.Visit Blue Sky Builders, Inc. online or call 630-852-8485 to learn more about the services we provide today.