9 smart tips on how to handle nasty neighbors

[Marilyn. 340]

here are the five big offenders in the world of nasty neighbors and tips on how to deal with them:

1. The racket maker — screaming moms, fighting spouses, horn honking and tire squealing drivers, loud music fanatics and late-night partiers

2. The property line fanatic — someone who trims boundary trees and sends you the bill

3. The slob, like one who lets the grass grow, puts trash out days in advance, and leaves garbage cans unlocked

4. The careless pet owner

5. The extreme weirdo — drunks, drug dealers, and the neighbor that never says anything

Spot them out

If you don’t want to end up with one of the above as your new neighbor, here’s what you can do to spot them early:

1. Cruise the neighborhood at night. You’ll see the guy next door while he’s at home (rather than at work). Most people make the mistake of seeing a home during the day and looking again during the same time a few days later.

2. Talk with the local store owners. They’re always the first to tell you who the pains are, who stiffed them, and who’s involved in a lawsuit. (“I’m thinking of buying the Smith house. Do you know it? Know the street? What are the neighbors like?”)

3. Walk the neighborhood during rush hour. Not just block, but the four blocks surrounding yours. Befriend a few neighbors along the way. (“I’m thinking of buying the Smith House at 12 Maple Avenue. Do you know the neighbors? What are they like?”).

4. Look for basketball hoops, skateboard ramps, and trampolines, all tell-tale signs of the racket-maker.

5. Watch and listen for the barking and unleashed neighborhood dogs.

6. Poke around the town clerk’s office to find out which neighbors have filed for what, like permits for building a house extension over the next 12 months, a noisy new tennis court, or a new pool.

7. Take a cyberspace tour on ‘Google Street View’ to check out empty lots and backyards that look like a landfill.

8. Check on-line registries for the location of any local sex offenders.

Don’t buy next door to certain establishments

Be sure to stay away from the following:

Country clubs

Empty lots

Bus stops

Halfway houses

Garbage routes

Intersections with stop signs

How to handle bad neighbors

If you are already in the situation of having nasty neighbors, here are some failsafe strategies:

1. Call ahead and pick a time to talk.

2. Meet on the sidewalk or on the property line.

3. Don’t accuse; let them know how the problem bothers you and suggest ways to solve it together.

4. If that doesn’t work, check out local noise and disturbance ordinances and write a personal letter. Offer a solution.

5. Consult your condo or block association. Ask them to send a standard letter citing the ordinance or by-law. A condominium association’s right of first refusal is a little-known clause that can be used to buy your neighbor out.

6. Should that fail, call your local precinct. Keep a record of your complaint.

7. Call in an expert mediator. (To find a mediator, check with your local courthouse, police precinct, or bar association).

8. As a last resort, file a complaint in court.

9. For the property line fanatic, walk the property line together to determine what belongs to whom; consider having the property surveyed to nip the problem in the bud.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/20363234/?GT1=10252

[Jasman0717 9]

My sister has been in her house for 30 years and some real 'wonderful' neighbors have just moved in. They like to throw wild parties to all hours and are usually there right by her bedroom. They have been parking their extra cars on her property and now have started dumping their ash trays into her yard. She is much more patient than me......where's my shotgun

[mawilson 2,133]

So if you're a nasty neighbor and you want to buy a house in a nice neighborhood,

here's what you do:

1. Check who's cruising the neighborhood at night and find out where they live -

you might want to buy the house next door.

2. Talk to the local store owners. Find out if anyone recently inquired about

bad neighbors - find out who did it and where they live.

...

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Marylin,

Excellent post!!!!

Peace, L.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Use passive aggressive tactics until they come over and confront you. Then open your front door bare naked and wielding a butcher knife.

[MHandMB 0]

This is a good post. We just bought a house, and most of our neighbors are just fine- they take care of their yards, and mostly keep to themselves. However, we have a neighbor across the street from us and a couple of houses down that fit numbers 1,3,4, and 5 above. They have 3 dogs that they basically let run loose in the street. One of them has jumped our fence and has been in our backyard. They also have random junk in their front yard: an exercise machine, a beat up grill, various toys. They have get togethers and stand in the middle of the road while drinking beer.

We're just glad that they don't live next door and/or directly across the street.

[Sheriff Uling 3]

As a last resort, if it's a guy you can rip of a testicle or set his genitalia on fire. Hehehehe!!! (Anyone who has been reading the recent posts will get this one...) If it’s a woman, then you’re out of luck! Better just move…

[Nancy2015 2]

Great post, Marilyn!

However, following this advice won't help the people who live in apartments. We live in a large complex, and we have at least one neighbour from each of these five categories Better yet, we ourselves can be described as "racket makers", cause we like our music loud. And hubby also writes his own music and records it