November 2012

posted in: Uncategorized | 0

Sometimes, I just don’t get some folks now a days.  Everyone claims they want a home of their own.  I get that.  Everyone wants to live in a nice neighborhood.  I get that too.

Yet often times, I see people buy homes, in very nice neighborhoods, and then end up being the worst neighbor on the block.  And it is not just manners or personality.  What I mean by being the worst one on the block, is that folks turn a perfectly nice well maintained home into the “Burb’s” home in which it is the only one on the block that doesn’t edge their yard, much less mow it, save for maybe three or four times the entire summer growing season.  Don’t even mention watering, weeding, or feeding the lawn to the over-grown and weed-infested flowerbeds.

These same folks aren’t good neighbors in that they maintain anything outside their home, causing not just property values to go down, but increasing bug infestations with unkempt yards, and encouraging crime or other ‘non-caring neighbors’ into the neighborhood, thus further blighting the area. 

They leave their trees unmaintained to the point of risking their neighbor’s homes, fences, and other personal property, to even death to others during severe storms when diseased or dead tree limbs fall.  They let home maintenance go to the point of damaging their homes to the point where the home is no longer habitable by city codes.

I find it incredible that these same folks who’ve moved in and have done nothing but to irritate the entire neighborhood with their slovenliness, then wonder why folks are spiteful and hateful towards them or “their kind,” referring to either their race or their practices in how they live.  It often comes to the point of these new folks calling the older neighbors ‘racists’ or ‘narrow-minded.’

What it really comes down to it, is not the race or how you live your life, but how you affect others in your daily life.  If folks want to live in a terrific neighborhood, then these folks better be ready to keep up the pace of the Joneses next door to them.  Its just good manners for the most part, plus accepting ALL OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES of owning a home!  That means, affording and doing the maintenance a home needs, whether you do it or have a contractor do the maintenance.  It means coming out of your home and away from your TV at least an hour a day to walk around your home and do some outside work, be it picking up windblown trash or pulling a few weeds at a time in order to keep control of the yard.

Everyone works hard to afford their “American Dream Home.”  The last thing that one needs is to live near “pigs” (which is often an insult to the pigs in the first place) nor a public menace when they don’t maintain things to the point of causing damage to the neighbor’s yard, personal property, and even bodily damage because of just pure neglect by these homeowners.

You would think after witnessing the massive damage of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy, that folks would be more appreciative of their homes by taking good care of it.  There are many who have no home to call their own.  They would do anything to have a beautiful home again.

So if you are the type of neighbor who doesn’t want the responsibility of a home, then don’t buy a home and become a public enemy.  Go purchase a condo or a home in an H.O.A. that will maintain the outside of your home.  If you do enjoy gardening and outside work on homes, then yes, by all means, buy a home and find yourself a welcome neighbor.

Most neighbors don’t care what race, religion, creed, etc you are.  It’s just pure plain good manners, being responsible for your actions, being clean and neat, respectful of the area practices, and taking care of your home which in turn takes care of an entire neighborhood, which is why you wanted to buy your home in that neighborhood in the first place!

 

Crissy