Q.
The older couple who lives next door put a rude note in our mailbox asking us to please “fix up” our yard. How do we respond?
A.
Before you fire off a response, take an objective look outside. Is the grass really high? Weeds out of control? How does it compare to the other yards in your neighborhood? If one house on a block looks crappy, it really can affect everybody else’s property values, so you have an obligation to keep the street view of your house reasonably neat and tidy. But if you think your yard looks just fine (thank you very much), write a note -- since a face-to-face dialogue on the subject may get ugly -- that’s polite but unapologetic. Say, “We want to reassure you that we'll continue to keep our yard looking neat, but you should know that landscaping isn’t a priority for us right now. Thank you for understanding.”
-- The Nest Editors
Oct 13, 2008
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