Trying to Sell With Nuisance Neighbours

[Jay242]

Apologies for the long post..

I moved into a semi about 4.5 years ago and immediately noticed that my immediate neighbours both attached and un-attached did not get on with each other. I kept to myself however my attached neighbour started being aggressive in a subtle manner with door slamming whenever I entered a room with a party wall and whenever my boiler came on. I ignored them and went about my business. Neighbours on the other side always seemed to be doing DIY or having work done and if not then in their garden screaming and shouting with their kids. Again I ignored all of this and if too noisy in the garden area I would just go and relax in my front room as this was why I bought a house.

Eventually my attached neighbours started being more disruptive but in a subtle manner particularly at night when I was trying to get some sleep. I work from home so all of this became extremely disturbing to me so this year in April I thought enough is enough and put my house on the market.

Coincidentally my unattached neighbour also decided to put their house on the market which started a small price war between us but because their house was done up so nicely I expected it to go quickly unfortunately it didn't! On the flip side, they were behaving themselves for a change because they were trying to sell. After 2 months of viewings but no offers I dropped my price by 25k and the neighbour could not respond so they pretty much gave up and it was back to screaming and shouting in the garden and this coincided with my price drop in which I immediately got 4 viewings over Friday afternoon and Saturday, but still no offers just the usual feedback that the house was lovely and they are sure it will go but not for them... And other small issues.

Throughout this period my attached neighbour started "parking" their dustbin on the street beside their car which is parked in front of their dropped kerb. Initially it was in the parking area but they have now moved it so it is on the border between us but more or less in front of my front door but on the street. We all have dropped kerbs but I don't have a car however I feel that the presence of the dustbin 24/7 gives a bad impression to prospective buyers.

They bin is not serving any purpose at all because they prk their car in their parking space without moving the bin.
I took my property off the market at the beginning of August because my other neighbour having seen that they can't sell their house decided to do yet more work on the house! With scaffolding, dirt and dust everywhere and constant banging till late in the evening.

The scaffolding has now gone and the banging reduced to a moderate level so I am now ready to re-market my property but I know in the current market there are such fine margins and with the neighbours bin sitting in the street like an antisocial landmark it causes an unnecessary problem. I had the new estate agent round on Friday to value the house and moved the bin to the pavement before he arrived only for them to move it back and slam their door while I was chatting with the agent.
Am I reading too much into this and should just ignore their antics and continue to market my property?

Feedback is usually utter nonsense... I always avoided giving it because its never something controllable (if it was an easy fix it wouldn't be an issue) so no use scrambling to think of 'put downs' about a persons house.

When I was new too looking I would get flustered on the spot and pick a random thing to say, it never was the 'issue' (and too be fair sometime the issue was simply 'this is not for us' not that theres anything wrong with the house).

No flower pots but the door is in good condition and looks good, and there are shutters on the windows. Nobody had anything bad to say about inside the house, all of the comments and uncertainty circled around the outside at the back as there is a train line, and the front regarding parking.
I had a 2nd viewer who was quite keen but she did not feel comfortable parking her car on the street in front of the dropped kerb and had difficulty maneuvering onto the parking area in front of the house. I could read into that as she didn't feel comfortable parking in front of the dropped kerb like everyone else on the road because of the bin but I could be wrong.

Yes but come on there is a huge difference between a bin next to a bus stop near your road and one parked right in front of your property like a security guard watching the neighbours car next to it, but I take your point about reading too much into it.
And yes, there were a few noisy gatherings going on in my other neighbours garden during a few very possible viewings after I had dropped the price so this could have been a factor.

A train line at the bottom of the garden is one of those things that likely does put many off, that is far more likely to be a big factor for many.

I wouldn't mention it in feedback as 1) you know its there and 2) cannot change it so there no point telling you but it would definitely put me off.

A railway line at the rear would put me off more than a bin out front! But if you price more accordingly this time there is no reason why you won’t get offers.

Yes but you should bear in mind that at my reduced price point I had someone that came back for a 2nd viewing and the same at the original price point, and the agent did tell people before they came to view that there was a train line here.

We had a very similar situation even down to our nightmare neighbours trying to sell when we were. In the end they put all our viewers off - so we had to wait until they sold and moved out before we could sell. Ironically once they had moved we stayed another two years because it was suddenly so peaceful.

In my local authority you are expected to take your bins back on to your property in a timely manner, preferably on collection day, either by you or by a neighbour and if any are left out on the road or the pavement, they get removed and you don't get another one; you then have to dispose of your own waste.
Residents are actively encouraged to report loitering bins.

Well the chances of my attached neighbours putting their place on the market are below zero. From what I can tell they have no intention of moving, and my other neighbour did receive a lot of viewings from what I could tell of the regular comings and goings of their estate agent but they did not sell. Some of their viewers came to see my place too and mentioned to my agent that they had met the female half of the couple when they viewed the house and found her to be rude and unpleasant. Why my neighbour would hang around when they had viewings is beyond me but hey ho.
I think if my attached neighbour by some fluke did put their place on the market and sold I would probably take my property off the market and stay here for a few more years.