WHAT MAKES A GOOD NEIGHBORBehind The Bend

With all of the turmoil in the world today, its sometimes hard to feel safe and secure even in our own homes. Luckily we always have our neighbors there to lend a helping hand or barrow that cup of sugar. We found this great article on housebeautiful.com that addresses this exact issue. Keep reading below and find out "What 2,000 People Think Makes a Good Neighbor."

Are you friends with your neighbors? Would you trust them with a spare key? Ask them to house sit? In a far-ranging survey of nearly 2,000 people around the country, Woman's Day and Nextdoor.com, a private social network for neighbors, uncovered the answers to these and many other questions. Read on for the surprising — and reassuring — results.

Our neighbors make us feel safer. Nearly all respondents — 96.9% — said that getting to know their neighbors gave them peace of mind. That result probably explains why most communities make getting together with their neighbors a priority: Nearly three-quarters of those polled said their neighborhood held regular block parties, and nearly as many reported frequent yard sales, Halloween get-togethers and even round table discussions of community issues. What's more, nearly 60% of the panel said they have invited neighbors over for dinner, and even more wished they had a closer relationship with their neighbors.

The old adage, "good fences make good neighbors," still holds true. More than half of respondents have had a nosy neighbor and nearly 80% have a fence between their property and the nearest neighbor. For all our good feelings toward our communities, it seems that we all want some time and space to ourselves. Case in point: Nearly half of the people polled described their best neighbor as one who respects their privacy.

We still borrow a cup of sugar — and a lot of other stuff — from our neighbors.

More than half of survey participants have asked their neighbors to borrow a tool, yard equipment or a last-minute cooking ingredient. But there are limits — only one percent have requested use of a neighbor's bike or car.

Our neighbors are more generous than we realize. Neighbors are those literally closest to us, and we do occasionally turn to them when we're in need. But the discrepancy between what we ask and what they'd be willing to do for us is telling. According to the survey, 80% of respondents would be willing to feed or walk a neighbor's pet, but only about a third of respondents had actually asked that favor of their neighbors. The same goes for housesitting, babysitting, carpooling and accepting a package. The lesson: Your neighbors want to help make your life easier. Let them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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