Neighborhood A Mess? Read This
If you’re struggling to sell your home, it might be nothing to do with the property itself. Your home is picture perfect, it’s beautifully maintained, and you’ve even upgraded it with new cool tech. So what’s the issue? In cases like this, the problem is usually the area itself and the neighborhood. A house in a neighborhood that has seen better days is always going to be a hard sell.
You have to remember that homebuyers are looking for their dream place to live. Young couples want a beautiful area where they can raise their kids. Older couples want somewhere quiet and peaceful to retire. If there are people drinking at the park, graffiti on the walls and general destruction it doesn’t deliver the right impression. But what can you do about it?
Set Up A Neighborhood Watch Zone
By working together as a community, you should be able to setup your neighborhood as a watch zone. Essentially this means that people aren’t just looking after their own property, they’re keeping an eye out for their neighbor’s interests too. So, if you see someone suspicious looking at your neighbor’s house, you might confront them, alert the neighbor or even call the police. This might be enough for homebuyers to feel secure buying a property there. Of course, it’s possible that the problem is purely cosmetic.
Fix Up The Fixer Upper
A neighborhood can be a total fixer upper and need some repairs and improvements. For instance, there might be cracks on the asphalt surfaces around your streets. If that’s the case, you certainly want to get these fixed. Asphalt repair should be handled by your local council or your mayor’s office. Remember, you pay your taxes to make sure that issues like this aren’t a problem in your neighborhood. You have every right to complain and you should if it’s affecting your chances of getting a good sale on your home.
Other cosmetic issues such as graffiti and vandalism should also be fixed and repaired by the council too. If you’re forward enough and take action, you should see most of the issues resolved in a matter of months. If they aren’t you shouldn’t be afraid to take it to the next level.
Start A Campaign
It’s possible that the neighborhood looks poor due to the maintenance of private areas such as other houses on the street. If that’s the case, you might want to start a campaign, encouraging other homeowners to keep their houses looking clean and tidy. Again, you can get local authorities to help with this, but the best way might just be to recruit other irritated neighbors. No one wants to live on streets with houses and homes that look a mess so you should be able to find a fair amount of support.
The bottom line here is that you shouldn’t just sit back and let a poor neighborhood damage your chance at a great sale on your property. Take action, make a fuss and perhaps wait until things change before you put your home on the market.