Choosing the wrong neighborhood can make for a very unhappy homeowner.
A new survey from Porch.com, a home remodeling website, surveyed about 1,000 consumers to find the biggest neighborhood turnoffs. Noise, traffic, and crime were the chief concerns of buyers. Noise topped the list of neighborhood turnoffs, with 41% of respondents citing it as their top gripe, according to the survey. In fact, noise proved to be an even bigger deterrent than a high crime rate.
A neighborhood’s appearance matters too. One in five consumers said they found unkempt lawns a big turnoff. Cars parked in the yard or peeling paint also appeared on the dislikes list.
Researchers found some gender differences in neighborhood turnoffs too. For example, women were more bothered by unkempt lawns and peeling paint than men. Men were more annoyed with foreclosures and lawn ornaments. Women also were more concerned with crime and unfriendly dogs than men seemed to be.
Researchers also found differences by age groups. Overall, baby boomers tended to be the most annoyed about neighborhood traits. They were most turned off by RVs and boats parked on the street or left out in the open, followed by unkempt lawns and having trains nearby.
Gen Xers were most irked by unkempt lawns, and millennials found lawn ornaments and loud exterior paint jobs to be the most off-putting.
Source: “Moving Matters,” Porch.com (May 2019)
