It only stands to reason that making a good first impression on prospective home buyers is a necessity if you hope to sell your home.  In fact, before you even contact our REALTORS® to list it, you might start making repairs around the house, decluttering, and sprucing up its curb appeal. However, not everything is under your control. What about your neighbors?  You can't control what they do, but ultimately neighbors can impact whether or not your home sells at all. 

1. Why neighbors matter
   It's important to remember buyers research everything possible about a home.  They will often drive through a neighborhood multiple times to get a more candid view of what it's like before they even schedule a showing. If potential buyers see something that causes concern, they may scurry away before even walking through your front door.
   
   The longer a house is on the market, the more likely a seller is to have to drop their asking price. If potential buyers continue to turn away from your home because your neighbor's property is run down or they're loud and unruly, it's easy to see how that can make a difference in your home sale.
   
   
2. Be on good terms with your neighbors
   This is one time where a little prevention is really worth it. You don't have to be best friends, but having a working relationship, to begin with, can solve a lot of potential problems before they even start. Being a good neighbor yourself is a good place to start. When you buy a home, introduce yourself to the neighbors. Even if you don't plan to sell for a while, a reasonable relationship with the neighbors makes living there a whole lot easier. If anything does come up in the future, they are more likely to be friendly, understanding, and cooperative.
   
   
3. Taking care of problems
   Although having to deal with criminal activity does occasionally happen, most neighbor problems are really a matter of behavior and bad manners, not legal issues. It's better to address any problems as soon as possible. Here are some options you might try.
   
   • Talk to your neighbor about it. It's possible the offending behavior has a reasonable excuse or your neighbor doesn't realize what they're doing is a problem. If you have a good relationship with them, this may be all that is necessary.
   • Plan ahead. Let the neighbors know ahead of time that you are selling. Hopefully, they realize you getting a good price for your house is a good thing for them too and will take the hint. It's also common courtesy to let them know when the open house is or when you are getting exterior paint or repairs done.
   • Approach the situation as diplomatically as possible. If they don't actually dislike you already, you won't want to make things worse. Be tactful and try to propose a win-win solution.
   • Offer to take care if the issue for them. Again, be tactful. But if there is an easy fix, offer to help out. It's easy to mow your neighbor's lawn when you do yours or pay someone to weed the flower beds.
   • Get in touch with the homeowners association or city government. Let them know the specific rule that is being violated so they can address it with a letter.
   • Pursue legal action. This doesn't apply to most situations and should be the last resort.

When you're interested in selling your home, addressing problems with the neighbors ahead of time can help you get the best selling price for your home. Contact Wright-Patt Realty when you're ready to sell your home.  We are the local real estate experts when it comes to Beavercreek homes for sale.