Chances are you’ve encountered a problem with a neighbor at one point or another in your life. By nature, living in close proximity to another person gives you a front row seat to all their flaws, but those flaws shouldn’t have to impact the list price on your home when you put it up for sale.

So how do you keep the situation under control when you can’t control the neighbors? How do you keep property image and values up when a troubling neighbor threatens to bring list values down or drive away potential buyers?

For starters, make a plan and proceed with caution. There are strategies you can employ to maintain property values even when faced with close proximity to difficult people or properties.

Here are a few ways you can make the most of a bad situation in your neighborhood:

Dealing with ugly yards? Here’s where to start.

Brush up on all local ordinances regarding yard maintenance. Dig up Home Owner Association guidelines and city zoning information to get everything on your side that you can potentially use to get a messy neighbor to clean up their space. Most cities and neighborhoods will have these guidelines in place, with disciplinary measures made to keep the area clean and neat for everyone. Majorly overgrown yards or lawns that have been turned into junkyards are most likely not in accordance with existing regulations. Find out what you can use and contact the relevant association or city. If a third party can mandate improvements to the property, it will spare you and the current or future owners the discomfort of attempting to improve the situation on your own.

If no ordinances exist or they aren’t being enforced, try a face-to-face, neighborly approach. Use tact: you don’t want to insult the neighbors by pointing out their trashed yard. Instead, offer some free landscaping services as a courtesy. You want new owners to feel welcome in the neighborhood and hope to build community through service. Or simply explain that photographs will be taken and showings conducted of the neighboring property—a higher listing price might boost their home value in turn, improving their situation if they’d like to sell or refinance their home in the near future. Tact and authenticity are the most important factors here. Be kind, honest, and genuine, ready to offer service in exchange for a higher bottom line on that home sale.

Unkempt Abandoned Lots? Investigate.

If the problem property in your line of sight isn’t currently occupied due to foreclosure or abandonment, you will need to first determine who is responsible for the property. Digging around online about the history of the property should lead you to the bank or institution that owns the foreclosed home. From there, it is only a matter of making some phone calls. Maintenance tasks can slip through the cracks and take time when conducted by a large financial institution, but promptings and complaints should get the process moving. It is in the bank’s best interest as well to keep property values up, so chances are they will be quick to send someone out to take care of business.

Dealing with frustrating people? Use your resources.

We’ve all met them, we’ve all had them. Those neighbors that bring unsightly behavior out into the open, much to the concern of the neighborhood. While dealing with certain situations may become more personal or require you to step back completely, you are not entirely out of luck when attempting to resolve troubling behavior for the betterment of the neighborhood. Like with yard care, Home Owner Associations and cities have ordinances in place designed to protect people and properties. Find any resource that may give you the right to address the problem with the corresponding authority and let them speak with the neighbor about how the situation can be improved. In worst-case scenarios, this could mean involving the police.

For matters you are confident can be reasoned out in a safe and friendly manner, you can speak to the neighbor yourself. In these instances, always use tact and delicacy. Use “I” phrasing, framing the situation in terms of how you feel about it instead of using “you” language that often feels accusatory and abrasive. For example, you could say: “I feel the we could raise property values around the neighborhood by applying consistent landscaping,” instead of: “You need to clean up your yard.” By being open and agreeable, you may find neighbors are willing to adjust their behavior. They may not have even been aware it caused any issue in the first place.

If you’ve tried all these approaches and the problem persists, determine what to disclose to your potential buyers. Some situations must be disclosed in adhering to laws and ordinances, and some are a matter of courtesy. You may not want to break the bad news and lose the prospective buyer’s interest, but your honesty and transparency may encourage them to continue working with you.

Dealing with the neighbors is an exciting part of life that creates many unique challenges. Utilizing your resources, reasoning with authenticity and tact, and working with other authority organizations where needed will help you explore every avenue for addressing neighborhood problems and keeping your listing price up. Others in the neighborhood might just be grateful enough to ensure you’re involved with the listing of their own properties later on.

For more information on getting the best list price for your home, contact 208.properties today.