Tips for a first time home owner

[Captain Leafheart]

We've been living in our home (our first) for 20 years now. I grew up in the concrete jungle of Brooklyn and longed for a lawn to mow. That got old real quick.
All our neighbors are great!
We do have ONE wierdo down the block that our kids always refered to as "The Garbageman".
In warm weather he would pedal a ratty old two wheeled bike around town shirtless and shoeless with his long hair and beard. Looked pretty scruffy/dirty. His house is pretty shabby looking with an imobile van and car crammed full of "stuff" in the driveway. "No Trespassing" sign on front door and shades always pulled down. Never seen any lights coming from inside or outside the house. We're under the impression the he lives there with his mom, but have never seen her.
Very unlike all the other homes in town.
Last year I notice some police activity on the street and go out to investigate. I see the police cars blocking any traffic from entering at either end of the street, many hazmat vehicles from neighboring towns and police tape strung all over.
It turns out that The Garbageman was acting a little eratically and when athourities responded they found barrels of an unknown substance (we thought maybe his mom) in his home. Whatever it was, it was carted away...the vehicles were removed from the driveway and I haven't seen the ol' garbageman since but the "No Trespassing" sign is still there on the shabby home.
It's a quiet little suburban NJ town but I long for rural surroundings with no neighbors in sight.
Congrats on the new home.

 

[KenM10759]

The noise from above ground pools. I'm finally down to one neighbor with a pool. Other than that I can't complain, my neighbors for the most part are friendly and help each other.

If you have children, I would make sure they respect your neighbors property as you would expect their kids to do the same.

Congrats!

Funny. I got one of those neighbors, and his pool is 3 stories down below my bedroom window. You bet that thing resonates. That's not why I hate him and the guy across the street from me though. Filter motor noise is small potatoes compared to the 90 foot tall elm tree that's falling down onto my house from the pool guy's property. The one across the street lost 1/2 his 13- year old beech tree a year 7 a half ago, and when it went, it ripped down his wires and mine. He still owes me $1127 for having my service put back up. He won't pay, saying "the electric company put their wires through my tree, it's not my fault." Losers.

When we had an ice storm in December, the elm tree lost a big limb and took out the railing on my deck and its stairs. He hasn't forked over a dime, though my insurance company paid $1450 for the damage.

 

[CoventryCat86]

As of last Friday I closed on a house. I am a first time home owner. I have rent two previous houses and only had to upkeep the grass at my current. So as a first timer, I obviously want to fit in with the neighborhood and make friends along the way.

I want to know what you love/hate about your neighbors? Is it that car on cinder blocks, their leaves in your yard,, LMK..

HEY! :angry: You hit too close to home.

(j/k :laugh: )

Neighbors with motorcycles that have no friggin mufflers. I swear, the first thing these dirt bags with their new Harleys do is take the stock mufflers off and put on straight pipes. Last year, one of these a$$wipes went riding by my house and the fugger was wearing ear plugs 'cause his bike was so freakin' loud.....

In winter, they hibernate but spring is around the corner and that part about the warm weather doesn't exactly do it for me.

 

[smokintexas]

As of last Friday I closed on a house. I am a first time home owner. I have rent two previous houses and only had to upkeep the grass at my current. So as a first timer, I obviously want to fit in with the neighborhood and make friends along the way.

I want to know what you love/hate about your neighbors? Is it that car on cinder blocks, their leaves in your yard,, LMK..

HEY! :angry: You hit too close to home.

(j/k :laugh: )

Neighbors with motorcycles that have no friggin mufflers. I swear, the first thing these dirt bags with their new Harleys do is take the stock mufflers off and put on straight pipes. Last year, one of these a$$wipes went riding by my house and the fugger was wearing ear plugs 'cause his bike was so freakin' loud.....

In winter, they hibernate but spring is around the corner and that part about the warm weather doesn't exactly do it for me.

You know you've gone overboard when.... (insert bolded paraphrase above)

 

[in2xshp]

First congrats on the new house Mike that's great. Second, I grew up in the city and to where I am is the Sticks, the neighbors are fine it's just the fact that I have to drive a half hour to get to a Wally Mart or any major store drives me a bit crazy.

 

[MadMonk]

People that bring their dogs by to s#!t and burn nice big p!$$ spots on my well kept, nice, green lawn. Goes with having a nice big corner lot, I guess.....

Grrrr.......B.B.S.

My neighbor has a tombstone shaped sign in his front yard. It reads "Here lies the last dog who pooped in my yard"

When it comes to most neighbors, first impressions mean a lot. Introduce yourself, try to be friendly, and let them talk while you listen.

Dealing with troublesome neighbors is tricky. Are the covenants enforced in your area, are they truly breaking any laws, etc.?

You need to know how, and when, to pick your battles, if it ever even comes to that.

 

[IBQTEE1]

Congrats on the new house. The great thing about my neighbor is that he doesn't live there. He lives with his girlfriend in her townhouse. I have the top floor to myself. The bad thing about my neighbor downstairs is that she is white trash.

 

[StatHaldol]

We live on a lake; most of the houses around us are empty most of the year except for a month or so in the spring (vacation homes).

We do have one neighbor that must have some kind of mental problem. He rarely leaves the house; never takes his trash all the way out to the trash can. He just sets it outside his door. Of course dogs and raccoons get into it and carry it all over the place. Must have agoraphobia or just plain nuts....

 

[dlow]

+1 to that my friend. I HATE my neighbor's dogs. They have two beagles and never walk or play with them, so they bark constantly. I usually have to call at around 2am to complain about once a month or so come summer time. The neighbor gets p.o.'ed, but they do something to shut the dogs up.

With that said, I love my yard, the space in the house and my garage.