Moving house - How to introduce yourself to neighbours

[ClareCottage]

Grew up in a yuppie part of London where no one ever really talked to their neighbours much. Have bought a semi in the suburbs and wondering the best way to introduce ourselves. The previous family lived there for over 20 years. We complete next month (fingers crossed) but not planning to move in until Jan which might be helpful to tell them? Not planning major works but just some painting and decorating which maybe we should also reassure them about.

Would like to start off on the right foot but on the other hand we’re quite private people and wouldn’t want a situation where we’re opening the door to too much communication iyswim.

I know I’m overthinking it but anyway, advice appreciated. Initial thought was to put a card with maybe some biscuits (homemade?) into the property on the left and right introducing ourselves.

Call round and say,

Hello, we're Bob and Diane and have just moved in to number 27 with our 14 cats. We keep pretty much to ourselves but wanted to introduce ourselves.

If you are having workmen in before you move in ask them to not tell the neighbours any of your personal business. When I moved into my first house as a single parent, the painter & decorator told the neighbours everything he knew about me, including the fact there was only me & ds. It gave all the arseholes ammunition to harass & bully us, we only stayed just under 2 years & ended up having to move again to get away from them.

This.
I cannot be doing with overly familiar neighbours though.
I'm friendly and chat to the ones I quite like, civil to the majority of the others and just continue to ignore the nosey ccow few doors along less friendly one (she ignores me too).

This is a leftfield suggestion but maybe there’s some kind of parking issue you could create?

That’s often a surefire way to get to meet everybody :)

Or forget to trim your bushes exactly when neighbour thinks ypu should....that seemed to work for me. 😁😁😁😁

Small road and we weren't moving in immediately due to building work so we put a postcard through all the doors when we completed to introduce ourselves and giving a phone number if there were any concerns about the builders. The very elderly and most inconvenienced neighbour we went round and had a chat.

Then we put a second card through when we had a move in date and invited everyone to drop in for a coffee. Most came and it's now turned into a twice a year get together at different houses with everyone bringing food to share.

In our street it seems to be the kids who start the ball rolling. We live in a cul de sac and the arrival of a removal lorry usually prompts lots of questions from them to the parents, vthe new kids and the removal men.

Yep. The ones who are OK will be the quiet, quick smile and a wave ones.
You'll soon get to know the curtain twitching, petty, never leave the house ones who have lived there forever and the ad hoc noisy party till the early hours ones the hard way!

The day we moved into our current house I got there early and left H at the old house with the removal guys. I knocked on next door and introduced myself politely and all was very civil. I told them the removal truck would be arriving soon and apologised in advance if it went across their driveway a bit (pretty much unavoidable) but that it wouldn't be for long etc etc

Truck pulled up a few hours later and they came straight out shouting about "don't park that across our driveway". They weren't going anywhere but they just didn't want it there 🙄 removal men ended up having to park the truck a little further down blocking the entire close for anyone wanting to get in or out. It pissed me off that day and still pisses me off now everytime I see them 😂