My next door neighbors just put their house on the market. And while this does not throw me as much as my friend moving away, it does cause some worry. Do you think it would be too much to ask if I could interview potential buyers? You know, assuming all else is equal. How does one go about proposing such a nervy, yet necessary, thing? See, I’ve been really lucky with my neighbors for the past 30 years, and I don’t want to take any chances with this new one.
During my adult life, I’ve lived in three different houses. The first, a little starter home in Brentwood, came with elderly neighbors who subsequently went to better places: The Gatesworth and heaven. We ended up with two great new neighbors, who, like us, saw nothing wrong with sitting outside drinking beer while watching our son ride his Big Wheels down the sidewalk. We were not a classy crew, but we had lots of laughs and learned how to be good homeowners by shaming each other into appropriate lawn and home care. We were sad when it was time to move, but a two-bedroom, one-bath house wasn’t going to work once another child came along.
Our next house was in Webster Groves, and we hit the jackpot again with neighbors. Next door was a family with three boys who played soccer morning, noon and night and a mom who could take one look at my soccer-obsessed son’s injuries and determine if they required a hospital visit. On our other side was a couple who had raised their kids but weren’t annoyed by ours. I never had a beer with either of them, but that was OK too. We kept an eye on each other’s houses, and all ended up moving to new homes within the same year.
I’ve been in my current house in Clayton for the past 14 years, and I lucked out again with neighbors. One of them called one afternoon to let me know that Stella, our dog, was on his very nice, screened-in back porch—and she had made herself comfortable on the couch. Would we mind coming over to get her? Our other neighbor is both neighbor and friend, and besides always keeping her side door open in case I need a cup of coffee, she makes sure to provide us with leftovers from any parties we weren’t invited to. Our next door neighbor, like us, is a dog lover. And then we have our neighbors who are moving. They’ve only been in the house for four years, and we are really just ‘chat and wave’ neighbors. Our driveways are adjacent, and our windows look into each other’s kitchen. I suspect we know more than we let on, which is just the way I like it.
So, now I worry. I’ve heard horror stories: neighbors who don’t speak to each other, or who fight over water run-off, barking dogs and kids playing in the driveways. What if I end up with one of those? I really wish I would be allowed, as part of the sales process, to interview potential home buyers. After all, these people are going to see me in my pajamas eating ice cream out of the refrigerator on a regular basis.
True, I’m gutsy, but even I am hesitant about asking to help choose a buyer. I wonder if their real estate agent would be open to the idea?
Contact Patty at phannum@townandstyle.com.
