When it’s time to put your house on the market, you’re likely worried about things like outdated decor or a lack of curb appeal that could possibly deter a buyer.
Unfortunately, we’ve got one more thing to add to your list of concerns: really bad neighbors. Because all it takes is one next-door nuisance to derail your sale in an instant.
“I dealt with a particularly aggressive neighbor trying to sabotage the sale of one of my houses for some unknown reason,” recalls Daniel Cabrera, a house flipper from San Antonio, TX. “Not only did she go so far as to tell prospective buyers that the house had terribly bad foundation issues, but she would stand in her yard to approach everyone coming to see the property.”
Cabrera eventually hired a lawyer and sent a cease-and-desist letter to get her to stop.
These nasty neighbor encounters are way more common than you think and could end up costing you big bucks. Here are some of the worst examples of neighbors trying to block a sale by any means necessary—plus advice on what to do if yours does the same.
Sign of the times
A real estate agent on Reddit posted about an awful neighbor who’s been making his life miserable for years, including mooning his security cameras.
“He has been messing with me for the last 3-4 years … putting up offensive signs towards my property, one saying ‘**** you, Billy’ and ‘Bye Bye Billy, I win,’” according to the agent.
When the agent tried to sell his property earlier this month, would-be buyers gave him negative feedback about the neighbor’s offensive signs.
Though the agent was able to get a restraining order against the menace next door, he couldn’t do anything about the vitriolic signs. Police informed the agent that the signs were free speech protected under the First Amendment and his homeowners association said there was nothing it could do since the signs were in the backyard and not the front yard.
Miraculously, the bad neighbor decided to take down the signs himself, and now there’s an accepted offer on the table.
Bald-faced lies
Deceptive tactics are another way neighbors can interfere with the sale of your home.
“I had a house that the next-door neighbor’s mother-in-law wanted to buy, but she would not pay the asking price,” says attorney and real estate agent Bruce Ailion, of Re/Max Town & Country in Atlanta. “Every time a home shopper would look at the house, the neighbor would come out and tell the buyers that the former owners were drug dealers and that people still show up at all hours wanting to buy drugs.”
Ailion had to eventually drop the price of the home to sell it but notes that the awful neighbor did not win.
“We did not sell the mother-in-law the home,” says Ailion.
Major red flags
Another Reddit user posted that he was moving because of his bad neighbor, who then tried to intimidate potential buyers.
“In the week that our house has been on the market, we’ve had 14 showings, and the only negative feedback we’ve gotten multiple times now is about the neighbor,” he wrote.
The Reddit user added, “Today I walked out to my car to see a rather large Confederate flag now placed over his front door, along with a sign that says ‘If you can read this, you’re in range’ and a picture of a gun pointed at the reader.”
The home seller contacted the police but was told they could do nothing about it. The status of his home sale is unknown but the issue is likely causing the owner major issues—and money.
“Problem neighbors can 100% make homes sit on the market longer, eventually forcing sellers to lower the price,” warns real estate agent Casey Daneker, of Keller Williams Realty in Philadelphia.
Fighting back is not always easy
If you find yourself in a similar situation, try talking to your neighbor first to resolve the issue peacefully.
But if that doesn’t work, do you have any legal recourse? That depends, says Ailion.
If a neighbor puts up an offensive sign next door, you can report it to the HOA if you have one. If you’re in a condo or co-op, you can report it to the board. Otherwise, you have very little recourse due to free speech, Ailion explains.
The likely only recourse is to take your neighbor to court.
For example, when a neighbor puts up disparaging signs about you, that’s not a crime per se—but it might result in civil liability for the harm it causes.
“These fall within the legal defamation framework of liability and slander,” Ailion says. So it’d be wise to talk to a lawyer sooner than later.
When to listen to neighbors
One couple put a big sign in their yard that said, “Do Not Buy That House Without Talking to Me,” referring to the home next door that was under construction.
A video of the sign was viewed a whopping 10.8 million times on TikTok.
@kshottsy The neighborhood drama is getting spicy. #fyp #drama #relatable #neighborfromhell #neighborwars #laughting
Though many people speculated that these were the neighbors from hell, things weren’t exactly what they seemed.
The woman who shot the viral video (who goes by @kshottsy) talked to the couple afterward and posted a surprising update.
“They are not a Karen—they are really just trying to help people not purchase a really crappy home,” she said.
The couple told her that the builders constructing the house next door were the same ones who flipped their home before they bought it.
According to the couple, they’ve had to gut their house completely and have spent upward of $100,000 installing new plumbing, new electrical, and new drywall.
