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Original poster

Hillbilly neighbour next door to a house we want to purchase

33 replies

Mummy20192 · 03/12/2020 12:03

We have found a lovely semi detached bunglow with shared a drive, it has great potential to extend. House is nice, location is nice.. everything nearly perfect.. except the next door neighbour...

In the front yard of his house, he had garden set, left over food strewn on the table beee bottles etc.. during our viewing he comes out and asks my hubby if we are moving in.. he’s elderly.. but hillbilly type..unkept, a bit strange ( but im sure nice enough) now I’m a bit concerned as I have two dds 6 and 10.. and as it’s a shared drive I don’t think we can even put a fence up... a part of me thinks he’s not going to be a problem but this will be our family home.. do I want my kids to see this guy sitting on the front drive eating and drinking and leaving rubbish in the table... Please suggest is this neighbour issue big no no???

OP posts:

Bippitybop · 03/12/2020 12:07

It doesn’t sound like you’re the right neighbours for him! I think I’d try to find somewhere else. I’m not sure how having food and drink on his outside table makes him any more of a risk to your daughters than any other person living next door.

Desperado40 · 03/12/2020 12:16

Don’t underestimate good neighbours. They are worth their price in gold. We lived next door to some noisy, nasty people and it was utter misery.

catsmother20 · 03/12/2020 12:19

Are you assuming he is a potential predator to your daughters because he has furniture in his front garden and looks a bit scruffy?

Bagadverts · 03/12/2020 12:22

Maybe drive past and at different time of day and see what the place is like. Might have just been one day or he was getting work done inside.

DeRigueurMortis · 03/12/2020 12:22

If something is concerning you about a property before you buy it enough to post on MN then I'd say walk away.

Anything that's "not right" at this point will be magnified significantly after you move in and you're stuck with it.

Obviously this is ok if it's something you can fix and have the funds to do so.

That's not the case here.

You say it's perfect in every way but for the issuer with the neighbour. Well that means it's not perfect doesn't it....

WhatWouldYouDoWhatWouldJesusDo · 03/12/2020 12:26

The food would bother me because of the risk of vermin.......but the rest wouldn't.

If his garden is full of food waste then no, I wouldn't go for it.

Snowball2020 · 03/12/2020 12:27

Are you worried because his garden looks unkept? It’s difficult to ascertain what your neighbour will be like, however the fact that he came out and spoke to you seems nice enough.

TroublesomeTownHouse · 03/12/2020 12:28

Left over food and beer bottles outside the front of the house would concern me. Not from a safety perspective but a scruffy place next door is a real issue for people buying when that time comes.

Buying a house is such a massive decision. So many people's lives are made miserable by inconsiderate / antisocial neighbours that I just wouldn't risk it.

Bluntness100 · 03/12/2020 12:28

I don’t really understand your worry about your daughters seeing a man eating and drinking in his front garden?

GarlicSoup · 03/12/2020 12:29

Aside from the neighbour, a shared drive would be a huge no from me anyway.

Hoppinggreen · 03/12/2020 12:30

Even if his property was immaculate and he dressed like Prince Charles the shared drive would put me off. People can look nice and respectable but be loonies when it comes to their property.

justanotherneighinparadise · 03/12/2020 12:31

I wouldn’t touch it.

peachescariad · 03/12/2020 12:37

@TroublesomeTownHouse

Left over food and beer bottles outside the front of the house would concern me. Not from a safety perspective but a scruffy place next door is a real issue for people buying when that time comes.

Buying a house is such a massive decision. So many people's lives are made miserable by inconsiderate / antisocial neighbours that I just wouldn't risk it.

This....it would be a no brainer for me. Similar situation about 23 years ago, lovely house but the state of the neighbour's back garden put me off.

Primulachristmas · 03/12/2020 12:39

Walk away

2bazookas · 03/12/2020 12:53

We only once bought a house with a shared drive, never again. Endless hassle from the other party using our half as theirs.

NameChangeNeedsSleep · 03/12/2020 12:55

Agree with PP, you don’t sound like you’d be great neighbours for that man. Perhaps look elsewhere and see if you can find neighbours that would better suit your image before inflicting yourself on him?

CarryOnWalking · 03/12/2020 12:55

Rats would be my main concern

MyOwnSummer · 03/12/2020 13:10

I lived next to an old guy like this for a few years. A bit of an oddball but didn't seem like he was any harm. The garden at the back was overgrown and he was quite odd in his ways, very nosy etc.

He did become a minor nuisance at times, and we had to report him to the council who came round and forcibly cut back the jungle in the back yard. I put up a maximum height fence so I didn't have to look at it. There were a few issues, including vermin, but our cat mostly took care of that for us. Until he started catching them in traps and launching them over the fence! He had his "friend" staying frequently who was a lady with learning difficulties, she could be very hard work at times and had to be told several times not to knock on the door late at night for no reason. No major issues, just minor nuisances.

Scroll forward to now and I'm trying to sell the place - they keep trying to talk to potential buyers and three sets of people have been put off by the neighbour and his friend talking to them.

Ultimately it is a judgment call. Trust your gut.

CaptainMyCaptain · 03/12/2020 13:14

@GarlicSoup

Aside from the neighbour, a shared drive would be a huge no from me anyway.

That would also be my take on it. Too many parking problems, especially when they (or you) have visitors.

dogdilemmas · 03/12/2020 13:16

We bought a house that was next door to a scruffy house. We didn't think much of it, recently retired single man but the outside of the house and garden were very unkept.
He did cause us issues actually with drinking, playing loud music, piles of rubbish out the front and back of house, 3 clapped out old bangers taking up half the street.
We struggled to sell when we did and we are so glad we are away from it.
It's so hard to tell what new neighbours will be like.

TheRealHousewife · 03/12/2020 13:45

I second @Desperado40 not to under estimate the value of decent neighbours. We are going to be moving due to ours. Worst neighbours we have ever had in 40 years. Totally awful 😞.

@Mummy20192 you posted the house is potentially going to be your home. It’s also your neighbours home. You say he’s an older chap ... he might have lost his partner and be unravelling. You don’t know what’s going on tbh. You’re not relishing the idea of being his neighbour ... he might not be relishing having you and your family as neighbours either.

If you have reservations look for another home as your current mindset will sabotage any prospects of authentically befriending him.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 03/12/2020 13:48

Regardless of what his beer bottle strewn front garden may or may not indicate, if every time you come home to your house the sight is going to make your heart sink it’s really not worth it.

2beautifulbabs · 03/12/2020 14:01

Walk away op shared drives are a massive no no for me the arguments I can envision people getting into with that type of situation sends shivers down my spine 😬

Also we did a drive by once to a similar property you described and I was put off by the neighbours who were also shared drive they had two broken down cars that had been there for months tyres flat on both cars another two broken down cars outside and it put us off completely as like you we have two very young children and thought we would end up with the scruffs shouting and screaming outside making it hell for us and hell to sell the property on in the future

Original poster

Mummy20192 · 03/12/2020 14:07

I don’t think he is predator.. but I also wouldn’t want to live next to someone who has turned his front yard and drive into sinking space... his back garden is a tip with weed over flowing and junkZz but I was thinking that we can just put up a higher fence... I am also concerned about potential buyers for the future.. it’s all just unkempt and dirty

OP posts:

CoronaIsWatching · 03/12/2020 14:11

I think you are right to have concerns OP. Could you drive by a few times and at different hours to see what its like? The garden sounds like it will attract rats. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole when you have young kiddies growing up there.

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