Befriend the Neighbours

First off, I apologize for no post last week.  I was in Winnipeg on holidays....and after my first day back to work....I need another holiday!

The reason I am sharing this story with you is to prove that befriending the neighbours has fairly significant benefits.  If you show some kindness and maybe give them a bottle of wine, they will have no problem being your eyes and ears when you are not around.  However, this all revolves around taking care of the property. (See previous post entitled "Student Rentals - Don't Make it so Obvious!").

This past summer, right after I had completed my landscaping, I knocked on the doors of the neighbours on both sides of my property to introduce myself.

It went something like this:

“Hi my name is Andrew and I own the house next door……yes, the one with the gorgeous landscaping”.

OK, so it wasn’t exactly like that, but something close.  I went on to say that I had purchased the property last year and that I was interested in keeping it as clean and tidy as possible.  I gave them my phone number and made sure they understood they could call me at any hour of any day if there was a problem with the house.

Why would I do this?

-         I will be the first to know if there are loud parties, thus avoiding bylaw enforcement and fines

-         If the power goes out and the tenants are not home, the neighbours will let me know

-         They may offer to help out with grass cutting, etc if you are not around

-         If someone suspicious is around the house, they will call me

-         If the delivery boy keeps shoving flyers in mail box until it overflows, I will find out how to stop it!

All great things if you ask me!  So remember, befriend the neighbours and it will make your life that much easier!