Selling a House With Noisy Neighbors? How to Deal With Noisy Neighbors

Many homeowners have to deal with the issues caused by noisy neighbors when selling a house. Intense noise levels around your house can have a drastically negative effect on your life. They can prevent you from getting quality sleep, disturb your pets and children, and distract you when working from home.

If you are trying to sell your house, noisy neighbors can be a dealbreaker for certain buyers. It can especially be an inconvenience for remote workers and families, who make up a large part of the buying pool today.

Dealing with noisy neighbors can be problematic. But there are ways to still achieve a high price with good buyers when selling, despite the noise levels of your neighbors.

Here’s what to do when selling a house with noisy neighbors and the best ways to deal with the issue.

1. Confront Noisy Neighbors Directly

Confronting people can be one of the hardest things to do in life. However, if it’s a matter of you selling your house or not, it’s worth it. Walk up to your neighbor’s door, give it a firm knock, and confront them directly. After all, there is a chance your neighbors aren’t aware of how noisy they are.

Be polite in your conversation and let them know how loud they are being and why it is unacceptable. If you’re unsure how to approach the conversation, try writing down your thoughts and rehearsing them out loud. This helps you mentally prepare for the conversation, even if it feels awkward.

Make sure to reassure them that some noise is okay, but very loud noise will cause issues when buyers visit. For example, music is fine, but playing it way too loud at all hours is not. Confronting your neighbors face-to-face is the most effective way to deal with your noisy neighbors when selling your home.

2. Write a Note

Writing your noisy neighbors a note can help them realize how loud they are being if you cannot get ahold of them in person. This tactic is also helpful and convenient if you are pressed for time.

Inform your noisy neighbors of the upcoming sale of your home and politely ask if noise levels can be kept to a minimum. Be specific about any particular types of noise you’d like them to reduce, like loud music or parties.

If you think your neighbors will be happy to oblige, you can even give them the dates and times of open houses and property showings. That way, they can ensure noise levels and parties are not planned for these dates (assuming they are considerate neighbors).

Writing a note can also prevent having to confront your neighbors face-to-face, which can lead to fewer arguments.

3. Buy Noisy Neighbors a Gift

Giving your noisy neighbors a gift is a good gesture and can act as a good incentive for them to quieten down. This is especially true if they are new neighbors or if you don’t have a strong, existing relationship with them.

Giving a small gift can avoid any confrontation or arguments when asking your neighbors to keep noise levels to a minimum. This is important, as potential buyers can be put off a property if there have been issues with neighbors in the past.

Suitable gifts can include chocolates, flowers, a bottle of wine, or a hamper. These are generally inexpensive but can go a long way with your neighbors in getting them to help you sell your property.

4. Schedule Showings During Quiet Times

Another way to prevent noisy neighbors from causing an issue when selling your house is to schedule showings during quieter times of the day. This strategy isn’t a guaranteed way to deal with your noisy neighbors. There’s some tact and luck involved to have it work successfully.

For example, you will need to know the exact times that your neighbors are loud. Plus, even if you know roughly when your neighbors become noisy, they may not always stick to these times. However, you may get lucky when showings are taking place if you plan ahead.

It’s important not to lie to potential buyers about issues with neighbors when selling. But if the noise levels are caused by minor things, like dogs barking or arguments, these types of noises can be avoided.

For example, if the arguments are between teenagers, schedule viewings during the day only when the kids are at school. If the dog usually barks in the morning, schedule afternoon viewings only.

5. Soundproof Your House From Noisy Neighbors

Finally, the most effective way to deal with noisy neighbors (should confronting them fail) when selling a house is to soundproof it.

This requires both money and time, depending on what soundproofing techniques you employ. But it can ensure buyers aren’t impacted by neighbors’ noise in the future. Plus, it’ll eradicate the issue of loud neighbors entirely when selling a house.

A cheap direction to go is buying a white noise machine or playing subtle background music when hosting open houses. This can help drown out your noisy next-door neighbor.

Another way to soundproof your house from noisy neighbors is to install thicker drywall or soundproof boards to the walls. This is the most expensive strategy for dealing with noisy neighbors when trying to sell your house.

Just remember that these types of home improvements won’t always add value to a property. So, you’ll need to weigh up how much noisy neighbors will impact the sale of your home and its resale value before deciding whether to invest in proper soundproofing.

If it’s important you sell a house quickly or sell to luxury buyers for a high price, the investment may be well worthwhile.

Summary

There’s unfortunately no magic bullet for dealing with noisy neighbors when trying to sell a house. Each neighbor – and relationship with them – is different from the next. You’ll have to approach this situation with tact and grace to successfully quiet your neighbors down.

Certain neighbors will respond with open arms, and others won’t respond at all. However, one thing here is true. You won’t know until you try! Start by approaching them directly. That is the most straightforward strategy. Other methods can be tried after, depending on how well the conversation goes!

Are you selling a house in Philadelphia? Brotherly Love Real Estate buys houses fast for cash. Contact us to learn more about how to deal with noisy neighbors when selling a house or get your cash offer today.