Selling house: neighbours trampoline

[GianinaC]

Hello,

I am in the process of selling my home. We live in quite a 'posh' area and the estate agent fed back that a couple of potential buyers have been put off by the neighbours ugly massive trampoline and goal posts.

You can see the children bouncing as they stare over at us as they can see into the back of our house. I find it annoying myself as its ruined my garden time, why anyone needs one so big I don't know.

There is a 6ft fence but their equipment is higher than that.

Are there any quick fixes to hide it from view? The fence is at the max legal height and I don't want to spend a fortune.

Bamboo in any form would put me off far more than a trampoline. Even the clumping variety, as they’re becoming hybrid and it’s starting to run too.

Apparently there are plans for bamboo to be specifically declarable like Japanese Knotweed, as it does so much damage to foundations. Our surveyor and house insurance both told us this earlier this year when we found that the old house owner had basically done everything to try and kill bamboo that had broken out of pots and grown 100ft down our garden; and across into three neighbours. He’d tried poison, thick black nets under the soil, etc but there was so much of it. Our garden had to be totalled to get rid of it.

I think it's a daft reason not to buy a house. Any of our neighbours could put a trampoline up tomorrow so an empty garden is no guarantee of permanent peace. You'd be better making reference to it and saying how lovely they are.

Do you mean because it was unsightly or because you knew kids lived there and you didn't want the noise?

I'm not judging but I am curious.

Totally agree. I shudder at the idea of bamboo

Maybe another "trampoline family" will buy. Worse than a pool next door as they're in use all year.

Get a lelandii hedge planted asap

These seem much better than Bamboo and apparently grow really quickly. Perhaps some mature ones is the way to go.

Thank you for the suggestion.

You sound pretty ignorant yourselves tbh.

I love the sound of kids playing and have neighbours with goal posts and trampolines which i have no issues with. However i wouldnt jump to the conclusion that anyone else finding it off putting wouldnt comment on it to the EA. Thats exactly the kind of thing you want to be clear about before you start.

But just because you dont care means someone that does has the issue....

We have a big trampoline which was gifted to us by our neighbour once their kids got too big for it so I’m assuming they don’t disapprove. I’m medical so feel very nervous when mine are on it due to my A&E days but it has bought them endless hours of joy and laughter. So often there are articles/ threads and tv segments bemoaning the UK’s lack of fit active outdoorsy kids then I read threads like this and the mind boggles.

i agree with this, we bought recently and our feedback on most of the houses was just that it wasn't right but it was hard to pinpoint something.

We bought with a trampoline next door. The children were a bit older, though; the youngest was about 8. It never really bothered me and they got rid of it after a couple of years. So having one next door won't put everyone off.

Buy a 'garden structure' and you can take it with you when you go.

Half the houses near me have trampolines, including mine! 😳 It would not put me off at all, my son is probably quieter on the trampoline than off it, and I wouldn’t say that around me the trampoline-neighbours are the loud ones to be honest. As for whether they’re massive - that’s just how they come, it doesn’t signify anything (except you don’t plan for it to be there long enough to invest in putting it in the ground). Risk v certainty of a bad neighbour it is not, at all.

Honestly buyers have all sorts of odd preferences, I had some downright bizarre comments selling my last place, none of them trampoline related. If it’s only a couple then that suggests it’s not a problem for the majority.

Could you post a picture?

It would put me off.
I understand kids are kids, but seeing a huge trampoline = noise more often than not, and I am at the stage in my life where I want peace.

I disagree!

My garden is for socialising with my friends, eating dinner and drinking wine on the patio, playing with my friend's dog, and occasionally letting my friend's kids run around it.

My garden is not a quiet place. It is a place for joy and friendship.

Gardens are for outdoor voices.

Hope the outdoor voices sound more like Benedict Cumberbatch but realistically it's the Fat Slaggs most of tut time

This was my exact thought then if you try to hide it look more like a problem

@KievLoverTwo

The estate agent has no reason to lie. They want to sell the house and get their money just like everyone else. If they're struggling to sell the first thing the agent will be desperately doing is trying to get them to agree to a price drop, not wasting hours on hours driving backwards and forwards trying to sell a house they know is overpriced. Time is money.
Occasionally an agent will fabricate feedback if they believe viewers have withheld their honest opinions but the agent knows exactly what the problem is such as the house is a mess or smells bad. But only because they don't want to waste anyones time and want it sold.

I can understand why it's off putting. I think trellis is needed. Failing that your agent needs to try and find a buyer with equally noisy boisterous children who might want the same for their neighbours so they don't worry about their children making noise.

I think your viewers probably have a list of reasons why the house isnt for them, but next doors kids are what the EA can tell you without it being personal - "that brand new kitchen is absolutely hideous! Are they colour blind??" (OP, Im not suggesting that your house mightnt be beautiful). Or the viewers are really thinking "we cant afford it" or "too close to MIL house" or "not close enough to the station" or "too similar to Aunty Berryls house" or whatever.

Also...there are loads of different types of bamboo, but usually the ones you can buy when they're already 6ft tall for £50 are thugs - hence easily grown so can be sold cheaper.

Thanks but my house does not smell bad 😀, it's been completely renovated too with a kitchen it pains me to leave.

I think people around here or want to buy here are quite snobby.

Probably myself included to a point.

I focused on the trampoline as its so visible. But their garden is full of sports equipment for kids.

Part of the attraction of the property is the beautiful garden where many might hope to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of a tranquil location.

But even for me it's ruined by screaming kids, balls smashing the fence etc until 10pm at night.

I have children and I tell them to keep it down. I would be mortified if they were smashing balls aganist the fence and I certainly would not have a trampoline of a sIze that allows anyone (child or adult) to look over into someone else's property.

I even made changes to my patio area to ensure my neighbours felt comfortable that we could not look over at them.

I feel that's considerate and the right thing to do.

oh god my last neighbour had a tampolene too, hated it, found out the wife hated it to when they moved...
could you be brave and ask them to move it over to the other side, not a total fix I know, but plant up your fence as well

It’s true you never know and trampoline family could move away, but unless I was short of options it would put me off - the potential noise aspect that is, not the view, so wouldn’t buy, any more than I’d move next door to someone with an old settee in their front garden, or a house blaring loud music on that basis either.
Could see it may appeal to a young family though, so maybe op could hold out for that.

Pleached trees along the border

They look brilliant and are great screening