Talk to the neighbors. That’s how my sister found out that the sellers of one of the homes they looked at were swingers.

Anonymous wrote:Actually yes! Maybe a wave and a "if you have any questions about the neighborhood just ask" kind of thing. When we were house-hunting I purposefully went to see the house during evening or weekend to see what the vibe was when most people are home. I know it might be weird for some, but an invite to chat would have been welcome.

+1. I appreciated this as a buyer and always try to do it as a neighbor-in-place. I think we have a lot less greeting than is healthy these days, anyway. I'm happy to live in a neighborhood where greeting each other is expected and I wouldn't want a prospective neighbor to think we were unwelcoming, or think the vibe was chilly.

If I'm gardening or taking out the trash cans and people are sort of lingering or trying to make eye contact, I definitely will wave and say hi. Like another PP, we moved from an unfriendly neighborhood. No one talked to us for the first 3 months because they assumed we were the help.

Prospective buyers have asked us about the street, about parking, about neighbors, etc. Fortunately we can be truthful and say great things about both the street and our neighbors.

I avoid interacting with prospective buyers of the house at the far corner- *everyone* who has ever lived there has gotten divorced after buying it. No one needs to know about its bad energy but I can't lie. When it goes up for sale again soon I'll probably hang out somewhere else during the open house (it's a beautiful house and you would never know that it's cursed!).

Anonymous wrote:Just wave. If they want more then they can ask.

Yeah,
If there is eye contact smile say hi and move on.
If they’re interested then talk.

Sure. If you come over and start getting all gossipy and giving me the lengthy history of the neighborhood and horror stories about the house, I will turn around and get back in my car. I would not want to live by you. Do this a couple of times and the seller will most likely want you to cease and desist.

Just wave. If they want more then they can ask.

no

Probably depends on the person, but I appreciated a friendly wave when I was house hunting. We actually stopped and talked to a man outside with his kids as we were leaving the showing for our current home. We were moving from a pretty unfriendly neighborhood, so the fact that he waved and was willing to chat for 2 minutes sealed the deal for me.

We had a neighbor ambush us during the final walk-through of the property and almost missing the closing while we tried to politely deal with her need for attention. Do not be that person.

Nobody can answer this for you. You can't generalize people like this. Some will be receptive and some won't.

I wave if they seem nice. Otherwise, no.

I’ve talked casually to neighbors who were out in their yards or walking their dogs when we were looking at homes, but I wouldn’t think anything of it if it didn’t happen.

Actually yes! Maybe a wave and a "if you have any questions about the neighborhood just ask" kind of thing. When we were house-hunting I purposefully went to see the house during evening or weekend to see what the vibe was when most people are home. I know it might be weird for some, but an invite to chat would have been welcome.

I don’t think you need to approach them, but if they smile and wave, it would be nice if you smile and wave back. I looked at a house this weekend. There was a mom and young child playing in the yard across the street. My daughter and I both noticed. I waved. THE MOM JUST STARED AT US. It was peculiar.

There are for the first time a few homes for sale around us. I sometimes see prospective buyers going in and out. Should I walk up to them and say hi when they're on the street? I'd be happy to provide more info about the neighborhood but am not sure if that is frowned upon.