A little neighbourly advice
When you buy a property, you don’t just purchase the physical asset, you also buy into a community, and on the frontline of that community are your immediate neighbours.
Neighbours can make or break your experience of a home, either adding to its general vibe or, in the worst case scenario, negatively impacting your daily life.
So how do you ensure the property has good neighbours before you sign on the dotted line?
Everybody needs good neighbours
The reality is, neighbours are the people you live alongside each and every day. And if they’re inconsiderate, noisy, messy, or an issue arises, those neighbours can have a big effect on how much you enjoy spending time at the property.
According to data from Relationships Australia, 60 per cent of women and 68 per cent of men indicated they had experienced a conflict with their neighbours at some stage.
They also cited the following data:
- In 2010, over 10 per cent of Australians living in privately owned dwellings had some experience in dealing with noisy neighbours (ABS, 2012).
- 7000 of 20,000 calls for advice to the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria related to fences.
- Common causes of conflict over noise include problems with barking dogs, musical instruments, parties, construction, alarms, garden machinery and power tools (The City of Sydney, 2013).
That’s why it pays to spend time assessing the neighbourhood as part of the purchasing process.
Assess the neighbourhood
At an open home, the focus tends to be on the actual property you’re considering purchasing, but do take the time to gauge that property in the context of its immediate neighbours and the street.
Look at how the properties in the street are presented and maintained, paying particular attention to how well the immediate neighbours look after their yard and house, and also things like how many cars are parked at the property.
A poorly maintained property, or a yard full of mess, could be a key indicator of inconsiderate neighbours.
Visit the area at different times
As quiet as a neighbourhood might be at 10am on a Saturday morning during an open home, what’s it like on a Friday evening or at other times of the week?
If you’re seriously interested in a property or street, make an effort to visit it at different times of the day and week.
This gives you a great insight into not only the neighbours, but traffic in the area as well as general noise levels.
Ask the agent
In some states and territories, the vendor is obliged to disclose if there are any ongoing disputes involving their neighbours.
In addition, you can also ask the agent if there have been any previous issues with the neighbours or what the neighbours are like.
Do your research
Finally, due diligence is an essential part of the property buying process, and researching a neighbourhood is part of that process.
This can be as simple as Googling the address, joining local Facebook community groups to gauge the sentiment of the community, or checking out property portals such as Homely, which features street and suburb reviews from actual residents.
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