Who you surround yourself with in life can make a huge impact on your general day-to-day happiness, and this rings especially true when wanting to be an awesome neighbor. When it comes to living in a neighborhood, in addition to the overall location, how nice the area is, and what is easily accessible nearby, it is so important to have a good relationship with your neighbors. You want to ensure that your neighbors are people that, at minimum, you feel like you can trust in case of an emergency. And it is an even bigger plus if you are able to develop relationships with your neighbors that could lead to lifelong friendships!
No matter how long you have been a homeowner for, we have pulled together some of the top ways that you can be the best neighbor you can be, ultimately helping you to feel more comfortable where you live, and make your neighbors feel more comfortable too!
Here’s how to be an awesome neighbor:
Be welcoming to new neighbors.
Is someone new moving onto the street? There are many different kinds of gestures that you can do for a new neighbor, such as a welcome basket, or just stopping by to say hi. If you want to go the extra mile, introduce yourself and ask if they would like to come over for coffee or lunch. What better way to get to know someone than in a comfortable, homey atmosphere?!
Don’t make too much noise.
First and foremost, make sure that you are not constantly making a lot of noise, especially when it gets later at night. Everyone has different schedules when it comes to their career and families, so you must be respectful of people around you. If you are planning on having a larger get-together such as a cook-out or birthday party, and you feel it may go into the late hours, giving your neighbors a heads up can also be a nice gesture. Or invite them on over!
Maintain your curb appeal and exterior of your home.
Keeping up with the exterior of your home is extremely important when trying to be a good neighbor. You want to ensure that your home lives up to the standards of the rest of the street. This can include making sure that your home is nicely painted, shutters and roof are intact, and that your landscaping is as neat as it can be.
Don’t forget to return anything you borrow.
If you have a good relationship with a neighbor, chances are you may stop by from time to time to borrow something, and vice versa! Be sure to remember to return the item that you have borrowed as soon as possible. This way, your neighbor will know that they can rely on you and will not hesitate to allow you to borrow or grab items from them from time to time.
Be responsible for your pets.
If you have pets, make sure that you are responsible for them. If you take them out for a walk, make sure to bring bags and clean up after them. And watch out for them digging up your neighbor’s yards!
Handle conflict as best as you can.
The longer you live in the area, the more likely it is that there might be some conflict overtime. Make sure that if you run into a scenario where there is a conflict you are handling it as peacefully as possible, and with as much etiquette as you can!
Respect your neighbor’s space.
Lastly, be sure to respect your neighbor’s space. Do not consistently show up to their house unannounced, invite yourself over or assume you are invited to their own personal events, or act too familiar.