Where do you find the most annoying neighbors in America? Let’s head south to sunny Dallas, Texas, where the locals apparently can’t stand each other.
What Makes for Annoying Neighbors?
Annoying is, of course, a subjective term. What’s annoying to you could be perfectly enjoyable to someone else. But there are certain things that make living in a neighborhood unbearable. Home renovation site ImproveNet wanted find out where the most annoying neighbors lived and what homeowners couldn’t stand about them. They polled residents in 24 major US cities, and what they found probably won’t surprise you.
Loud noises from music, parties, and conversation top the list of complaints. But parking disputes, nosiness, untrained pets, tacky holiday decorations, and even suspected newspaper theft also plague the citizens of this afflicted city.
Everything’s Bigger in Texas
So what makes Dallas such a pesky place to live? It might have something to do with the climate. The hot weather makes everyone’s blood boil, and tempers seem to be shorter in Southern cities. It might also be that folks are more likely to have fun outdoors at backyard barbecues or concerts.
There might be another answer, however. It’s not that people are any louder or more boisterous in Texas. It’s possible that Southerners expect a little more decorum from their neighbors, thanks to concepts like Southern hospitality and old-fashioned manners, so any lapse of etiquette seems like a bigger annoyance.
Either way, the residents of Dallas get worked up over noisy, nosey, no-good neighbors more than anywhere else in the country!
How to Deal with Annoying Neighbors
Even if you’re not a real estate agent in the Dallas area, you’ve no doubt had to sell a property in a less-than-desirable neighborhood. Get to know the people in your territory and find out their true nature. Always invite the locals to open houses in their neighborhood. Then manage client expectations.
The key is not to pretend like the buyers will never have an issue with rambunctious neighborhood kids and pets, or the people across the street who throw a party every weekend. Instead, make sure that potential buyers get to see the neighborhood at different times of day so they can draw their own conclusions. Because after all, what you might see as a drawback, they might view as a selling point.
