It’s time to sell your Morris County home, but what about that troublesome neighbor who doesn’t take care of his or her home? The overgrown lawn and untrimmed landscaping might not have been too much of a bother in the past, but now you are ready to sell and the lack of maintaining the property poses a real problem!

Many homeowners face this problem and want to know how they can expect to sell their home when their neighbor’s house looks terrible? Here are a few actions you can take to make your neighborhood a little more presentable:

  1. Start by communicating with them. You may uncover a problem that you can help to solve. Is your neighbor elderly or ill? Perhaps you could help out with lawn care or basic maintenance. You might even get other neighbors involved to lend a hand.
  2. If you have an HOA, you can go to the president or governing committee. Most HOA’s have strict requirements for upkeep, and they take quick action to correct violations.
  3. Call the city code enforcement. If your neighbors’ grass is knee high and they have a rusted out Chevy in the front yard, they are probably in code violation.
  4. Use a fence or landscaping to hide unsightly side or back yards.
  5. Some home sellers who are serious may offer to pay to haul off trash or try to work out another option to try to help the situation.

Another property de-valuer, especially in today’s economy, is the foreclosure. While you can’t personally do anything about a foreclosed home in your neighborhood, you should be prepared to take a hit on your home’s appraisal value. Be aware of the home values in your neighborhood and what other sellers are listing their homes for. You may need to consider discounting your home or offering incentives to counteract the foreclosure.

Foreclosure is so commonplace now that it probably won’t affect people coming to your neighborhood – in fact, it may draw potential buyers. You just have to be ready to compete with the ‘bargain’ a foreclosure may present to your potential buyers.

 

/kh