Featured News 2015 Is Your Neighbor’s House Risking Your Sale?

Is Your Neighbor’s House Risking Your Sale?

You're excited about moving, but there's one thing that's been delaying the sale of your home: your neighbor's house is an eyesore.

The question is, how do you address the issue without offending your neighbor? Here are several things that you can do to tackle the problem head-on, without hurting anyone's feelings in the process.

1. Ask your neighbor to fix the problem.
While there's no easy way to tell your neighbor that their house is impeding the sale of your house, you can ask them nicely while making a nice gesture. You can leave a nice note letting them know that if your house sells, it will affect how much their home is worth, thus the goal is to sell your property for as much as possible.

2. Offer to help out.
Often, the reason a house is rundown is because the owner is elderly, a single mother, disabled, or otherwise unable to do it themselves. Sometimes, the owner doesn't have the time, money, or the manpower to take care of the problem, but they'd like to. It's surprising how many people are willing to clean up their property when someone offers to help.

3. Contact the HOA.
If you don't want to deal with your neighbor directly, you can contact the HOA and ask them for help. One of their jobs is to ensure that each house in the neighborhood is kept up so the property values are maintained.

4. Contact the city.
If there's a significant problem, such as old appliances, junk cars, or scrap metal on the front lawn, there's a chance that your neighbor is in violation of local codes. In that case, the city can force them to clean up. Since your neighbor can be given a 90-day deadline, make the call well in advance.

For more tips on selling your home, contact a real estate attorney!

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