neighbor's yard is nasty looking

[ActYourWage]

The less people take responsibility for themselves, the worse off for everyone.

THAT is EXACTLY RIGHT!!!!!

[cschin4]

Have you talked to your neighbor? Sometimes stuff just tends to accumulate around the yard or after time you don't even notice what needs done.
My worry about govt intervention and taxes is that there are times in life when people have problems and perhaps can't keep up. Like the widow who breaks her hip or the couple who ran on hard times really don't have the money to do as much maintenance as they want because they are on survival mode. Then, we will have the state/borough come in and fine them or take away or their homes? I thought the point of owning a home was that you actually owned it. If you let it deteriorate, it is your home and right to do so.

[cschin4]

After re-reading your post, I really don't see anything that makes him a bad neighbor. As long as he cuts his grass(weeds) fairly regularly. So, you care about weeds in the lawn, he may not.
And a treadmill, etc, I guess I don't see the problem with that either.

[maat55]

You just believe people should choose voluntarily to do whatever you want them to do?

I really do not care what others do until it affects me adversly. I believe people should be respectful of others, wow what a concept.

[akrogers]

I have to say that I am with maat55 here. I think that the shirking of personal responsibility and the loss of respect for our neighbors (both in the figurative and literal sense) are major mediators in the rapid decline of our society.

It shouldn't be about whether or not the covenants require one to keep their yard in a certain way, it should be about respect. I am desperately trying to become a homeowner right now, and I can say that I would be so grateful to own a home at this point, and in this economy, that I would make sure that it was immaculate. But that's just me.

[Inkstain82]

I really do not care what others do until it affects me adversly. I believe people should be respectful of others, wow what a concept.

All actions have effects, sometimes adverse and sometimes beneficial, on others. To only acknowledge this when the adverse affects begin to hit your property values is at best short-sighted, imo.

How is complaining that the neighbor's choice of yard upkeep hurts your property values different from saying a company's choice to pay a corporate executive millions hurts my salary? They are both examples of another person's freedom of choice indirectly lowering the monetary value of another's asset (a house vs. labor).

[Inkstain82]

It shouldn't be about whether or not the covenants require one to keep their yard in a certain way, it should be about respect. I am desperately trying to become a homeowner right now, and I can say that I would be so grateful to own a home at this point, and in this economy, that I would make sure that it was immaculate. But that's just me.

Respect is a two-way street. It's about understanding that maybe your neighbor is working two jobs to make ends meet and is exhausted, or maybe they have a medical issue.

In many cases "respect" is just code for "Other people should forgo their own best interests for mine, but I'm not willing to do the same."

[Goldy1]

Yes I admit I am being judgmental. But sue me if I think if you have hours to sit and smoke and I know you work part time that you can bend over and pull the 3 foot weeds around your front porch.

I do have a privacy fence for the back yard.

Why does my city have rules against not mowing and shoveling snow(he tends not to do that either). It is for safetly.
Yea I know the weed and feed stuff is not good for the earth, but the weeds are pretty bad.
I am not going to start a beef with him b/c he won't change, and I don't want to not get along with a neighbor.

It is true though people would frown apon my property being next to his.

It's just like condo asociations suffering when some people do not pay thier dues.

[cschin4]

But sue me if I think if you have hours to sit and smoke and I know you work part time that you can bend over and pull the 3 foot weeds around your front porch.

It is HIS life. If he wants to sit for hours on his porch to smoke, in what way is that anybody else's business. A few weeds around the house, oh well. I mow my yard but I have neighbors who are fanatical about their yards as well. It is just grass people! I mow it to keep it neat but I am not interested in chem lawn or having the "perfect lawn".
But, I also agree that we all have a responsibility as well. But, I don't want my neighbors telling me how to live my life either.

[PrincessPerky]

You know, you see weeds, maybe he sees beauty. Though the equipment needs to go really.....

I have a yard full of all sorts of interesting things, some thistle, very pretty in spring, some sort of white clusters of baby flowers, very pretty this month. Then there is some sort of black eye susan and some sort of green flower, very weird, haven't decided if I like it enough to keep. Clover, and 'shooters' (dunno what the are called but I have many a fond memory of my mother making a sortof loop and sliding it up fast to make the top of the flower 'shoot' off. I never did learn to be quite as good as her at it). Oh and these adorable baby purple flowers, so tiny and so pretty, but also so hard to cultivate. And some grass, which is not nearly as interesting IMO.

Plus there is the plethora of trees that have sprung up all planted by nature. Some poplar, some 'scruffy pines' and some sort of maple like tree. (all doing a wonderful job keeping the hill from washing down to the creek)

and yeah I have dandelions, also pretty in the spring, nothing like a kid fistful of yellow to brighten the morning.

I also have a patch of tall grasses and who knows what else. I know it is a patch that is growing natural, just to see what happens. Small and in the back since I know the majority of folk are not interested in seeing what nature has in store.

Oh and black berries over the hill, honey suckle too, which smells way better than the sewer line they are working on right now.

(if you wondered, their are also Sunflowers, Zenia, Marigolds, a purple bush, carrots, and pumpkin all planted on purpose)

So sorry if you are not fond of folk who don't 'weed N seed' and I am sorry you are not fond of all my flowers, but I like them and I own the land, so I plan on keeping them.

BTW I find your green monotonous lawn kinda ugly, but I didn't think it polite to comment, I figured you either like it that way or just didn't care, and either way it was none of my business.

[myrdale]

I do feel for you. I live next to some grungy folks myself.

There is nothing you can make him do, but I think you can be a bit more pro active. Go by and talk to him about the gym equipment. But dont complain, take an interest in it like you might want to purchase it. Get him to let you try it out. After a few minutes decide it just isnt for you. Then ask if he has it posted on craigslist. Tell him about that would be a great way to get it sold. Also point out the rust on it from being in the weather, suggest he store it in the garage for showing.

Next appologize to him about how bad YOUR yard looks, and tell him you got get YOUR yard mowwed this weekend, regardless of how imaculate your yard truly is.

My overall suggestion is discuss the matters at hand, but discuss them indirectly.

[Brad VanGuard]

haha, that has always been one of my pet peeves. Our old neighbors moved away and they never took good care of their yard. Don't get me wrong, the yard still looked nice, but you could see grass and weeds poking up out of the flower beds and their woodchips would spillover onto the sidewalk. We just got new neighbors and I remember talking to my next door neighbor and we both said this at the same time :"I hope the new people take good care of their yard" haha it was pretty funny.

[Goldy1]

MY dh got poison ivy 2 yrs ago while pulling weeds. I researched poison ivy and learned unruly areas of growing weeds attract that kind of thing so it is bad for your health.
I wear gloves during most yard work partly due to this kind of thing.

[vince]

It could be a lot worse then a messy yard living next door, you could have real low lifes that deal drugs and stuff.

[GREENBACK]

I'm glad I live in the country where everyone's lawn has weeds. We keep our lawns green and short but hardly weedless.