Although it’s been said that good fences makes good neighbors, it turns out friendship isn’t a requirement — instead, a recent realtor.com survey reveals just being friendly, trustworthy, quiet and respectful gets the job done.
The Good Neighbor Report also found that three quarters of Americans say that they have a good neighbor, but only 14 percent said friendship was a necessary quality. Being trustworthy, quiet and friendly were considered to be the top three good neighbor features by 59 percent, 50 percent and 46 percent of Americans, respectively. The findings were derived from a Harris Interactive poll of 1,000 people across the United States.
Being respectful, clean, mature and helpful came in lower on the list with 43 percent, 36 percent, 26 percent and 25 percent saying that they’re important for positive neighborly relationships.
The youngest demographic, 18-34 year olds, reported the highest levels of not knowing if they have a good neighbor, at 21 percent. This follows reports of higher levels of millennials not feeling like they are part of a community.
“While it’s true that some people focus on what annoys them about their neighbor, it’s a welcome surprise to see that people generally think positively of their neighbors,” said Nate Johnson, chief marketing officer at Realtor.com in a statement. “Trust and dependability plays an integral part in helping a neighborhood feel like ‘home.’ Building it can be as easy as stopping by to say hello.”
Not being respectful of property topped the list of negative neighbor traits, with 67 percent telling realtor.com that’s the biggest sore sport. Loud and untrustworthy neighbors were considered by 60 percent and 54 percent of respondents.
The role of friendship in the neighbor relationship was one of the more significant demographic divergences. Realtor.com found that more men see friendship as a necessary neighborly trait. While both men and women ranked it lowest among all qualities, 9 percent of women respondents said it was important, compared to 20 percent in men.
Because keeping relationships cordial between neighbors can be challenging, some are turning to technological solutions to facilitate coexistence. Though, the realtor.com study found that one way to overcome icy relations was to simply introduce yourself.
But those connections may not be happening. While the study found that 65 percent reported they would appreciate being welcomed into a new neighborhood with an introduction, 39 percent said they weren’t welcomed in any fashion, and 46 percent said their neighbors came by for a quick greeting.