If you’re looking to sell a house fast in Cedar Hill, there are plenty of steps that you can take. You can clean your home, renovate, make repairs, and stage the property to boost appeal. Unfortunately, a few external factors beyond your control can derail the deal.
One of the external factors outside your control is your neighbors. Messy, loud, or rude neighbors can negatively impact the sale. A dirty yard, poorly maintained exterior, loud music, frequent parties, annoying pets, and foul odors could lower your home value, even if you keep your property impeccable. In real-estate speak, it’s called “external obsolescence,” which leads to depreciation of your property due to external factors beyond your control.
But there are a few steps you can take to help mitigate the issue. This post shares tips on tackling bad neighbor issues when selling your home.
1. Talk to Your Neighbors
The first step to dealing with a bad neighbor is to talk with them and see if they can cooperate. Whether your neighbor is messy, lazy, or downright rude, it’s always good to start with direct communication. Visit your neighbor in person and inform them that you’re planning to sell your home as a courtesy.
Try and engage them to make them feel respected and valued. Work with your neighbor or bribe them with a homemade treat. Once they’re in a good mood, you can politely request them to keep the noise down during the open house. Alternatively, you can volunteer to help clean up their yard for free.
Of course, there might be situations where the neighbor isn’t willing to cooperate. If that’s the case, move on to the following tips.
2. Be Transparent About the Bad Neighbor Situation with Potential Buyers
Several states require home sellers to reveal a bad neighbor situation to buyers to avoid legal trouble down the line. If you cannot reason it out with the neighbors, you need to brief potential buyers of the situation. Failing to do so could lead to costly lawsuits down the line.
3. File a Complaint with Your HOA
If you live in a community with a Home Owners’ Association (HOA), you can seek their help to mediate the issue with your neighbor. Generally, HOAs stay out of disputes between neighbors and have a clause that says “homeowners are entitled to a quiet enjoyment of their properties.” But if your neighbor exhibits any abuse, like physical, verbal, aggression, or intimidation, you can seek the help of the HOA. The HOA might require you to provide documentation of your grievances, like photographs showing a messy yard or audio recording of loud noises from your neighbor’s property.
4. Hire Legal Help
If you feel that your safety is endangered because of a bad neighbor or if they’re willfully sabotaging the home sale, you may wish to get legal help. Hire a lawyer to help you file an “intentional interference with contractual obligations” or other similar cases.
Alternatively, you can rope in your real estate agent for help. Real estate agents meet so many different personalities as part of their work, so they might be able to negotiate a deal with a problematic neighbor.
5. Sell Your Home for Cash
If nothing else works, and you’re missing out on buyer offers due to a bad neighbor, you can consider selling your home for cash. Cash home buyers in Cedar Hill purchase your property in any condition and any scenario, even when you have an unreasonable neighbor living right next door. Request a free cash offer and complete the sale without any hassles.
Dealing with a problematic neighbor can be frustrating, especially when looking to sell fast. Follow the advice listed here to work out a negotiation with your neighbor and turn the situation to your advantage.