Would this garden next door put you off buying the house?

[twiddlingthumbs69]

As you can see it’s completely overgrown. The front garden is a little neater, but not by much.

would this be a deal breaker for you?

house that’s for sale needs work to bring up to date, new bathroom etc but is liveable although only night storage heaters and needs new windows. It’ll obvs need a fair amount of work but the house itself is a good size.

so, if you were viewing and wanted the house how much of an impact would the neighbours garden have on your decision

it would bother me because the inside is probably similar.

We had a frail old man living in the house next to ours who clearly couldn’t manage it. We had damp coming in from his leaky roof, damp seeping across from his basement, and mice getting into our house from his walls.

Thankfully he eventually sold up and the new owners essentially rebuilt it (they spent the best part of £500k on it, about 15 years ago when construction costs were much lower) and all of those problems went away.

It would put me off, yes.

An immediate concern might be how is living in ths house

If they are old or disabled so cant deal with the garden thats one thing

If they cant be bothered then thats another and it may well be reflected in the interior which if its a semi or terraced could be an issue

I would always suggest assuming its possible to do some 'drive by' viewings at different times of day to see if there are any 'issues' associated with the house / area - noise, parking etc

Yes it'd put me off for multiple reasons.

My elderly neighbour at the end of my garden has a garden like this. The positives are there are no kids out there screaming or kicking balls at the fence, and no-one lighting smelly bonfires or mowing the lawn at 6am. The downside is that they have foxes living in the undergrowth and they're noisy buggers (just about to enter mating season) and come into our garden to shit and steal things. Also, their weeds and brambles encroach our side and I've already had to replace the fence once.

If the for sale house adjoins this one then I'd definitely not buy as it probably reflects the inside to a degree. Ask the vendors about the neighbour. If it's someone elderly then factor in that at some point that house will be sold and the new neighbours will spend months getting the house and garden into shape.

^ exactly, that’s much worse.And also pp’s point about backing onto land/parks/common grounds.

I think it’s a telltale sign of a person who is infirm or mentally unwell, and even if they are infirm they could get someone back there to clear it out. It’s just not a normal way to live.

It wouldn't bother me, but I love the concept of bits of land being left as "arks," ie refuges for wildlife.

The thing that makes the difference imo are the nature of the people that live there, as well as what kind of person you are.
I have a good friend whose neighbor is a lovely but house confined chap. His garden is like the one in the pic +++
My mates garden is buzzing with wildlife, dragonflies all sorts of butterflies, bats are seen in the summer, all kinds of birds including woodpeckers, hedgehogs, squirrels. There are some rats but these have never been a bother as the fox population is a healthy one.
My friend does have to make sure that stuff is cutback to prevent overgrowth into her garden. A bit of the fence has crumbled but it's become an ally way for all the above mentioned.
She adores her garden and the quiet as neighbors never go out in theirs.
Different perspectives 🤷🏼‍♀️

Don't think I would have even noticed let alone let it bother me.

If the neighbours are elderly or disabled, no otherwise yes it might

my garden could be called a wildlife ark. I get all kinds of birds plus the usual foxes, squirrels, hedgehogs, mice and bats. BUT it looks tidier than that and I don't get a rat problem. It might be fine of course but unless it was a VERY desireable house next door, I wouldn't take a punt on it.

When we moved into our house the garden next door was very wild and overgrown. It belonged to a very old man who has to go into residential care shortly afterwards.

The people who bought it are keen gardeners and have turned it into a beautiful garden.

Yes, would put me off. I had to zoom in to see if it was the house I used to live next door to it’s so similar. It’s not but I would never buy a house next door to a house like this in the future. The person who lived next door to us had absolutely neglected the inside and outside of his house. Was a compulsive hoarder and his house was teeming with mice that used to come over from his to ours from under the foundations. Then they would decompose and the smell was foul. You could literally see mice crawling around his windowsill from the outside walking past.

You mention the house next door is 'shared ownership' so it doesn't suggest an elderly couple. Maybe they are too busy to be bothered with a garden, not their priority. I don't think it's a reflection on their overall character or how their house is.
As pp have said, at least it will likely be peaceful outside.
The garden of the house I purchased recently was overgrown and the NDN took it upon themselves to mow the grass, trim the bushes etc. Bless. They offered to do it for me but I relished the idea of getting stuck in myself. Think I've impressed them with my efforts so far. The bloke the other side of me lets things slide and then has a good old tidy up.
So, no, the garden wouldn't bother me.

Overgrown but not massive overhanging trees. I'd view it as a wildlife sanctuary. Sounds like there's very little to be done to the house you're considering purchasing. New bathroom, central heating and windows is small fry if you're getting it at the fight price. And you know it's done and safe

I wouldn’t be that worried about the garden but I’d be worried about what it says about your neighbours. (Presumably that house is attached to yours?)

Our neighbours have a similar garden and it reflects their attitude to life in general. Up all night, noisy, never had jobs, multiple uncared for pets, no interest in maintaining their property.

Or as others have said they could be elderly and/or struggling. May be worth a knock on the door for an introductory chat?! Say you’ll shortly be moving in etc. Even if you haven’t decided.

Surprised by all the “rat magnet” comments. Rats are mostly drawn by food, so arguably you should be more worried if next door had bird feeders, fruit trees or a compost bin. (And no, I don’t worry about any of these things.)

The garden next door to us looked like this for a couple of years, as it was empty (elderly neighbour, care home, complex probate etc). I’m glad to see it tidy again these days, but we didn’t have any issues, and quite enjoyed the peace.

Our neighbours’ back garden looks like this. Their front garden is pristine, and they’re a lovely couple. It wouldn’t put me off.

I think try and investigate the neighbours, there’s nothing wrong with knocking on and saying you’re looking in the area and wanted to check if they liked it. That way you can get sense of who you will live next door to. If elderly or disabled I wouldn’t be bothered but if not it does make you wonder why it’s not looked after. A house near us has a similar garden (we can see from our back window). The owners seem fit and healthy. It’s just gone up for sale and the interior is also shocking! I guess just investigate for your peace of mind.

Yes it would put me off. I didn't offer on a house I liked that was next door to an abandoned/subject to an ownership dispute . My concerns were rats , not being able to proceed with building work due to party wall agreements not being signed and further down the line the house being developed into flats.

It would give me pause for thought sure, but I would try and find out why.

On the other hand, if next door was a grey paint, fake grass, jacuzzi and garden party bar set up, wild horses couldn't force me to live there.

There is a smallish, but very overgrown paddock at the back of our garden. We have never had rats in our garden, even though the river is the other side of the paddock.