Page 12 - KZN Business Sense

DEALING WITH THE

JONESES

TYSON PROPERTIES ADVISES BUYERS ON
SPOTTING POTENTIAL PROBLEM NEIGHBOURS

Chris Tyson, CEO, Tyson Properties “You will never know about prams, toys and bicycles so
nuisance neighbours or if the you can check about the
seller did not tell the agent. noise levels and behaviour of
hortly after submitting A seller is hardly likely to the kids in the hood
an offer for our long- volunteer that information to
“Sawaited dream home, an agent or potential buyer if 4. Be on the lookout for
my husband received an email they want to sell their house. renovations, piles of bricks
from a potential neighbour That leaves it up to the buyer and building materials so
informing him that we must to do some homework ahead of you can check the longevity
attend a meeting with various making a serious offer,” he says. of any potentially disruptive
owners to see if we qualified to building projects
live there. We were furious. It Common sense is always king 5. Is your neighbour a landlord
turned out that the author was and one Johannesburg house or the homeowner – if it is
a client of my husband’s and the hunter always peers over the the former, there is always
whole thing was a practical joke. hedge or garden wall to suss the risk of a change of
But, as we have discovered over out the adjoining property. On residents and new problems
the years, there’s always some one occasion, looking into the 6. Are there any Airbnbs in the
truth behind a prank and we’ve neighbour’s yard revealed piles neighbourhood that
certainly had our fair share of of boxes and junk. Further could pose a problem if you
problematic neighbours,” says a enquiries divulged that the cannot tolerate the arrival
Durban resident. homeowner was a hoarder
and that his collection created and departure of guests
She agrees with many other an ideal nesting place for 7. How close are schools –
Chris Tyson, CEO, Tyson Properties homeowners – the majority rodents that visited adjoining what might be peaceful over
of problems are usually about properties. weekends could become a
noise, pets and parking and, traffic jam when school
more often than not, even the Word of mouth can a very closes or during sports
best-intentioned agents and powerful way to ascertain any events
buyers don’t spot the problems. problems in a particular street
– often people have friends 8. The police or neighbourhood
Almost everyone gathered who have friends or family in crime groups can tell you
around a braai fire has a tale a certain area and are happy to how safe the neighbourhood
about a not-so-nice neighbour pass on stories they’ve heard on is, especially if you are
with disputes arising over the neighbourhood grapevine. buying outside of an estate
everything from teenage where residents contribute
parties running into the early “If you are serious about towards added security
hours to the incessant barking buying, it is always a good idea
dog and even the sludge filled to visit the home at different Check Out The Backup
garden pond breeding enough times of day, during the Remember that all is not lost
mosquitos to take over the evening or even on weekends. if the neighbours misbehave. In
entire suburb. That way, you not only find
out about things like noise but many instances, you can either
What the same resident found also about traffic and parking resolve problems amicably or
out when she was woken by a when people are at home or call in some backup. Local
loud and smelly generator at entertaining,” Tyson advises. police and neighbourhood
four every Sunday morning anti-crime groups can help with
during loadshedding, is that Another useful tip is finding noise and misbehaviour. Those
there is often little you can do about any neighbourhood chat running noisy businesses from
to quell the irritation, especially groups or crime watch apps home with incessant comings
if the perpetrator claims he has that are often the most obvious and goings and hooting can be
a right to fire up the belching places for residents to air their reported if the property is not
machine parked close to the grievances. These could be zoned for business use.
anything from noise and air
neighbour’s bedroom so the If you are buying in an estate
family can have breakfast before pollution to dumping of rubbish or apartment block, find out
sunrise. or frequent service delivery
issues or outages. about or even talk to a member
Luckily, that dispute was of the body corporate. Before
resolved by reasonable Obvious Clues signing an offer, you can ask
neighbours meeting in the Here are a few of the most for the scheme’s financial
middle and living happily ever common sings that all is not statements, the body corporate
after. But worst-case scenarios well next door: rules, and the minutes of recent
often lead to people selling their meetings. This will give you a
homes, often at a loss. 1. The neighbouring property clear picture of how well the
or building looks neglected. body corporate is run and
Spotting the Red Flags which probably means the what you can expect as a new
neighbour cannot afford to
Many experienced buyers resident, Tyson adds. 
admit that they have turned maintain it or does not want
to
detective whilst house hunting www.tysonprop.co.za
to eliminate potential problems 2. The general neatness of
upfront. As Chris Tyson, Tyson sidewalks and pavements
Properties CEO explains, that are often maintained by
although sellers are legally residents tells if all are on
obliged to disclose details of the same page
previous or ongoing disputes 3. If you are buying an
with neighbours, the chances of apartment or townhouse in
that happening are slim. an estate, look out for

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