Winning Your Way Into Your Neighbors' Hearts: A Few Tips

You're traveling out of state when your next-door neighbor, in the middle of walking his dog, spots something peculiar trailing out from under your front door. Walking up the steps for a closer look, he realizes it's a trickle of water slowly creeping its way down the front step. Retrieving the house key you leave at his home at all times, your neighbor enters your home and sets foot on a soggy carpet. Your house has flooded, the result of a frozen pipe that burst underneath your wet bar.

What would have happened had your neighbor not had a key? Or if your neighbor didn't glance over at your home with the knowledge that you were out of town and needed a pair of eyes to maintain watch over your property while you were gone?

This example (a true story) points to the importance of maintaining relationships with your neighbors. It's about much more than being liked or having playmates for the kids. Your neighbors are your insurance policy -- your security system of sorts. At any hour of the day, they can spot signs of unusual activity. Your trust in them enables you to hand over the spare eyes to your house. They can enter your home in the event of an emergency like this one, which could very well make the difference between damage and complete disaster.

The age-old question for any new kid on the block is: "Do I ring the bell and introduce myself, or should I wait for them to do it?" Your neighbors may, in fact, ring your bell and beat you to it. But it's really your responsibility as a newcomer to take the initiative. Your neighbors might think you're too busy unpacking and settling in, and so they stay away. Weeks turn into months, and you're still relative strangers. Dismiss the notion that you're being a pest or a busybody. In a sense, you're just looking out for yourself and your family when you're taking the first steps toward learning about your environment. Getting to know your neighbors is particularly important for singles -- namely single women -- who may appreciate a neighbor's assistance or merely a set of watchful eyes "just in case."

So how many neighbors do you need to meet? You should, as a rule of thumb, introduce yourself to your neighbors on either side as well as the neighbors across the street. Once you've introduced yourself and have had a chance to establish some degree of trust with your neighbors, decide with whom you should leave a spare set of keys. Depending upon your rapport with your neighbors, you may wish to leave a second set with another neighbor. If your home has a security system, make sure you leave the code with the neighbor(s) who has your keys, but this clearly is a step you'll take only once you've gotten to know your neighbor well. Leave your phone number (including mobile phone, if you own one) with all of your surrounding neighbors so that they may reach you any time day or night in the event of an emergency.

Remember to return the favor. Be a neighbor by offering to do the same. Take in your neighbors' mail and newspapers while they're away, offer to keep an eye on their homes, keep a key, water their plants or sweep their sidewalks. The favor often will be returned tenfold. If you have young children and your neighbor does, as well, propose a babysitting co-op, in which you trade babysitting. Babysitters can be expensive when added to the cost of an evening out, but trading time for time is an economical way to treat yourself to a break -- and establish goodwill with your neighbors.

Be mindful of your noise level. If you own an outdoor pool, avoid late-night revelry. Keep radios inside, and avoid mowing your lawn early in the morning or late at night.

Parking is a particularly hot issue among neighbors. Want to make an enemy in a hurry? Allow your guests to park at will in front of your neighbor's house. Encourage your guests, instead, to use your driveway or the nearest neutral zone -- a nearby lot, perhaps, or the area in front of a traveling neighbor's home (be sure about this before you encourage it, however). If your home is backed by an alley, avoid blocking your neighbors' passageway for any reason -- for example, a garage sale.

Another sure-fire way to get your neighbors to hate you: Take Fido for a walk, and let him do his business in your neighbors' yards -- preferably, their meticulously maintained landscaping. If you spot another neighbor's dog doing this to your property, you've got to speak up, regardless of how uncomfortable the thought makes you. If you'd rather get a root canal than confront your neighbor, be a little more subtle. Catch your neighbor and his dog in action, and politely walk outdoors to hand him a plastic bag (with a smile, of course). He'll get the message.

Remember that although you own your home, your block is community property. The maintenance of the outside of your home, therefore, is your obligation to the neighborhood. If you neglect your lawn and allow 5-foot weeds to grow like wildfire, your neighbors will be well within their rights to call the city and complain. Take pride in your home's appearance, and your neighbors are likely to follow suit. That pride also creates goodwill among your fellow neighbors -- unconsciously, in many cases. You don't have to utter a word, but your home's neat appearance creates the impression that you care about your property and you're proud to be living in your neighborhood.

In addition to mowing and edging your lawn on a regular basis, take care to clean up lawn clippings thoroughly and dispose of them quickly, to keep your garbage bags in an inconspicuous location, sweep and/or shovel your sidewalks on a regular basis, and remove any ramshackle or unsightly items (i.e., building materials you're saving for your next home improvement project, and for which you don't have enough room to store indoors) from the front of your home.

If all of these measures seem a bit simplistic, the potential rewards are great. It took little more than this to inspire a team of neighbors to enter a flooded home, contact the traveling family and remove from the floor many valuables that would have been ruined had they remained on the soggy carpet any longer. One of these days, it could be you, so it's clearly in your best interest to be a good neighbor.

Written by Courtney Ronan