Feeling uneasy about potential neighbours - pull out?

Malthusian

I have a vision of someone moving into a terraced house on the basis that both the neighbours' front gardens are immaculate, one kept by a nice young couple and the other by a little old lady who has a gardener every week. 
A few years later the young couple have started a family and the little old lady has passed on and left the house to her grandson. One garden is a dumping ground for plastic toys (the young couple no longer has any time to faff around with trying to win a Good Garden Award) while the other is full of motorcycle parts. And there is a thread on here asking what they can do about their nightmare neighbours and the constant sound of screaming children and revving engines.
The OP has said that they don't want to look at that "eyesore" every day which is fair enough, their money their choice, end of debate. I would ask whether anyone who would pull out of a property purchase over discarded paint tins should be looking at terraced houses in the first place. 

lookstraightahead

As an aside (and I do understand the op's concern), I wonder about the people whose gardens are green during a hosepipe ban. 

Totally irrelevant to the conversation 😂

NameUnavailable

The OP needs to visit a couple of times outside of 'normal' viewing hours - just from the outside. Late evening on a Friday/Saturday and maybe on a Sunday morning or weekday early morning.

See if lights are on, any noise etc.

Overgrown gardens could be a vacant property (for whatever reason), but also very likely to be an elderly person who can't manage very well (in which case the OP could be a nice neighbour and offer to mow the lawn for them once in a while to make sure they have a nice garden to overlook).

MalMonroe

lookstraightahead said:

As an aside (and I do understand the op's concern), I wonder about the people whose gardens are green during a hosepipe ban. 

Totally irrelevant to the conversation 😂

No hosepipe ban where I live. But we have had a lot (a lot) of rain.

Nelliegrace

A friend of ours offered to make a productive garden from the overgrown weed patch next door, having used every bit of space in their own garden. The old person can sit outside now, when the weather is fine, and hang washing out, he has fresh fruit and vegetables, and good friends. 

strawb_shortcake

We could also could be your potential neighbours too, since the OH's health took a turn for the worst the garden gets done when it gets done. Yes, we could pay for more help, but; knowing you want help and admitting you need help are sometimes miles apart.

That said we also walked away from a house with a mattress and remnants of a bonfire, we were renting at the time and the thought of accepting that house still gives me nightmares 

MalMonroe

This " we were left with a sense of dread if we are to continue purchasing" - would be more than enough for me to say "don't".

If it was just one other house that was in a state, it may not be anything to worry about but from what you've said, it isn't. It's more than one. 

I once bought a house against my better judgement and regretted it for the eight years I lived there.

You really can't predict what may happen in the future but for the present I'd be fearful of vermin for a start and with it being a mid-terrace you just don't know who might move in on each side of you. If they're decent people all well and good but if they're not your life could be made very miserable.

I'd say get out now, while you can.

Just my own opinion, of course but also going by my own very bad experience of ignoring my own instincts.

sheramber

annabanana82 said:

We could also could be your potential neighbours too, since the OH's health took a turn for the worst the garden gets done when it gets done. Yes, we could pay for more help, but; knowing you want help and admitting you need help are sometimes miles apart.

That said we also walked away from a house with a mattress and remnants of a bonfire, we were renting at the time and the thought of accepting that house still gives me nightmares 

But do you old paint cans and remnants of dismantled items  or an old sofa dumped in the front garden.

That is a bit different from not cutting the grass or weeding the borders.