You come home one day, and your driveway is blocked.
A dog that is not yours is making a dump on your lawn.
There’s a strong odor coming from the garage next to you, and as you move your child out of the backseat, you hear the most vulgar sentence come out of your punk neighbor’s mouth.
“I hate my neighbors!” is the thought that always comes though your head every time you see, hear or smell them.
You try to avoid them, but it’s impossible. They live only a few feet away from you and are boisterous, impolite and malodorous.
They are the type of people that dare to strike up a conversation with you every time you are getting to your car even though they are aware that you (understandably) don’t like them.
Then there are the neighbors that are downright dangerous. Do you know who is living next to you? Next to your children?
For all, you know you could be living next to a criminal.
Living next to someone with poor conduct, or one with a criminal background isn’t desirable.
It’s extremely stressful. Not only are bad neighbors tough to live next to, but they also bring down the value of a home.
Before you purchase a new home, you need to do some investigation on your potential neighbors.
Here’s how:
Here’s A Step-By-Step Guide To Check On Potential Neighbors:
Step 1: Perform a reverse address search to see who lives at each address.
Most people search websites such as National Cellular Directory have a “Reverse Address Search.” You enter an address in, and we tell you who lives there. Easy enough.
The distinction between other people and us search websites is that we have a free Happy Hour every day. During Happy Hour you can perform free Reverse Address Searches at no cost to you.
Steps to check on who lives in the neighborhood:
- Perform a reverse address search.
- Doing a sex offender search to see if sex offenders live nearby.
- Search each of your potential neighbor’s criminal history.
- Check them out on social media to see if they are the right fit for you.
- Deal with minor setbacks if your neighbor is pretty cool.
- Be open to communication so both you and your neighbor feel comfortable to talk to one another if there is an issue.
Happy Hour you can perform free Reverse Address Searches at no cost to you.
Step 2. Next you want to go to the National Sex Offender Search
Once you performed a Reverse Address Search and found who your potential neighbors are, you will want to look up all of the neighbor’s names in the neighborhood you are interested in on the National Sex Offender Search.
Alternatively, you can search by city, zip code, or County to see the registered offenders in that area. National Sex Offender Search offers this service free for the public to use.
Step 3. You might also want to search their criminal records.
It’s important to keep the safety of your family in mind when finding the right neighborhood. This is also a tool you can use at no cost to you.
Step 4. Validate Social Media
If all of your potential neighbors pass the test, I’d also do a quick check and see if you can find them on social media.
- What are their likes and dislikes?
- Do they throw a lot of parties?
- How old are they?
Think of a list of questions about your neighbors you want to be answered and see if you can dig up some information about them.
Step 5. Dealing with minor setbacks
If there are small behaviors that you don’t like about your neighbors such as their taste in music or their political beliefs, I’d suggest that you live with it. Not everyone is going to agree with you.
Step 6. Remember to always keep an open mind
The last step when they pass the rest of the test is to remember to keep an open mind and be ready to communicate maturely. Disagreements are bound to happen when you live next to one another.
What To Do If It’s Too Late
Did you not research your neighborhood before you moved in and there’s a bad apple in the neighborhood? Don’t sell your house just yet.
The first step to take is learning how to communicate with your neighbor.
Here’s how it works:
1. Know who you are talking to. I’d suggest going through all of the steps above. Make sure you are not trying to negotiate with someone that has a criminal history. Get to know them and what could possibly trigger them by looking at their social media accounts.
2. If you haven’t communicated with them before, try to communicate in a friendly manner first. Even if it’s just saying hello in the driveway and making a comment about the weather.
3. If you have multiple concerns, make sure to pick your battles. You can’t always have your way. Not everyone is like you.
4. Make sure that you are in a good mood and approach in a positive manner. People tend to listen better when they feel respected.
5. The last step is to communicate with them by using the “I-statement”. Being able to state your case in a manner that won’t arouse anger in your neighbor is extremely important.
For example:
I’d say 95% of people would respond positively to that statement. Not only have you approached your neighbor in a friendly manner, you gave them a compliment.
“Hey, neighbor. I’m concerned because we have a little girl and she wakes up at night when she hears your subwoofers. I think they sound cool, and if it weren’t for my kid, I wouldn’t care. Do you think you could do me a huge favor and turn them down before you drive down our block?”
What if they don’t want to listen?
Every state has their laws set to settle disputes between neighbors. Check your state laws and see what your rights are. Let your neighbor know your rights and that you will have to contact the authorities if a compromise can’t be reached.
If things get really bad, you can also file a restraining order against your neighbor. I would only do this if you have run out of options and are worried about your family’s safety.
You also need to be prepared to accept that your neighbors might not be breaking any laws. If this is the case, weight the pros and cons of living in your current house. Take some time to make an educated and mutual decision with your family.
Conclusion
It’s always beneficial to know who lives next to you. Doing some basic investigation that only takes a short amount of time is worth it.
If you want to find out more about who your potential or current neighbors are, doing it following the methods above is the best option. Taking the steps described previously in this article, you can search for this information at no cost to you.