Neighborhood Report

Trustworthiness and quiet named top neighbor attributes

More than three out of four people say they have good neighbors, according to a recent survey by Realtor.com. Those who liked the people next door were most likely to say it was important that they be trustworthy and quiet.

The site's Good Neighbor Report, conducted by Harris Interactive, polled 1,031 people. About two-thirds of those surveyed said their neighbors are homeowners, while onethird lived next to renters.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents responded affirmatively when asked if they had a good neighbor. Seventeen percent said they didn't know, while 7 percent didn't get along with their neighbor.

The poll showed relatively little demographic variation. However, men were more likely than women to say they had a good neighbor (82 percent to 72 percent), as were older respondents (81 percent of those ages 55 and up, compared to 76 percent of those ages 35 to 54 and 72 percent of those ages 18 to 34).

"While it's true that some people focus on what annoys them about their neighbor, it's a welcome surprise to see that people generally think positively of their neighbors," said Nate Johnson, chief marketing officer at Realtor.com. "Trust and dependability plays an integral part in helping a neighborhood feel like 'home.' Building it can be as easy as stopping by to say hello.

Asked to select the most important qualities in a good neighbor, respondents were most likely to describe them as trustworthy (59 percent), quiet (50 percent), friendly (46 percent), and respectful (43 percent). Thirty-six percent said it was important that a neighbor be clean, while 26 percent cited maturity and 25 percent named helpfulness.

Respondents were least likely to consider a close relationship with a neighbor to be important, with just 14 percent naming this as an important trait. Men were more likely to consider this important, with 20 percent of them citing this quality compared to just 9 percent of women.

Sixty-seven percent named disrespect for property as one of the worst traits a neighbor could have. Sixty percent said a bad neighbor would be noisy, while 54 percent cited untrustworthiness and 43 percent said nosiness was undesirable.

Asked how they would welcome new residents to the neighborhood, 65 percent said they would stop by to introduce themselves. Twenty-two percent said they would bring a housewarming gift, while 18 percent said they would send a dinner invitation and 12 percent said they would throw a welcome party. Twenty-one percent said they would not do anything to welcome a new neighbor.

These results were consistent with respondents' own arrival in their neighborhood. Forty-six percent said their neighbors visited them for a quick greeting, while 39 percent said their neighbors never gave them a welcome.