People who move into nice neighborhoods and don’t care for the house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So to summarize: cheap, poor, lazy, or some combo thereof?

They have other priorities than trump your desires.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in a neighborhood where homes go for 2-5M. Our yard is a glorious mess: as in, my husband and I coddle our handpicked prize roses, jasmine, mock-orange, lilac, Japanese maples, etc, but leave empty plant containers and potting soil bags lying around. Debris come from the busy street into our front yard and we don't immediately pick them up. And my husband, responsible for cutting grass, lets it go to seed at least once per growing season. We don't rake diligently and when we do, we use leaf debris for mulch, as nature intended - no buying mulch ever.

The driveway is damaged because lots of people are surprised by the one-way sign and turn around in our driveway - I am not fixing that, it's going to get damaged all over again.

People probably excuse us because we have the smallest house in the neighborhood, and they think we're poor. Not at all! We'd the same on a large property with a large house. We love plants but we don't care about your ridiculous standards for lawn and whatnot.

So gripe away, OP! You make me laugh.

Please pick up your crap and litter daily. You are driving me crazy. I love your garden. It would look so much better if you took 1 minute to tidy up.

No

[Anonymous]

House poor and usually multigenerational that really can't afford the upkeep.

[Anonymous]

Their parents outsourced everything but they themselves don’t have the budget to do so. But they never learned to do anything on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in a neighborhood where homes go for 2-5M. Our yard is a glorious mess: as in, my husband and I coddle our handpicked prize roses, jasmine, mock-orange, lilac, Japanese maples, etc, but leave empty plant containers and potting soil bags lying around. Debris come from the busy street into our front yard and we don't immediately pick them up. And my husband, responsible for cutting grass, lets it go to seed at least once per growing season. We don't rake diligently and when we do, we use leaf debris for mulch, as nature intended - no buying mulch ever.

The driveway is damaged because lots of people are surprised by the one-way sign and turn around in our driveway - I am not fixing that, it's going to get damaged all over again.

People probably excuse us because we have the smallest house in the neighborhood, and they think we're poor. Not at all! We'd the same on a large property with a large house. We love plants but we don't care about your ridiculous standards for lawn and whatnot.

So gripe away, OP! You make me laugh.

Empty plant containers, potting soil bags, debris, damaged driveway.
Your yard looks like s***.
For the love of God, tidy up a little.

You tell 'em.
I've also observed on our local Facebook that the same people with these messes in their yards are the first to denounce others for not using "sustainable modes of transportation", using too much water on their grass, and on and on "for the greater good." And they're ALSO the ones who come back from their trip to Japan or Europe complaining that Americans should be more like that (I.e. clean, tidy, respectful of others.) But when it comes to their own front yard that everyone can see they want the "freedom" to leave it looking like a sty.

[Anonymous]

If that is how the outside looks, I’d hate to see the inside.

[Anonymous]

No time! I commute and work long hours to afford this house. I barely have energy to sleep let along caring for a house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in a neighborhood where homes go for 2-5M. Our yard is a glorious mess: as in, my husband and I coddle our handpicked prize roses, jasmine, mock-orange, lilac, Japanese maples, etc, but leave empty plant containers and potting soil bags lying around. Debris come from the busy street into our front yard and we don't immediately pick them up. And my husband, responsible for cutting grass, lets it go to seed at least once per growing season. We don't rake diligently and when we do, we use leaf debris for mulch, as nature intended - no buying mulch ever.

The driveway is damaged because lots of people are surprised by the one-way sign and turn around in our driveway - I am not fixing that, it's going to get damaged all over again.

People probably excuse us because we have the smallest house in the neighborhood, and they think we're poor. Not at all! We'd the same on a large property with a large house. We love plants but we don't care about your ridiculous standards for lawn and whatnot.

So gripe away, OP! You make me laugh.

Empty plant containers, potting soil bags, debris, damaged driveway.
Your yard looks like s***.
For the love of God, tidy up a little.

You tell 'em.
I've also observed on our local Facebook that the same people with these messes in their yards are the first to denounce others for not using "sustainable modes of transportation", using too much water on their grass, and on and on "for the greater good." And they're ALSO the ones who come back from their trip to Japan or Europe complaining that Americans should be more like that (I.e. clean, tidy, respectful of others.) But when it comes to their own front yard that everyone can see they want the "freedom" to leave it looking like a sty.

Not that fancy neighborhood poster, but it's not about freedom and there is no contradiction here, it's just a different approach to landscaping and more ecologically friendly. Fwiw many euro countries use NO pesticides in public area landscaping, and so it looks like weeds everywhere on the side of the road and "untidy" to American eyes. But it's so much better environmentally. That's going to be the case for most lawns that look less well-kept as well due to trying to conserve water and not using pesticides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in a neighborhood where homes go for 2-5M. Our yard is a glorious mess: as in, my husband and I coddle our handpicked prize roses, jasmine, mock-orange, lilac, Japanese maples, etc, but leave empty plant containers and potting soil bags lying around. Debris come from the busy street into our front yard and we don't immediately pick them up. And my husband, responsible for cutting grass, lets it go to seed at least once per growing season. We don't rake diligently and when we do, we use leaf debris for mulch, as nature intended - no buying mulch ever.

The driveway is damaged because lots of people are surprised by the one-way sign and turn around in our driveway - I am not fixing that, it's going to get damaged all over again.

People probably excuse us because we have the smallest house in the neighborhood, and they think we're poor. Not at all! We'd the same on a large property with a large house. We love plants but we don't care about your ridiculous standards for lawn and whatnot.

So gripe away, OP! You make me laugh.

Empty plant containers, potting soil bags, debris, damaged driveway.
Your yard looks like s***.
For the love of God, tidy up a little.

You tell 'em.
I've also observed on our local Facebook that the same people with these messes in their yards are the first to denounce others for not using "sustainable modes of transportation", using too much water on their grass, and on and on "for the greater good." And they're ALSO the ones who come back from their trip to Japan or Europe complaining that Americans should be more like that (I.e. clean, tidy, respectful of others.) But when it comes to their own front yard that everyone can see they want the "freedom" to leave it looking like a sty.

Not that fancy neighborhood poster, but it's not about freedom and there is no contradiction here, it's just a different approach to landscaping and more ecologically friendly. Fwiw many euro countries use NO pesticides in public area landscaping, and so it looks like weeds everywhere on the side of the road and "untidy" to American eyes. But it's so much better environmentally. That's going to be the case for most lawns that look less well-kept as well due to trying to conserve water and not using pesticides.

does not explain visible junk, rotting wood and missing shutters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in a neighborhood where homes go for 2-5M. Our yard is a glorious mess: as in, my husband and I coddle our handpicked prize roses, jasmine, mock-orange, lilac, Japanese maples, etc, but leave empty plant containers and potting soil bags lying around. Debris come from the busy street into our front yard and we don't immediately pick them up. And my husband, responsible for cutting grass, lets it go to seed at least once per growing season. We don't rake diligently and when we do, we use leaf debris for mulch, as nature intended - no buying mulch ever.

The driveway is damaged because lots of people are surprised by the one-way sign and turn around in our driveway - I am not fixing that, it's going to get damaged all over again.

People probably excuse us because we have the smallest house in the neighborhood, and they think we're poor. Not at all! We'd the same on a large property with a large house. We love plants but we don't care about your ridiculous standards for lawn and whatnot.

So gripe away, OP! You make me laugh.

This is not the flex you think it is, I hate people like you, single handedly bringing down property values.

I am not the PP, but if you think something like she describes materially affects your property value, you truly are an idiot.

[Anonymous]

We've always kept our house up but there were a few years where we just didn't have the money to do much. We did several major repairs and upgrades a few years ago when we had enough to do it and not go into debt. We don't like in an HOA neighborhood and I'm glad for that. There is a house on our street that needs some work but they have a ton of kids in high school and college. I don't begrudge them this because I know how it is when money is tight. Also, neither we nor they were/are hoarders or have anything very unsightly. I'm really more concerned with noise and if people are jerks.

[Anonymous]

There are a number of people in my area who have these huge, gorgeous houses and NO landscaping. I keep saying I’m gonna go during the night and just put some boxwood in the front. I think there are people who only care how the inside looks.

[Anonymous]

This was me in our last house - I just ran of any energy to care about the outside.

We bought the house when I was 7 months pregnant with DC1, and left 5 years later when DC3 was 2 years old (yes, I had 3 kids in 4 years while work FT). DH is a workaholic and busy with that.

We moved to our current home and I care a lot about how it looks because I have more time and energy now that kids are older and I have more time and money.

Whenever I see unkept houses in my neighborhood (ave house value 2+M) I just assume they are busy with life and will get back to it when they have more time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They buy a relatively large/expensive home but then hardly ever cut the grass, don’t rake the leaves or ever pull weeds or prune shrubs. They let the driveway fall into disrepair, don’t replace a missing shutter, let the trim rot, etc.

What is going on there?
What do you think?

They probably think they are being "green" or something.

[Anonymous]

Maybe no one even lives there and they are waiting to knock it down.