Q: Dear Patti,
We're nervous about selling our Zayante home. We've spruced it up but my neighbor is quite sloppy. I don't want to hurt his feelings, but what can I do to help him clean up his yard? I offered to help him remove a collapsed camping screen that sits between our homes but he said he'd get his daughter to help do it.

It's still there, along with other junk strewn around his yard.

 

Harry Messe

A: Dear Harry,
You sound like a nice, gentle neighbor who respects boundaries, isn't too confrontational and wants to help others preserve their dignity. Good for you! But reality may call for you to be a little more assertive to get results in this situation and in this tough market.

Many a listing agent can tell you tales of appointments that were canceled at the last minute after potential buyers drove up for a showing only to see an undesirable neighbor situation next door. At best, a neighborhood eyesore gives one more negotiating advantage to the buyer in what is already a buyer's market. What's more, sloppy properties can prune up to 10 percent off the value of neighboring listings, according to the National Association of Realtors.

And it seems every neighborhood has one. A recent survey of 900 homeowners by the national contractor-referral firm, Service Magic, showed that 63 percent of respondents have a messy neighbor who neglects the house and/or yard to the detriment of the neighborhood. Their top complaints: high weeds, junk cars, long grass and poor paint. Yet more than 40 percent said they just put up with it.

For those of you that live in a place that has neighborhood associations, if that neighbor was violating any neighborhood association rules, you could certainly try approaching the association.  But Zayante/Lompico and most of the Valley doesn’t have associations.

Of course you always have the option of complaining to the city or county but barring any overt health risks, infestations or damage to the environment, the best you could expect would be a warning and a follow-up citation if the improvements aren't made. But I have personal experience that process could last longer than you might think -- a few months -- and perhaps create acrimony where you least want it. Not to mention that what's legal in many jurisdictions often is an eyesore that can turn off would-be buyers.

A more constructive approach might be a "neighborhood clean-up" effort. You might get the desired results if you could find a few others who'd like to see the situation rectified and be willing to help tidy up that yard under the guise of a more widespread property value improvement effort. That way, you'd come across as a do-gooder instead of a grumpy neighbor.

 

Just to prove my suggestion works:  I told a prospective listing client in Forest Lakes to do this with her 5 neighbors.  I told her to call it a Clean-Up Party and tell the neighbors why you were doing it.  Well, they all spent about 3-4 days really cleaning up. They collectively were able to get ride of a junk car, shared dump loads and thrift store runs.  Unfortunately for me it worked so well I lost the listing. You see, when it was all done a neighbor’s friend was impressed enough to make that prospective client a decent purchase offer!  

Finally, you might just have to conduct the cleanup yourself, perhaps offering to do it on a "while I'm at it" basis as you're mowing and tidying up your place a little. It may be you neighbor is somehow physically limited and is unable to do the work, but is too proud to ask someone else to do it.

Be sensitive but firm. Good luck on the cleanup and your sale.

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