Yes, absolutely. It happens all the time in situations we are all acquainted with. Consider the manicured lawn next to the community junkyard or wrecking company, or the neighbor who is a shade-tree mechanic and has a proclivity to the junk business. Then consider if you yourself would want to buy the house next door, even for all of its curb appeal. The answer is more than likely in the negative. Therefore, buyers for that property will be much harder to find and when the sale is actually sought a lower price will in all likelihood result.

The same thing applies on a smaller scale to the neighbor who has a less than pleasing landscape or whose house is unkempt on the outside, or who plays loud and blaring music (Most cities prohibit the pollution by loud noises in residential areas and enforce it with sound monitors by decibel readings.) And this holds true for any number of different residential blights we might think of. Temporary repair is accepted by most ordinances, but a time restriction will apply in most cases.

There are, of course, zoning laws and codes which try to prevent this sort of problems, but they happen anyway. City ordinances allow the authorities to tag junk or disabled vehicles with a time-sensitive demand for removal from sight, and if that unsightly vehicle is not removed then they can tow it. The same thing will apply to outside and visible storage of material, whether they are related to a business or just home use. If it’s an eyesore, it should be behind a fence.

There are steps you can take if you are considering selling your house but your neighbor is the world’s biggest pack rat and it shows. The problem should be most easily solved if you live in a neighborhood association. You can call your office and complain about problems with your neighbors, from dogs barking at night to trash on the lawn and there are steps they can take without calling in the city police. If, however, the problem persists, there is a second line of defense available to you.

For a neighbor who has a trashy yard, call your city and ask for the number for their code compliance office. The city can fine the homeowner and give them a notice to remove the junk within a certain time frame before more action is taken.

For persistent noise pollution, after you have asked politely for it to stop to no avail, you can call the city police, who will come and ask them to quiet down, the first time. If the neighbors still insist on causing problems, you may have to move up the chain of command until the neighbors finally get the hint.

Try your hardest to find a peaceful resolution to you difficulty, however, because when you are showing the house, there are many things that a neighbor with a grudge can do to hamper your success in finding an interested buyer.

If you live next to a property that is zoned commercially, but whose operations is unsightly, you may have success in either convincing the owners yourself or by appealing to the court, to have a fence erected so that the eyesore is concealed from your property. Many times, a business owner will work with you, and, if not, at least you asked. Their refusal gives you the right to appeal to a higher power.

Yes, your neighbors can decrease your property value, and this is a good thing to remember when buying a house. It is always a good idea to scout the neighborhood when considering a house as well as having the house inspected. Remember that the first rule of real estate is location, location, location. Drive down the street on a Friday and Saturday night and see what is happening up and down the neighborhood. Is it a quiet, peaceful place to be or is there loud music and stray dogs and other undesirable things going on. In short, is it somewhere that you want you and your family to live?