Ok, of course you are not going to pick your neighbor’s nose. Well, I hope you don’t try. What we learned is that during the pandemic many of us worked more and more from a home office. Initially this was a good departure from the day-to-day office grind. We soon learned that too much togetherness can go a long way. All that extra time spent at home during the pandemic brought you closer to your family, but it also made you pray at some point to go back into the office.
All that time at home, help many of us came to understand that our neighbors were more annoying than we realized.
Sure, we all have complaints concerning one or two of our neighbors. The occasional music too loud, television blaring well into the wee hours of the morning. Poop left behind by the neighbors’ pets.
Since we all had more time on our hands at home, many of used that time to do projects around the home. Walk the dog, play with the kids, have more cookouts, etc. Unbeknown to some of us these activities were annoying to our neighbors. Example: I have a neighbor that walks with his wife, which is great! The issue I have is that their conversation is so loud you can hear their discussion from half a block away. I don’t need to hear their conversation. Which at times is or should be private.
Some of the homeowners I spoke with said that they were so annoyed by their neighbors that they would be willing to pay a premium if they were allowed to choose who lives in the neighborhood. We all know that will never happen, and it shouldn’t. But you get an idea of how annoyed some of your neighbors can be by your simple activities.
My suggestion is don’t hate your neighbors, get to know them. Put forth some effort to meet people close to you. Throw a small gathering and invite them, or if you are invited to a party in the neighborhood, attend and get to know your neighbors.
When you purchase a home, there are a lot of things you look forward to. Building lasting memories with your family and friends, building equity in your home, and a place to call your own. I seem to remember a saying that goes something like this, “you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your neighbor’s nose.” Oh, sorry you can’t pick your neighbor(friends). Anyway, you get the idea.
Since you can’t pick your neighbors, try and do the best you can with getting to know them. It will go a long way in helping you enjoy your time at home.
By R. Jones
