Interested in Your Own Personally Branded Magazine? Click Here!

Want to customize this content for your business?

Learn More

Categories

  • Home
  • Decor
  • Real Estate
  • Life & Culture
  • Food & Recipes
  • Holiday & Entertaining

  • Printables
  • Videos


General

  • About the Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Careers


Editorial

  • Editorial Calendar
  • Issue Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Pitch an Idea

American Lifestyle Magazine Logo
  • Home
  • Decor
  • Real Estate
  • Life & Culture
  • Food & Recipes
  • Holiday & Entertaining
  • Search
  • Follow
  • 0 Heart
  • |
  • Food & Recipes Categories
    • All Recipes (761)
    • Appetizers (138)
    • Breakfast (62)
    • Cooking Tips (42)
    • Desserts (219)
    • Dinner (229)
    • Drinks (59)
    • Gluten Free (9)
    • Healthy (65)
    • Lunch (6)
    • Quick & Easy (60)
    • Vegan (32)
    • Vegetarian (48)
Desserts | Dec 22, 2022

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

  • Holiday & Entertaining Categories
    • Celebrate (2)
    • Christmas (81)
    • Easter (14)
    • Entertaining (40)
    • Fall (9)
    • Father’s Day (6)
    • Halloween (29)
    • Hanukkah (17)
    • July 4th (34)
    • Mother’s Day (8)
    • New Year’s (22)
    • St. Patrick's Day (11)
    • Thanksgiving (36)
    • Valentine’s Day (5)
    • Winter (11)
Family & Pets | Dec 14, 2022

Customize Your New Year’s Eve Celebration

  • Decor Categories
    • Crafts & DIY Projects (273)
    • Curb Appeal (5)
    • Decorate (72)
    • Interior Design (85)
Interior Design | Feb 1, 2023

Houston, We Have a Rebuild

Decorate | Jan 19, 2023

Elegant Decor for Any Budget

Interior Design | Jan 12, 2023

Finding Art for Your Home

  • Real Estate Categories
    • Buying & Selling (203)
    • Home Trends (23)
    • Staging (20)
    • Your First House (34)
Decor | Nov 14, 2022

Design Trends to Follow in 2023

Real Estate | Sep 23, 2022

How to Shop for a Home Loan

Real Estate | Sep 21, 2022

Tips for Preventing Homeowner Identity Fraud

  • Life & Culture Categories
    • Editorial (311)
    • Family & Pets (202)
    • Finances (32)
    • Health (159)
    • Travel (249)
Editorial | Feb 3, 2023

Block Party

Travel | Jan 18, 2023

Winter Vacation Destinations

Finances | Dec 23, 2022

A Look Back at Inflation in 2022

  • Home Categories
    • Cleaning (43)
    • Organizing (48)
    • Home Improvement (124)
    • Outdoors & Gardening (87)
Home Improvement | Jan 18, 2023

4-Week Home-Improvement Challenge

Home Improvement | Jan 6, 2023

Value-Adding Winter Home Improvements

Decor | Nov 14, 2022

Design Trends to Follow in 2023

Follow us on social media today!

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

10 Top Traits of Good Neighbors

Buying & Selling | 15 Likes
SHARE
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More

Whether you rent a city apartment or own a family home in the countryside, live miles away from your nearest neighbor or are situated close enough to chat from your own back patio—you can make small changes in your community every day by quite simply just acting in a neighborly way.

The importance of being a good neighbor extends far beyond improving bonds with those you live closest to. In fact, Harvard professor and author Robert D. Putnam says, “Communities work better (students perform better, crime rates are lower, kids are safer, people live longer) when neighbors know one another better. Knowing your neighbors on a first-name basis, as National Neighborhood Day suggests, is a surprisingly effective first step toward a better America.”

So to help inspire the practice of neighborly ways in your own community, we’ve gathered a list of top things good neighbors do.

Take the time to establish good terms and build relationships with all neighbors
Great neighbors make their communities friendlier and safer, while improving the overall quality of life for themselves and those who surround them.

  • Offer to volunteer to help your neighbors with any home projects you can, even if it’s just carrying in the groceries. This can lead to conversations that bond people.
  • Give advice based off personal experience, and seek their advice as well.
  • Ask questions about the neighborhood, people love to feel like they have knowledge they can provide.

Exchange numbers and text or call when you need their opinion on a home problem or general area question.

 

Neighbors speaking to one another

Pay it forward
Every time a neighbor does something nice, he or she pays it forward to at least two other neighbors. Even simple things—like clearing a neighbor’s driveway before he or she gets the chance to, offering up a piece of lawn equipment to save a neighbor valuable time, or bringing along an extra latte on your morning walk to work—can have a huge impact on a neighborly relationship.

 

Do your part
Keeping the neighborhood looking beautiful is a community effort, and good neighbors keep all spaces that are visible by others clean and well maintained. They keep up with basic yard work, making sure that the lawn is mowed, hedges are trimmed, and weeds are kept at bay; they understand that these tasks not only impact the value of their house, but also the homes around it.

 

Tidy front yards side by side

Follow up with seasonal maintenance
This includes sweeping up leaves in the fall, shoveling sidewalks and driveways in the winter, and cleaning up lawn clippings during warmer months. The neighbors that brighten up their outdoor space with flowers and other landscaping set the precedent for the rest of the street.

 

Be tidy
Good neighbors take care to put their trash out on the right night, and in proper receptacles, so that the whole street doesn’t see (or smell) what they’ve tossed.

 

Front porch decorated for Halloween

Be conscientious about outdoor decor
Decorating for the holidays is a great way to spruce up an outdoor space, but make it a house rule that your haunted houses and lights come down within a few weeks of the holiday passing.

 

Don’t fight for the right to party
When having additional people over, the noise level can go up very quickly. The most courteous neighbors inform others of get-togethers, and ask to let them know if the gathering has gotten too loud. Better yet, they invite all the neighbors to the party!

 

Take an active presence in change and community decisions
Caring neighbors stay informed on community issues and make it a point to vote. It’s likely that you and your neighbors have busy lives and schedules, but if the community comes together as a group, change can happen more efficiently, and issues can be resolved more quickly. Plus, just showing up at community meetings and offering input shows that they care about the community and the people who share it.

 

Show respect
Good neighbors teach their kids what both literal and figurative boundaries mean by explaining where their property ends and the neighbor’s begins, and any rules that go along with that. They also reinforce the concept that being on one side of the property line doesn’t mean noise levels can be ignored.

 

Neighbors celebrating the 4th of July together

Know how to bring people together
If their community doesn’t already have a method of sharing news, good neighbors would start a neighborhood e-mail list as a means of staying in communication with all of the neighbors in one fell swoop; and the best part is, once it is started, they don’t have to be the only one who keeps the momentum going. Any participating neighbor can spread the word about news, events, crimes, special garbage pickups, special event parking restrictions, weather hazards, school closings, and even the awesome weekly deal at the local market.

Eventually, the positive energy that these good neighbors spread will create a ripple effect of random acts of kindness and make the community a happier place to live. The next time new neighbors move in, consider welcoming the newcomers with a friendly hello and some local insider tips to quickly become the favorite neighbor on the block. Or choose from our collection of bright and cheerful neighborly greetings for anytime-gratitude that really stands out.

25437 Views

This article is tagged in:

Buying and SellingCommunityFriendsHome TipsMaintenanceMovesMovingNeighborsReal EstateReal Estate Tips

Related Posts

Real Estate | Sep 23, 2022

How to Shop for a Home Loan

Real Estate | Sep 21, 2022

Tips for Preventing Homeowner Identity Fraud

Real Estate | Sep 19, 2022

Are Open Houses Worth It?

Real Estate | Sep 17, 2022

The Perks of Buying a Waterfront Property in Fall

must-have-phone-numbers
Real Estate | Aug 19, 2022

Must-Have Phone Numbers for Your New Home

Popular Posts

can-planters-card
Decor | Mar 25, 2020

Make Your Own Can Planters

Home | Jul 8, 2021

Tips for Redesigning Your Patio Space

Life & Culture | Feb 17, 2020

Trash vs. Recycle: Do You Know When to Trash it?

spring-cleaning-countdown
Home | Mar 23, 2021

Spring-Cleaning Countdown

Real Estate | Dec 14, 2017

House Selling Checklist


You may also like:

can-planters-card
Crafts & DIY Projects | Mar 25, 2020

Make Your Own Can Planters

Outdoors & Gardening | Jul 8, 2021

Tips for Redesigning Your Patio Space

Health | Feb 17, 2020

Trash vs. Recycle: Do You Know When to Trash it?

spring-cleaning-countdown
Cleaning | Mar 23, 2021

Spring-Cleaning Countdown

Buying & Selling | Dec 14, 2017

House Selling Checklist

home office with white furniture
Health | Mar 30, 2020

Everyone Is Working From Home—Here’s How to Do It Effectively

decorating-basics
Interior Design | Jun 9, 2020

These Tips Are Your North Star For Home Decorating

Share on Social Media

Our mission is to deliver entertainment that inspires and motivates our readers, encouraging them to follow their passions as they explore new horizons.

© 2023 American Lifestyle Magazine

General
  • About the Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Careers
Editorial
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Issue Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Pitch an Idea
Categories
  • Home
  • Decor
  • Real Estate
  • Life & Culture
  • Food & Recipes
  • Holiday & Entertaining
Follow Us
Facebook Pinterest Instagram Youtube

Customize this content for your business!

Learn More

,