An August 2022 survey conducted by Offerpad1, a leading real estate tech company built to simplify home buying and selling, digs deeper into how neighbor sentiment has evolved—for better or worse—just in time for National Good Neighbor Day on Sept. 28. Navigating a pandemic, new technology and more have contributed to how Americans relate—or don’t relate—to their neighbors.
Pandemic inspired connections … and annoyances
For many, neighbors provided their only form of socialization during the early days of the pandemic, so it’s only natural that 57% reported spending more time in their neighborhoods over the past two years. Fifty percent said they got to know their neighbors better, and 53% said spending more time in their neighborhood allowed them to develop actual friendships with those next door. It seems some of those connections may have also inspired a little neighborhood drama as 40% said they’re now more annoyed with their neighbors.
Next door frenemies?
More than 60% reported feuding with a neighbor at some point in their lives, but thankfully only 20% say they currently have an active beef. Not surprisingly, many feuds were related to yards or home exteriors (45%) while other disagreements included tiffs about unmanageable noise levels (40%) and social media posts (28%).
Movin’ out
It seems there may be a few things Americans aren’t saying to their neighbors, regardless of how close they’ve gotten, as 50% reported they’d encourage a neighbor to move if there was a polite way to do so. And half said they have considered moving themselves because of a neighbor. Twice as many parents with children under 18 (58%), compared to childless respondents (23%), said they’d pack up due to a neighbor.
Additional notable neighbor data from Offerpad’s survey includes:
- Nice people or nice yard? Nearly 40% of Americans agree they’d rather have a friendly neighbor with an unkempt home than an unfriendly one with a well-maintained one.
- Caught on camera: Almost three-fourths of respondents own a security camera (72%), and a third have seen a neighbor doing something “odd” (31%). Men were more likely to own security cameras than women (19% vs 26%) and were also much more likely to notice odd goings-on from their neighbors (35% vs 28%).
- Cup of sugar? Millennials and ages 77+ align: Millennials reported they’ve asked a neighbor to lend them a cooking ingredient (31%), followed closely by those aged 77+ (30%), while Baby Boomers (20%) and Gen X (14%) were less likely to rely on neighbors to lend a culinary hand.
- Uninvited pool guests?: At least half of all respondents would consider sneaking into a neighbor’s yard to fix, change or remove something from their property (52%). Another 24% said they’d consider sneaking in to take a dip in a neighbor’s hot tub or pool.
1 The random double-opt-in survey of 2,008 Americans ages 25+ was commissioned by Offerpad and conducted by market research company OnePoll.
About Offerpad
Offerpad’s mission is to deliver the best home buying and selling experience so you can spend less time ‘real estating’ and more time living. From cash offers and flexible listing options to mortgage and buyer services, Offerpad has been helping homeowners since 2015. Pairing proprietary technology with local expertise in residential real estate, Offerpad puts you in control of the process and helps you find the right solution to fit your needs.
