The world is full of people with different personalities, quirks, moods and attitudes. In many ways human interaction is one of the most complex, or simple experiences we all share together.
When they live right next door, or just down the block, many people tend to pay more attention because of the proximity, others just don’t seem to want to get involved. Neighbors can become lifelong friends or remain like two ships passing silently in the night.
Because neighbor relations can have lasting effects and often-complex situations arise, the best answer, if there is one, is not always clear. Dear Monty answers questions on a variety of questions that appear principally because it involves a neighbor. If you have a question, just Ask Monty.
Reader Question: My family was fighting a real estate development 20 years ago. We own 60 acres of beautiful land in the midwest. A sister owns an adjacent property. We are landlocked on three sides, and our access is a one-lane road. Back then, the neighbor who owns the three sides wanted to develop […]
Reader Question: We have some property in a popular vacation area where we are building a cottage. Soon it will be finished. We bought the lot six years ago. The lot next to us just came up for sale. We think it is best to buy it for our overall property value. Based on […]
Homeowner has a feeling the neglected homes in the neighborhood are affecting value. When they learn the answer, they will have a decision to make.
Reader Question: We bought a home a year ago built in the 80s. A problem has surfaced with the back block fence. The neighbors have a water feature and waterfall that abuts their side of the wall. The neighbor’s waterfall is destroying our fence. The soil on our side of the wall is continually […]
Reader Question: Can we fight city hall? We live in a 75 lot development completed in the early nineties. We do not have an HOA. Our problem is we are on our own for upkeep and repair to communal areas. We have garage sales and take up collections and pitch in when the need arises. […]
Reader Question: We own a small, well cared for, older home in a moderate neighborhood in a small midwestern city of about 30,000. We are one block off off of a feeder street near downtown that has both similar single-family homes plus a few apartments and small medical offices. The zoning allows for a medical […]
Reader Question: I have a neighbor with a house for sale. It’s household waste disposal gone wild. He had another neighbor with a backhoe come into his yard the other day and dig up a portion of the yard to bury a large amount of trash. By trash, I mean lumber, building materials, large metal […]
Reader Question: I have a question regarding easements. I own a home built in the late 1920s. The original owner created an easement agreement with one neighbor next door. Nearly eighty years later I tried to dissolve the easement and told I could not, that my current neighbors would need to agree to terminate it […]
Reader Question: We are dealing with a municipality issue. We have a big problem with a new fire code dictating new elevations and width measurements of the easement road which currently services eight homes. Our real estate agent discovered it answering a prospect’s question about fire codes. We requested a variance in this provision in a […]
Question: Should I as a Homeowner Allow Others to Use Property I own? I own a home that sits on about one-and-a-half acres that is very close to a high school. The back part of my plot is a twenty thousand square foot plot that was a fallow cornfield when we moved in. The agricultural […]
Reader Question: Our neighbor petitioned for a zoning change on property he has owned for many years. Our city has grown out past our homes. His story is that a developer approached him claiming the town wants a small strip center and a convenience store. The city says area residents are complaining they have to […]
Reader Question: We have a weak homeowners association board. Our homeowner’s association (HOA) has bylaws. The HOA is not proactive in enforcing them and has allowed residents to violate, only addressing the violations if someone files a complaint. This refusal to proactively monitoring property conditions puts the complaining homeowner in harm’s way by exposing them to […]
Reader Question: Our neighbor has a tree with branches that encroach on our property and pollutes our swimming pool. Our neighbor says we cannot touch their tree, as it will ruin its shape. Can we rid ourselves of this nuisance? Monty’s Answer: Many property owners see trees as a valuable resource that adds value to […]
Reader Question: If a fallen tree from my neighbor’s yard, or a huge branch damages the fence or wall between our houses or my pool or pool equipment is he liable? My insurance agent gave me a very vague response about the insurance adjuster determining liability. How can I be liable for his tree, or […]
Reader Question: I want to create a successful real estate proposal for a property owner. These are modest houses in a decent neighborhood where we own other rentals. One is vacant. We have a rental right next to the homes I would like to purchase. I have become somewhat of a friend of the homeowner to […]