just keep calling the cops and eventually some type of inspector will come out and make the guy leave if he is living in scwaller

The family that lived in our house before us (from 1963 - 2009) never maintained the backyard - it was a jungle of weeds, prickers, and ivy. Our neighbors tell us there used to be a rat problem. They lived in our back yard and would shop in the other yards. The prior owners made an attempt to kill the rats with bait boxes, but the rats would pull out the bait and leave it in random places. So our next door neighbors would have to go outside and check the yard EVERY TIME they let the dog out into their fenced back yard. All the neighbors were pretty happy when we moved in and started cleaning up the back yard.

You never know what troubles you'll run into with neighbors - but when you know one has issues, I'd stay far, far away.

I'd try to get a little more info than relying on the postman to suggest he's mentally ill. We live next door to a man who lives alone and his house and yard are a mess, mostly because he lives alone and has parkinsons so he's limited in what he can do (and I suspect cant really afford to hire a landscaper or whatever). He's a little lonely, so he is chatty when we encounter him in the driveway or walking his dog, but he's not only harmless but (other than the mess) a good neighbor - tells us when he's away, takes in our paper when we're away, warns us if something's afoot in the neighborhood, etc. Now, I dont love looking at his backyard every day, but it is separated by a fence so I just dont look.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old do you think he is? How long do you plan on staying?

We want to stay in our next home for at least 10-15 years. I'm not sure how old he is, but the postman said he had been living there for a while.

He isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Unless he's old and feeble and about to drop dead.

Having lived next to crazy myself, I say take a pass. It's simply not worth it.

I feel bad for the sellers, though.

Vermin. Ugh!

It probably will sell for way below asking with that scenario. You get what you pay for. If you are willing to have that next door, go for it.

No way. The "perfect" house isn't worth it if the neighbor is a nightmare. Don't act desperately just because you are eager to have a house!

As long as he doesn't have a history of calling the cops on his neighbors for imaginary reasons, or screaming at people, then I wouldn't worry about it.

Anonymous wrote:PP here--want to add that she hoarded in her home but not outside. Not sure my assessment would be quite as benign if she had had tons of stuff outside.

I'm worried about potential pest problems, being able to see the piles of stuff from our deck, and the overall enjoyment of our backyard. We love spending time outside, having cookouts, etc.

I think the low inventory in the area has me very discouraged.

Anonymous wrote:How old do you think he is? How long do you plan on staying?

We want to stay in our next home for at least 10-15 years. I'm not sure how old he is, but the postman said he had been living there for a while.

PP here--want to add that she hoarded in her home but not outside. Not sure my assessment would be quite as benign if she had had tons of stuff outside.

We lived next door (and shared a wall with) someone with a pretty serious mental illness for a decade. She lived alone and could be incoherent/rambling/paranoid in conversation. It was fine. Others on the block knew her and helped us understand what was going on. It was occasionally an inconvenience; that's about it.

As someone who lived next door to crazy hoarders for 12 years--stay far far away. Moving away was the best thing I ever did.

How old do you think he is? How long do you plan on staying?

There's a house on the market in our neighborhood. It's great - has the right number of bedrooms, baths, storage, etc, and it's at a good price. It's seemingly perfect. Except the neighbor might be a problem. His backyard is full of stuff, bordering on horder-level. We ran into the postman when we were walking around the neighborhood and he told us to stay far far away from him because he talks a lot and a lot of nonesense.

Would you put an offer on it given the low inventory in the area?