Getting even when neighbors despise each other...

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Not that it really matters legally, but who was there first? If Fred's house was basically in it's current state when the across the street neighbors moved in, then I have some sympathy for his situation. If you're set in your ways, have been doing the same thing for years without conflicts, and some new people show up and try to upend it all, I can understand how that would bother Fred. They certainly could have looked around before buying and said "nope, not a good fit for me."

On the other hand, if you move into a place where people try to keep their houses up, and turn your house into a dump, that's also inconsiderate, and may well be in violation of codes/ordinances for good reason. Not just cosmetics, but things like standing water leading to mosquitoes. I wouldn't go as far as saying you owe it to your neighbors, but who wants to trash their own property values? And honestly, if you're violating city codes, nobody owes it to you to not snitch.

I'm on the fence with this one without seeing it. Now that I am a homeowner, I definitely understand wanting to maintain property values and the feel of the neighborhood, but I also believe in staying out of people's business/lifestyle if it doesn't really impact you. I know when I was house shopping I paid close attention to the neighborhoods. I passed on a bigger house with a garage and large basement because I really didn't like the neighborhood...way too crowded, cars parked all over both sides of the street despite ample driveways, too many kids, and kids stuff strewn all over everyones yards and the street (again despite ample driveways). Not trying to yell at kids on my lawn through the Blink cameras while I'm at work. When I first looked at the house I picked, I just felt right about the neighborhood. Very quiet; not HOA picturesque, but nice looking overall. So far, so good. Zero neighbor conflicts or issues in the 6-7 months I've been here. Plan on being here a while.
 
Dave Hess said:
My sister had to report her next door neighbors because they were beating their dog and keeping dog in a cage out in the FL sun with no water.

A few days later they see my sister out in her front yard and cuss her out. Low class trashy people.
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If I ever saw an animal being abused,well,God help those people is all I can say here on this forum.
 
What's trashy when poor people do it but classy when rich people are involved?

"Collecting."

Without pictures, Ima take Fred's side too.
 
It is not good to have a neighbor like Fred, especially if you want to sell you home.

But that is why there are HOAs- don't want to risk a Fred next door, live in a HOA. Even five/ ten acre lots don't prevent a Fred from disrupting the peace. We live in a pretty good area of Utah with many million dollar homes dotted all over the place, but one home has coon dogs that bark from early evening until dark non-stop. I am quite sure it doesn't bother all the California people who purchased these million dollar plus homes, they are inside with their a/c on. My Wife and I don't have a/c, we are out on the back patio every evening in the summer, and hear the dogs. We are glad we are likely 500-1000 yards from the dogs, but if one lived next door it might be a horrifical situation to have dogs barking/ howling non-stop every evening.

I don't want to live in a HOA- but they sure are a good option for those that want standards and discipline in the area they live in.
 
Similar problem on our street with 6 cars parked in yard and never move. Police did visit but stated that unless he was using the cars as parts (junk yard) they could do nothing and he could store as many vehicles as he wanted in the yard. They did mention that they had to be in an operable state but could be in a state of needed work. Basically, nothing they could do.
 
I am on the fence on this one. However, why can't the guy with the nice home just ignore Fred's mess. Every neighborhood, outside of HOA's is going to have some messy things. You can't control other people and maybe you shouldn't anyway.
 
PimTac said:
True. You never know what will move in next door.

In perspective, I would rather have a Fred Sanford type than a meth cooker with traffic coming in and out at all hours not to mention the many dangers inherent to that practice.
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Yes, drug houses and college students/rentals to young people are the worst and bring problems way worse than a mower left in the yard or unkempt appearance. Around 2008 my college roommates and I were able to rent a pretty nice house in a middle class neighborhood for only $900 a month. We were probably awful to have next door, but the older retired couple next door actually never complained. I did mow their lawn, but we also had ATVs, parties, bonfires, cars in the yard all the time, etc. A young married couple a few years older than us lived on the other side. The wife absolutely hated us, and would yell at us over the fence, especially when we used the potato gun, but her husband would come over and hang out with us and drink beer sometimes. One other neighbor yelled at us for riding a dilapidated Kawasaki ATV up and down the street, but surprisingly nobody else complained about most of the stupid stuff we did. Technically there was an HOA, but obviously it was pretty relaxed. We did keep the grass cut, but at one point there was an inoperable Audi TT sinking into the front yard for about 6 months. We also did things like set the washing machine on fire in the backyard when it broke, and threw glass bottles under a running lawnmower one new years eve. Fun times. Some people I'm sure were glad when we moved out.
 
Don't need an HOA to have rules and regulations ... every city has it's own regulations and ordinances about homes/property that are within the city limits. If someone has a yard full of junk like Fred Sanford, then there's most likely a city ordnance saying it's not legal. And if Fred doesn't like that then he needs to abide by the regulations or move outside the city limits. Same goes with letting your lawn grow taller than a certain length, and similar ordinances. Gotta move outside of any city limits to be able to really live like you want to. I'm sure the guy living across the street from Fred isn't the only one shaking their head if his place is out of control.
 
PimTac said:
In perspective, I would rather have a Fred Sanford type than a meth cooker with traffic coming in and out at all hours not to mention the many dangers inherent to that practice.
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Same here!! The Fred Sanford types will always lend you a helping hand if you need it. The stiff cookie-cutter McMansion types will look at you like a deer caught in headlights if you even just look at them and say hello. Those types of people are always so paranoid. I guess that's why they need to be told how to live, what to say, how to dress, what to drive, etc. The Fred Sanford types will always have your back if you need them.

I'll take Fred Sanford any day vs the other end of the spectrum.
 
It can be fun to observe neighbor feuds from a distance.

I'm in a bit of a neighbor battle myself though not quite like that. Twice now someone (anonymously of course) has left a letter on my mailbox citing the county ordinances on "inoperable vehicles" and how I should remove my "inoperable vehicle" as "nobody wants to look at your junk car."

That "junk car" is my drag car. It is very much operable, but with a 4.56 rear gear, slicks, cage, skinny front tires, no AC/heat, only a bucket driver seat, only a 3 gallon fuel cell, and a tiny radiator that won't keep it cool on the highway... it's not going to get driven on the street. The tracks have been mostly closed due to Covid so of course it's been sitting a lot. I mean, if they want to me to show it's operable, I can certainly do that. I can crank it up, open headers, race fuel, etc... and go shake the ground around the neighborhood for a few minutes every week. Certainly that'll satisfy the "operable" issue.
 
I’ve lived in both types of housing. Currently in a HOA in a well maintained neighborhood. I’ll take an HOA any day. Left to their own devices a good portion of the population are slobs. What they do in their homes is their business, when their slovenly approach to living spills outside it effects the entire neighborhood. An HOA fee is slob insurance. I’ll gladly pay it.
 
I absolutely refuse to live in an HOA. Some of them are okay, but a lot of them are just petty and annoying. A friend of mine lived in an HOA for less than a year. He works odd hours, some 24 hour shifts, and it rotates so he can get behind on a thing or two from time to time. He went a couple days over cutting his grass, and got a fine from the HOA for his grass being too tall with a picture of someone holding a tape measure to his grass showing it a 1/4" too tall. He got another fine shortly after that for "parking on the lawn" with a picture of the edge of his back tire touching the grass on the side of his driveway. A month or so later, he got another fine for "broken down vehicle / no working on vehicles on property" with a picture someone took through his cracked open garage door showing him changing his own oil in his own garage. He put the house up for sale the following week and moved in with his parents until he could find another place.

My wife's cousin lives in an HOA not far from us who are very "high standard". Her 2009 Altima, which was in great shape with
To me, an HOA is a bunch of overzealous brown-nosers with nothing better to do than hunt down petty violations in the neighborhood. No thank you. Not to mention HOAs tend to look extremely boring. Every house is exactly the same, every lot exactly the same, etc... There's no originality. I just can't stand it. When we were house shopping early last year, our realtor was insistent on wanting to show us houses in HOAs, but we kept telling her that an HOA is a deal-beaker. We will not even consider the house if it's in an HOA. We went rounds with this.

R: "What about resale value?"
Us: "We plan to live here for the rest of our lives. This is our retirement home. What do we care about resale value? Higher value just gets me higher taxes."

R: "What about school districts?"
Us: "We homeschool (Abeka) so that means nothing to us."

R: "What about restrictions to dangerous breeds?"
Us: "We have a pitbull so that's exactly what we're trying to avoid."

R: "What about neighbors?"
Us: "If my neighbor can smell me grilling in my backyard, they're too close to me. The point is to not have neighbors."

R: "What about community?"
Us: "You mean paying a monthly fee to a coalition of Karens to tell me what I can or can't do on my own property? No thank you."
 
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