When Husband and I looked in our current neighborhood for homes, there were several home for sale on the street where we eventually purchased. There were several reasons for the high number of "For Sale" signs. People were either losing their homes, moving to a more expensive home in the neighborhood (There are homes that range from $!150K to $1,000,000+) or because the owner thought they could still make money playing the real estate game.
There were three houses in a row that we looked at with great interest. House #1 was the biggest, House #2 and #3 were a little smaller. We liked all three. We bid on House #3, but the seller would not fix anything or lower the price. We looked at house #2, but did not bid because the seller of House #2 would not budge on his price, despite the fact that homes were selling for way less than what his was listed. Plus, it did not have a garden tub, which was a deal breaker for me. We decided on House #1, which turned out to be the best choice. We LOVE our house.
But, this also means that we are now neighbors with House #2.
The guy who lives in House #2, I will call him Scooter, is not a friendly person. Now, we never met Scooter when we looked at his house, so I don't think he knows that we considered his house. But, I saw him a couple of weeks ago in the backyard when I was out with the Boy. I walked over to the fence and introduced myself and the Boy. He brushed me off by saying he was trying to find something. He never did tell me his name. I told Husband about the encounter and we both agreed to let it go. Since then, We hadn't seen Scooter or anyone else in the Scooter household out and about.
Today, as we pulled into the driveway after running errands, Scooter was in his driveway, washing his car. I mentioned to Husband that maybe this time, he will be neighborly. Husband said to let him make the first move. Well, we got out of the car and began to unload our stuff. Scooter continued to wash his car without a word or a wave "Hello".
We think Scooter is pissed because both house on either side of him sold, while his still sits (Someone bought House #3 a week ago). Husband said that he recalls our realtor saying that this guy has had his house on the market for two years.
Nonetheless, it is still rude to be unfriendly and to purposely ignore others. Therefore, Husband and I have given Scooter "Persona Asshola" statutes. Until he atones for his crimes against neighborly and social behavior, he will wear that title.
And, I told the Boy that he can growl at Scooter and poop on his lawn!
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- I am a college professor who is fumbling through the chaos of academia, rheumatoid arthritis, working on my PhD and just being a 40 something woman. I used to be a lawyer, which made me a snarky little person. I have a wonderful Husband and a German Shepherd named Junior. They help keep me sane.
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8 comments:
Many homes are sold because the neighbors tell their friends about the house -- I'm guessing that he won't benefit from a network of this sort...
I also wonder if the people who bought #3 looked at his house and had a similar experience?
yikes... neighbors should be neighborly, even if they want to move. It's good that you tried!
I'd make friends with the folks in House #3...
We've lived here since October and haven't met a single person who lives anywhere around us.
It's kinda weird. We have been here only six weeks and we have only met two people. WTF?
We've lived in our current house about 10 years now. The one before that about 12 years. We have never and don't now socialize with our neighbors. None of them do either. Everyone is so busy with their own lives and already has family and friends and there's just no time for "neighborly" stuff these days.
A nodding acquaintance is just fine -- small talk conversations occasionally when out working in the yard or walking. Yet if someone chooses not to be that way, we just ignore them (as does everyone else).
In the first neighborhood, we knew some of the neighbors only because we had all had kids going to school together. Didn't mean we liked our neighbors (and in most cases we did not like them but we always waved and said hi when passing on the street).
In our current neighborhood, everyone waves and says HI and that's it. No one is outdoors anymore. Well the ones with kids are but that's a whole 'nother deal right there. Neighborhood kids are what they are and if you don't like them, you're up shit's creek. Especially if you have kids their ages -- you can't keep neighborhood kids from playing together.
And in our old neighborhood, when our kids were little, we didn't like most of the kids who were around to play with. So we joined a pool out of our neighborhood and kept our kids in music and band out of our neighborhood so the only time they saw the neighborhood kids was at school. And this was in one of the best neighborhoods and schools in our area - that's why we moved there.
When we move again some day, our next house will be further out on some land without close by neighbors. You can't choose neighbors and if you get a rotten one, you're stuck till either they or you move.
At least your neighbor's not loud or has a trashy yard or has loud obnoxious kids or dogs. Two streets over from us there is a house with teens and 20-somethings and their parents. The motorcycles are revved up at all hours, fancy sports cars with loud mufflers and boom boxes are in and out constantly, and the side and back yards look like junk yards. There's nothing to do about it and I'm SO glad I don't live next door or anywhere near that house.
If the guy's unfriendly, let it go. Hopefully he'll be gone soon and you'll have nicer folks move in.
I'm not an unfriendly sort but I don't go out of my way to be "friends" with my neighbors. A smiling/nodding acquaintance is enough. And some won't even do that.
When we lived in LESC, we were friends with our neighbors on either side of us. In fact, one of our former neighbors is a very good friend to this day. We also knew the two guys that live across the street, but that's it.
I think it's an another example of how things have changed. When I was growing up, everyone know everyone.
I'm with Sherlock. Of course, growing up in the country meant your neighbor was there (maybe) during a true emergency but that's it. They live so far away you don't really nod or say hi cause you don't see them. Living here, I don't want to be bothered with small talk. I'm here to live in my house/yard etc and I really don't care about the rest. As long as people are respectful, quiet etc, I'm quite content without the strain of having to deal with neighbors. Otherwise I get trapped. I want to do what needs to be done without worrying about getting held up by small talk by people who don't directly care about you one way or another.
People will say hi or nod when you go on walks in the city and that's sufficient. But I don't want to be friends with someone I'm forced to live next to every day, worrying about anything that might offend them.
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