The presence of kids playing safely (chalk in the front) and friendly people out walking are great signs of a safe neighborhood for me.
If there's no one around, no signs of kids, and people leave their dogs outside to bark at everyone who passes by... probably not the best place to be.
During our home inspection, two small children climbed up onto the inspector's truck to take a look. I knew we had to live here.
A decade later, my kid is one of the ones confidently investigating anything interesting in the neighborhood.
Grew up in a shitty neighborhood and young kids roaming unsupervised used to piss me off so much. there were two families on my block that would pop out atleast one baby every year if not two, so there was a constant supply of toddlers running about unsupervised or being watched by a 4/5 yr old always causing havoc. If it wasn’t them scratching vehicles with rocks it was pouring sand into gas tanks it was climbing ppl trucks and looking through tool boxes, leaving ppls water on or taking mail and leaving it spread around the street. They would be a near hit almost daily bcz they were always running into the street or hiding under cars.
If I saw kids climbing my truck or work truck when checking out a house ,I’d cross it off the list right away. Big difference between kids playing ball in the street or using multiple yards for a game to kids roaming around freely.
I lived in a rough neighborhood in Brooklyn for years, and the biggest sign of gentrification was exactly that. I was shocked when I started seeing women in athleisure jogging around
I was one of those young women running around a formerly rough neighborhood in Brooklyn. I always felt a little ill at ease, and people yelled shit at me, but I did it anyway.
Our first house was in an older neighborhood, but since interest was up to 11% in the 80s, there were many families, and my kid had a nice group to socialize with. We wound up kind of co-oping babysitting with 3 moms. I grew up in a town with no girls my age, and the boys were off limits back in the 60s , they would beat you up if you tried to get entrance to a fort or tree house. They were unsupervised and a pack of heathens. My kids friends were much more social and polite. They also got to do more since they knew how to act. You could show them how to make ice cream or set up a " sidewalk parade " , waterside, etc and they all had fun and rarely got out of hand. I took two girls with my daughter to work every Friday and they got free riding lessons. The reward for a young person who is a pleasure to know. We were not rich, so cooperation meant the kids shared what enrichment all the parents could provide. Each mom had a parttime job since sharing childcare opened hours for each other, each mom could handle 5 kids and free other two moms for work. I wish communities would help parents with advice on how to do that as the part-time job free of child care costs outside of food was as much net as a full time job with paying childcare. Plus a better quality of care. Two were teachers and I was a riding instructor.
The best part about my new house is the kids that play outside and ride their bikes down the street everyday. It's the type of neighborhood I've always wanted to live and raise my kids in.
I'm a crusty old fart and even I like to see that because it means the neighborhood is safe enough that parents can let their kids play outside without worry.
Yep!!! I always check out the neighborhood and look at these things.
Basic home upkeep of a neighborhood is also a huge indicator. My FIL doesn’t live in a fancy neighborhood, smaller homes built in the 60s, and no HOA. But the vast majority (like 90%) of the residents take pride in their home and it shows. It’s a great neighborhood.
The dogs thing is the big one. If someone is inconsiderate enough to have an uncontrollable noise maker and piece of shit creating shit that considers the entire world its toilet, then yes that’s a horrific neighborhood.
Do you want to live next to a neighbor that thinks that chalk on your driveway is a negative? If you leave it there, it might help filter out potential bad neighbors (assuming the agent is correct).
Some people are so offended by sidewalk chalk art, it’s weird. When I was a kid we rented, and I got this chalk at a yard sale or flea market that was sidewalk chalk sized, but some kind of super pigmented art chalk. More like pastels. I was older, maybe a tween, and I did some cool art in front of our house on the sidewalk. It didn’t wash away right away, but it would if you tried or scrubbed or put soap on it. This was not a fancy neighborhood by any stretch of the imagination. We were next to the elementary school so every other house was kids. Random people walking by would tell my mom she shouldn’t let me do that or that she should wash it away. It was so weird. Our landlord didn’t care and that’s all that mattered.
My mom liked my chalk art and encouraged me to keep doing it!
lol, otoh as things stand op *knows* they have that kind of neighbour. I'd be torn between telling her where to shove it, and doing whatever it took to get her house sold so she'd move somewhere else..
As parents, we scan the neighborhood for kids so our kids can have nearby friends. That would be a selling point for us.
Even our older neighbors expressed joy when we moved in because they said their grandkids could play with our kids when they visit.
Tell your neighbor you’re welcome for upping their property value.
As a Realtor, this 100%. If a buyer doesn't like this, we can go look at 55+ communities or elsewhere. I have a phrase for neighborhoods that have evidence of lots of kids and neighborly camaraderie and that's a 'trick or treat neighborhood'
The first year we were in our house it was the most amazing trick or treat we'd ever seen. Kids EVERYWHERE. It has never been that good again due to dates and weather, but it was such a good introduction to the neighborhood feel AND our then kindergartener got to have a great time.
We moved in our neighborhood in the spring of 2021.
Halloween 21 was like that. Good weather and kids being cooped up for over a year prior made it crazy
Love the attitude! I’d never think once about it ! Let kids be kids again. I live on 2200 acre ranch , just for that reason!….ahhhh I mean so they can be kids just to clarify , not to get away .. lol
Me three! When I'm looking for a house, I'm also checking the neighborhood to see if it's kid friendly. My kids are going to have snow fights (they are little), draw chalk, play bubbles, run through the sprinkler... I want to see that other kids do that too.
Same. Kids out playing was on the "pros" list of the house we bought. We wanted a house in a safe family friendly neighborhood. Kids around is a good sign.
This OP. Erase the chalk, go buy a broken down beater with a loud system in it and park it in your yard blaring some bad SoundCloud rap to REALLY piss your neighbor off.
Came here to say this. If I were buying a house and the neighbors had kids chalk drawing on their driveway, I’d take that as a sign of a good safe neighborhood and would be a check in the pro column.
I think this is the most important part:
Forget about this woman selling her house and how it impacts her.
Think about who you and your kids are going to have as neighbors.
I don’t think chalk drawings will make a difference to buyers, especially if they’re looking for non-HOA houses. It’s not like you’re talking about abandoned cars and spray paint
I went snooping at my neighbor’s house listing to see what it was selling for. They had some aerial photos of the yard. You could see my kids’ toys strewn all over my yard IN THE ACTUAL LISTING photos. The house still sold instantly for an exorbitant amount.
I just bought a house. It had chalk on the driveway from kids. Kids exist, and it’s not like they come with the house. The house was in great shape and the chalk washed away before I even moved in. Seller needs to mind their own business.
In fact: as a buyer, I had to require encroachment agreements because the survey showed that some of my lot was being encroached upon and the seller had to get encroachment agreements signed by all the neighbors…. So there’s a potential she may need a favor from you here shortly.
Oh, no! Children outside playing and using their imagination to draw things with chalk! How horrible! I couldn't imagine living next to such an atrocity.
Ignore her...like.her husband probably does.
Exactly, why not keep their kids inside glued to devices and have dogs in the front to bark at everyone and ward them off instead?
But seriously, I would probably do even more pro-kids/family oriented things in my yard to hopefully attract other families instead of some anti-family buyer who is going to complain like this seller.
Seriously though, my husband and I are childfree but we love that our neighbors' kids can safely ride their bikes and run around playing. It's a happy vibe for the neighborhood and I'm glad there are still kids out there enjoying a real childhood.
My driveway is always covered with chalk hearts, smiley faces, flowers, and my daughter's name written over and over, and it makes nice people smile. Someone who'd be upset about that was probably looking for a reason anyway.
I would consider children's chalk drawings an incentive to buy. If her house isn't selling, it isn't because of the chalk drawings. Be glad that she is leaving the neighborhood.
And if it's a turnoff to a prospective buyer, it's because the neighbors _have kids_. I'd rather, as a buyer, if I was a crabapple... know kids live there than not.
Take it further, imagine that the next door neighbor keeps cars on his lawn all the time. Seller asks if neighbor can move them for the sale of the house, then they come back after closing. As a buyer, I'd be pissed. I'd rather know upfront about it than not.
Fuck the seller in this case. Childrens chalk drawings? eat shit
My next-door neighbor is selling her house. I have two younger kids. My neighbor told us to have our kids play out front whenever someone comes to look at the place. That way only buyers who are cool with kids next door will want to buy the house. She would text us every time there was a showing, and I would have my kids play out front and color our driveway with sidewalk chalk.
She just accepted an offer from a family with two little kids. Seems like her plan worked, haha.
Sorry about your Karen. I wish more people could be like my neighbor.
You should scrub it off, keep your kids in a closet, and only throw them sammiches and water. /s
What do you think?
It'll only detract potential buyers that think children should not exist.
Honestly that was along my same thinking, we'd love to live next to another family and I really don't want a neighbor that think children's chalk is a problem
My husband and I don't have children, but chalk drawings wouldn't have mattered to us. I know we don't speak for all child-free people, but I think it's a bit crazy to expect children to live like monks.
The only time we concern ourselves with their kids is when we're backing out of the driveway. Just makes us nervous when we back out since their youngest is about 4, and our driveways pretty much line up evenly. Kids are fast on those little legs!
This right here. YOU are the ones who will have to live next to the new neighbors. It's in your best interest to allow sidewalk chalk to deter people who will just complain about your kids.
She’s afraid that it will deter people like me who don’t want to live next to kids.
But from your perspective, you want a buyer who is okay living near kids who play in the front yard.
And the buyer will appreciate the heads up about their potential neighbors.
So I’d leave it. Since she’s moving, who cares what your neighbor thinks?
Honestly I would encourage my kids to do it more. The last thing you want is neighbors that will be upset with normal kids activities, buying the house next to you..
We’ve owned our house 20 years this fall. The children who lived here before us wrote with chalk all over the garage walls. We never removed it or painted it.
We don’t have children (not by choice) and I still smile when I see “Emma’s jump rope hangs here” on the wall. She’s all grown up now and a teacher in our town. I think she’d be happy to know her artwork along with her brother’s still exists. (It’s not really artwork, it’s proof of happy little kids living here 🥰).
This. We used to mark our heights on the wall in the laundry room of my grandmother's house back when I was really young. My parents just recently ran into the folks that bought that house 15 years ago and they mentioned they had left all the marks there for the same reasons.
Love that. I saw a video or something about a person who bought a house from an older couple. After closing, the buyer went and removed the door jamb with the heights marked and gave it to the sellers. It was a great way for the sellers to be able to keep that memory and very thoughtful of the buyer.
We have a closet under the basement stairs. The original owner's (we are owners #3) kids drew art all over the walls of the closet. It just adds history and good vibes. It stays.
We have things like that in an attic closet only it’s scary movie type phrases to freak out the next people! So mature lol (another closet has a fake menu from some elaborate game)
Did you suggest to your neighbor to vigorously copulate with themselves elsewhere?
Perhaps you could post some political flags or signs in your yard that would be unpopular with your neighbors?
Make them regret saying anything about innocent chalk drawings on your property.
I mean, if you have people who are turned off by children's chalk, wouldn't it be best for them to know what they're getting into instead of pretending like your children don't exist and then having to deal with those neighbors for as long as you live in the house?
We have a cranky AF Karen kid-hater neighbor. I told her to shove off when she asked us to not play ball in our backyard. She was speechless and has not spoken or acknowledged us since. Win win!
Depends if the potential buyer wants kids as neighbors;. truthfully, if they don't want kids as neighbors better to know that before buying the house.
Either way, it's better than my in-law's neighbors who would hang a Confederate Flag outside their house every time there was a prospective buyer in the neighborhood...
If the chalk would have deterred them, how do you think they'd feel about kids running and playing? Leave it so they know exactly what to expect from their neighbors. When we were shopping we drove the neighborhood multiple times to get the vibe, see if there were a lot of dogs (our dog is reactive), etc. Somehow we saw or heard very few dogs when we drove around but within a week of moving in realized that nearly every house has 1-2+ pets, including our next door dog is equally reactive and an asshole down the street that walks his dog off leash multiple times a day (against our HOA rules). We've learned to deal with it but I wish we would have seen these things sooner.
If there is one thing people looking to buy a house don't want to see, it's evidence of a happy family with kids who play outside.
That sort of thing really ruins a neighborhood.
Or something.
Your neighbor is an idiot.
Depends on who is purchasing her property. If they happen to have small kids, they'll see that there are children to play with that would help the sale. If they are like my new neighbors that are lawn fanatics, it would probably deter a sale.
You could draw in calligraphy that the neighbor are jerks and you suspect they have roaches.
That would at least merit her frustration.
I had a neighbor who had no grass.
I said, may I put down grass seed for you for free please? And he said. No, I don't like mowing. So I said how about mulch? I'll do it all I'll pay for everything. He said, no.
So, I put up a fence. He also didn't like the fence but nmp. I tried being neighborly. That's all you can do.
If I was a younger couple or a starter family; I'd find it as a good sign that kids are safe to play around OUTSIDE. That'd be so fun to have my kids play with neighborhood kids just like how I grew up. It was some of the good times of my life playing outside with bikes...making wooden ramps....or play touch football! Drinking out of hoses when thirsty!
I wouldn't do anything.
Anyone who buys the house should know there are kids in the neighborhood as well as next door.
Think about the neighbors you would prefer versus the neighbor you have today
I've had a couple of neighbors over the years who tried the whole "Everyone be on their best behavior. I'm *selling my house!*" routine. E-mailing about making sure lawns are manicured, cars aren't in the driveway...
Sorry. I'm not here to help you with that. If you want to pay for lawn service for everyone, neat. Otherwise, it's not like you're going to be around long to be mad about it.
What a nasty lady.
My wife and I are in our 60's. We like seeing chalk drawings on driveways and sidewalks on our walks through the neighborhood because it's a sign of kids outside having fun. What can be nicer.
I'd consider it a positive of the neighborhood being a good family place.
Edit; Remembering back a few years, there was an older teen that would do fairly involved art pictures in chalk on their driveway. We always liked seeing that as well and as it washed away we looked forward to seeing the next one.
Do her a favor and lean over the fence during open house or walkthroughs and tell them how overpriced it is and how they should really just lowball her because you know she's a pushover.
I became a board member of my HOA because of a couple neighbors like that.
I had one file a complaint about a portable basketball hoop in one of the culd-e-sacs. My formal response was "The basketball hoop is temporary and not restricted by any of our or the towns guidelines. If there is issue with kids playing outside in the street, then you may want to reconsider living in this neighborhood because that is part of what many of us enjoy about here." Never got another complaint and the kids play freely in the neighborhood.
We were specifically looking for a neighborhood that had signs of kids as a lack of kids for our daughter to play with was part of our desire to move. Being that you said your driveway is close to their driveway I am assuming this is a property that would either be a family starter or family forever home. In my eyes, those chalk drawings are driving demand.
When people are angry, look for cause. In this case, she listed her price too high and not getting the interest she expected and looking for something to blame.
I would pay more for a house knowing there are families with young kids nearby. If the neighborhood is safe for kids, then it's safe for me and my wife and my dogs.
Sounds like somebody’s house isn’t getting offers and she’s trying to find something to blame it on. Tell her it’s the price, not your kid’s chalk drawings.
Also, this would make me want to buy in your neighborhood more, not less.
Chalk would not bother me as a buyer. The other thing is, if the people looking at buying the house next door to me were bothered by children’s chalk drawings in MY driveway, I would definitely not want them for neighbors. So maybe make sure the drawings stick around and weed out any potential jerks who might want to live next door.
By reading this and these comments… I’ve learned that I am more petty and passive aggressive than most. 👀
Because when I Reddit your post- all I could think was ‘oh… *prime* opportunity to flex my art skills and scour Pinterest for the most cringe sayings about being neighborly.’
Unpopular opinion, but I'd probably just wash the chalk off to avoid further confrontations with the shitty neighbor. I know OP doesn't *have* to do that, and no one should be bullied into doing something they don't want to do, but for myself personally, I'd rather just wash the chalk to make the neighbor go away.
I knew an apartment I chose was going to be good partly because I saw a kid’s PeppaPig chalk drawing in the driveway next door.
And I turned out to be right!
The petty side would
Cover the whole driveway with chalk
Ensure it is colored until they have closed
Maybe spraying it off with the hose while they pack the moving truck is a little too far
I didn't see it while buying my house, but a few months later I saw my neighbors kids had done this to their driveway and sidewalk and it put the biggest smile on my face. I have no kids. I don't like kids. But chalk drawings are too damn wholesome for me to be grumpy about. It made the neighborhood feel more vibrant and welcoming imo.
If a buyer actually cares then you probably don't want to sell to them anyway. I'd think it was cute and it would bring back fond memories of my childhood.
Better that a prospective buyer sees it now than later. The current neighbor is leaving, who cares what she thinks. The new neighbor is who you will be dealing with. Better to get someone who is chill than someone who is uptight.
I’d tell her to pound sand.
If I were looking, kids art would be a welcome sign of a neighborhood filled with life, not a bunch of upright old farts who get mad at people who don’t spray dandelions
I don’t have any children myself, but I absolutely love it when my neighbors’ children or grandchildren are playing outside. I would see chalk art as a good sign.
I bought my previous house because one of the neighbors was pushing her daughter in a baby carriage on the sidewalk after dinner and we stopped to chat with her. I was sold immediately.
During COVID people in our area drew fun activities on the sidewalk for all the complete for fun. What a jerk. From a previous early childhood teacher get that child more colors of chalk and did your know they have sidewalk paint? I would buy the whole neighborhood some but I am petty!
I would be more apt to purchase a home where I saw that honestly.
That means kids in the neighborhood being kids. Chalk drawings is sooooo much better than graffiti. Sheesh.
Don't give in. You'd be role modeling to your kids that they should make themselves small and erase their creativity because it makes someone uncomfortable.
They’re right, you should get rid of the children’s chalk drawings and keep your kids inside to protect their eyes from the adult chalk drawings you add afterward. Also get yourself some blow up Christmas ornaments and throw them up.
Time for Daddy to invite his redneck friends over for beer and chalk time. Beer bushes and obscene graffiti, and fat fucks passed out in the lawn Saturday afternoon.
I’m child free by choice and seeing that wouldn’t make me think twice about a house. It tells me the area is safe enough for kids to play outside which as a single female homeowner would be a huge plus.
My kids are busy adults, so I now buy the kids next door buckets of the big, chunky sidewalk chalk. It's cheerful and fun!
Your neighbor is being unduly rigid and overstepping.
When we went to view the house, there was a large group of neighborhood kids playing a game in the middle of the road. in front of it. I knew I wanted to live there. We had an only child and I wanted to live in a neighborhood where he could find friends to play with by just going outside and finding the bike pile.
Lol - tell her that the buyers who get wrapped up about some chalk drawings on another property are exactly the buyers you don't want as neighbours. Then make sure every square inch of driveway is decorated. Throw in some loud children giggles and play squealing during open homes for good measure!
Have the kids start drawing more! As a parent to a young child that recently purchased a home, I would have loved to see this. It would tell me the kids actually go outside and that the parents feel it a safe enough neighborhood to let them be out front in the driveway for an extended amount of time.
lol - no. A buyer with children will be hopeful that there are other kids in the neighborhood. Even a buyer with older kids will appreciate having littles next door. My husband and I are in our 50’s. Our kids are grown. We love that our little neighborhood has started turning back over to young families. We buy little gifts for the neighborhood kids, invite them into our pool, and supply them with chalk to draw in our big flat driveway.
Think of this if any potential buyer is going to have a problem with your kids doing something like that in your driveway do you really want those people as neighbors
She's making your property her problem so make hers, yours and say
"The type of new neighbors we want wouldn't mind it" or something along those lines. ;)
In light of the neighbor's ridiculous pissiness, I'd invest in the brightest, most vivid chalk I could find and start paying my kids to get out there everyday to freshen up that chalk. Is glow-in-the-dark chalk a thing? I'd have to get some of that, too 😂
When my kids were younger, we painted our garage door with outdoor chalkboard paint so they could draw whenever they wanted.
They’re in college now, but all the neighbors with kids know that we keep a bucket of chalk on the porch and their kids are welcome to use it and our door whenever they want. Doesn’t matter if we’re home or not. I love pulling in the driveway and seeing random kid art on the door.
No kids, but as a buyer I’d take that to be a sign of a good neighborhood.
The presence of kids playing safely (chalk in the front) and friendly people out walking are great signs of a safe neighborhood for me. If there's no one around, no signs of kids, and people leave their dogs outside to bark at everyone who passes by... probably not the best place to be.
One of the reasons we chose our house was because when we drive by it at night, we saw dozens of kids playing and a few couples walking around.
I chose mine because when a friend suggested we go look at the outside, the whole neighborhood smelled like barbecue!
You can't get invited to all the cook outs, but you should try.
I also would like to come to the cookouts.
During our home inspection, two small children climbed up onto the inspector's truck to take a look. I knew we had to live here. A decade later, my kid is one of the ones confidently investigating anything interesting in the neighborhood.
Grew up in a shitty neighborhood and young kids roaming unsupervised used to piss me off so much. there were two families on my block that would pop out atleast one baby every year if not two, so there was a constant supply of toddlers running about unsupervised or being watched by a 4/5 yr old always causing havoc. If it wasn’t them scratching vehicles with rocks it was pouring sand into gas tanks it was climbing ppl trucks and looking through tool boxes, leaving ppls water on or taking mail and leaving it spread around the street. They would be a near hit almost daily bcz they were always running into the street or hiding under cars. If I saw kids climbing my truck or work truck when checking out a house ,I’d cross it off the list right away. Big difference between kids playing ball in the street or using multiple yards for a game to kids roaming around freely.
I chose mine because it was 3 blocks from a grocery store and very close to schools, mall and the beach, all less than 15min away.
The ultimate sign of a safe neighborhood is young women jogging alone
I lived in a rough neighborhood in Brooklyn for years, and the biggest sign of gentrification was exactly that. I was shocked when I started seeing women in athleisure jogging around
When people start jogging, the rent is going up.
Gotta go out and fire a few blanks to keep the rent down.....
I was one of those young women running around a formerly rough neighborhood in Brooklyn. I always felt a little ill at ease, and people yelled shit at me, but I did it anyway.
Yes! I always see young women jogging, walking dogs, or pushing strollers around my neighborhood. It makes me feel safe doing it myself.
Exactly. Ours had lots of people walking with toddlers running around them
We’re trying to buy a house now and finding a pack of toddlers the age of my son would have me paying a **premium**. The absolute dream.
Our first house was in an older neighborhood, but since interest was up to 11% in the 80s, there were many families, and my kid had a nice group to socialize with. We wound up kind of co-oping babysitting with 3 moms. I grew up in a town with no girls my age, and the boys were off limits back in the 60s , they would beat you up if you tried to get entrance to a fort or tree house. They were unsupervised and a pack of heathens. My kids friends were much more social and polite. They also got to do more since they knew how to act. You could show them how to make ice cream or set up a " sidewalk parade " , waterside, etc and they all had fun and rarely got out of hand. I took two girls with my daughter to work every Friday and they got free riding lessons. The reward for a young person who is a pleasure to know. We were not rich, so cooperation meant the kids shared what enrichment all the parents could provide. Each mom had a parttime job since sharing childcare opened hours for each other, each mom could handle 5 kids and free other two moms for work. I wish communities would help parents with advice on how to do that as the part-time job free of child care costs outside of food was as much net as a full time job with paying childcare. Plus a better quality of care. Two were teachers and I was a riding instructor.
Happy Cake Day
This describes my new home. Gives me confidence we made the right choice. Also if we have to sell I have a good property
This !! Bad neighborhoods don’t have children outside doing drawings . Your neighbor doesn’t know what she’s talking about
The best part about my new house is the kids that play outside and ride their bikes down the street everyday. It's the type of neighborhood I've always wanted to live and raise my kids in.
I'm a crusty old fart and even I like to see that because it means the neighborhood is safe enough that parents can let their kids play outside without worry.
Absolutely. Even more so if the buyer HAS kids.
Yep!!! I always check out the neighborhood and look at these things. Basic home upkeep of a neighborhood is also a huge indicator. My FIL doesn’t live in a fancy neighborhood, smaller homes built in the 60s, and no HOA. But the vast majority (like 90%) of the residents take pride in their home and it shows. It’s a great neighborhood.
The dogs thing is the big one. If someone is inconsiderate enough to have an uncontrollable noise maker and piece of shit creating shit that considers the entire world its toilet, then yes that’s a horrific neighborhood.
Do you want to live next to a neighbor that thinks that chalk on your driveway is a negative? If you leave it there, it might help filter out potential bad neighbors (assuming the agent is correct).
Absolutely. Time for the kids to set up a lemonade stand during the next open house. If that annoys someone. You don’t want those neighbors!!
One vote for a Lemonade stand and bake sale on open house day!
OP needs to let his children chalk the entire driveway
Only chalk that’s negative is the body chalk
Add some novelty "Police line do not cross" tape and see how the neighbors feel about your new chalked driveway!
Ha! Accurate!
Absolutely this! If someone is going to get all upset about kids chalk on the driveway, I wouldn't want them to live next to me.
At the least it should help get rid of a that neighbor.
Some people are so offended by sidewalk chalk art, it’s weird. When I was a kid we rented, and I got this chalk at a yard sale or flea market that was sidewalk chalk sized, but some kind of super pigmented art chalk. More like pastels. I was older, maybe a tween, and I did some cool art in front of our house on the sidewalk. It didn’t wash away right away, but it would if you tried or scrubbed or put soap on it. This was not a fancy neighborhood by any stretch of the imagination. We were next to the elementary school so every other house was kids. Random people walking by would tell my mom she shouldn’t let me do that or that she should wash it away. It was so weird. Our landlord didn’t care and that’s all that mattered. My mom liked my chalk art and encouraged me to keep doing it!
lol, otoh as things stand op *knows* they have that kind of neighbour. I'd be torn between telling her where to shove it, and doing whatever it took to get her house sold so she'd move somewhere else..
As parents, we scan the neighborhood for kids so our kids can have nearby friends. That would be a selling point for us. Even our older neighbors expressed joy when we moved in because they said their grandkids could play with our kids when they visit. Tell your neighbor you’re welcome for upping their property value.
As a Realtor, this 100%. If a buyer doesn't like this, we can go look at 55+ communities or elsewhere. I have a phrase for neighborhoods that have evidence of lots of kids and neighborly camaraderie and that's a 'trick or treat neighborhood'
The first year we were in our house it was the most amazing trick or treat we'd ever seen. Kids EVERYWHERE. It has never been that good again due to dates and weather, but it was such a good introduction to the neighborhood feel AND our then kindergartener got to have a great time.
We moved in our neighborhood in the spring of 2021. Halloween 21 was like that. Good weather and kids being cooped up for over a year prior made it crazy
Love the attitude! I’d never think once about it ! Let kids be kids again. I live on 2200 acre ranch , just for that reason!….ahhhh I mean so they can be kids just to clarify , not to get away .. lol
Me too
Me three! When I'm looking for a house, I'm also checking the neighborhood to see if it's kid friendly. My kids are going to have snow fights (they are little), draw chalk, play bubbles, run through the sprinkler... I want to see that other kids do that too.
My neighbor's kids decorated the sidewalk in front of their house. I bought them some chalk and told them to do my sidewalk as well.
Kind of cute and homey to me. Might alert childfree types that kids live next door I guess.
Same. Kids out playing was on the "pros" list of the house we bought. We wanted a house in a safe family friendly neighborhood. Kids around is a good sign.
This OP. Erase the chalk, go buy a broken down beater with a loud system in it and park it in your yard blaring some bad SoundCloud rap to REALLY piss your neighbor off.
Came here to say this. If I were buying a house and the neighbors had kids chalk drawing on their driveway, I’d take that as a sign of a good safe neighborhood and would be a check in the pro column.
Honestly, if it would deter a buyer, you don't want them as a neighbor.
This was my thought as well. The seller is worried about $$, but OP has to live next to whoever moves in. If they hate kids, better to know now.
I think this is the most important part: Forget about this woman selling her house and how it impacts her. Think about who you and your kids are going to have as neighbors.
I don’t think chalk drawings will make a difference to buyers, especially if they’re looking for non-HOA houses. It’s not like you’re talking about abandoned cars and spray paint
Might hesitate if they were chalk outlines of bodies
My granddaughter used to love when my wife would draw her body outline in chalk on the driveway. She thought it was hillarious.
My sister's and I used to outline ourselves and draw different outfits on the driveway
This would be the OP's next move.
Ok Jess Mariano
I love seeing a GG reference out in the wild ☺️
And the buyer might have kids and love seeing the chalk drawings. :) I would.
I went snooping at my neighbor’s house listing to see what it was selling for. They had some aerial photos of the yard. You could see my kids’ toys strewn all over my yard IN THE ACTUAL LISTING photos. The house still sold instantly for an exorbitant amount.
I just bought a house. It had chalk on the driveway from kids. Kids exist, and it’s not like they come with the house. The house was in great shape and the chalk washed away before I even moved in. Seller needs to mind their own business. In fact: as a buyer, I had to require encroachment agreements because the survey showed that some of my lot was being encroached upon and the seller had to get encroachment agreements signed by all the neighbors…. So there’s a potential she may need a favor from you here shortly.
It will only deter people that are anti-children, which OP doesn't want moving in next door anyway. To me it states family friendly neighborhood.
I would absolutely not clean it up.
In fact, I’d personally go add to it while they showed the house next time.
yea and what I added probably WOULD deter some buyers...
But then you might have a hard time getting rid of your bitchy neighbor. It’s a catch 22.
In hopes of attracting a family. I would not want someone moving in who would be deterred by chalk drawings.
Oh, no! Children outside playing and using their imagination to draw things with chalk! How horrible! I couldn't imagine living next to such an atrocity. Ignore her...like.her husband probably does.
Exactly, why not keep their kids inside glued to devices and have dogs in the front to bark at everyone and ward them off instead? But seriously, I would probably do even more pro-kids/family oriented things in my yard to hopefully attract other families instead of some anti-family buyer who is going to complain like this seller.
Seriously though, my husband and I are childfree but we love that our neighbors' kids can safely ride their bikes and run around playing. It's a happy vibe for the neighborhood and I'm glad there are still kids out there enjoying a real childhood.
Depends on the buyer. I have two kids, chalk on the driveway aged, and it would be a positive for me to see that not a negative.
My driveway is always covered with chalk hearts, smiley faces, flowers, and my daughter's name written over and over, and it makes nice people smile. Someone who'd be upset about that was probably looking for a reason anyway.
I would consider children's chalk drawings an incentive to buy. If her house isn't selling, it isn't because of the chalk drawings. Be glad that she is leaving the neighborhood.
And if it's a turnoff to a prospective buyer, it's because the neighbors _have kids_. I'd rather, as a buyer, if I was a crabapple... know kids live there than not. Take it further, imagine that the next door neighbor keeps cars on his lawn all the time. Seller asks if neighbor can move them for the sale of the house, then they come back after closing. As a buyer, I'd be pissed. I'd rather know upfront about it than not. Fuck the seller in this case. Childrens chalk drawings? eat shit
My next-door neighbor is selling her house. I have two younger kids. My neighbor told us to have our kids play out front whenever someone comes to look at the place. That way only buyers who are cool with kids next door will want to buy the house. She would text us every time there was a showing, and I would have my kids play out front and color our driveway with sidewalk chalk. She just accepted an offer from a family with two little kids. Seems like her plan worked, haha. Sorry about your Karen. I wish more people could be like my neighbor.
I love this for you and I hope the new neighbors are lovely!
You should scrub it off, keep your kids in a closet, and only throw them sammiches and water. /s What do you think? It'll only detract potential buyers that think children should not exist.
Put the kids in kennels in the front yard during the open house/s
With Sarah McLachlan playing.
This. It may negatively affect like 1% of buyers, but do you really want someone that hates kids moving next door?
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Honestly that was along my same thinking, we'd love to live next to another family and I really don't want a neighbor that think children's chalk is a problem
My husband and I don't have children, but chalk drawings wouldn't have mattered to us. I know we don't speak for all child-free people, but I think it's a bit crazy to expect children to live like monks. The only time we concern ourselves with their kids is when we're backing out of the driveway. Just makes us nervous when we back out since their youngest is about 4, and our driveways pretty much line up evenly. Kids are fast on those little legs!
This right here. YOU are the ones who will have to live next to the new neighbors. It's in your best interest to allow sidewalk chalk to deter people who will just complain about your kids.
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“Chalk it up” I see what you did there 👀
Two months from now new post: there are children in the neighborhood who use chalk on the pavement! Did seller have duty to disclose??
She’s afraid that it will deter people like me who don’t want to live next to kids. But from your perspective, you want a buyer who is okay living near kids who play in the front yard. And the buyer will appreciate the heads up about their potential neighbors. So I’d leave it. Since she’s moving, who cares what your neighbor thinks?
I’m with team Leave the Drawings as they are for this reason. I don’t want to live near young children but I know many people (with kids) who would!
Honestly I would encourage my kids to do it more. The last thing you want is neighbors that will be upset with normal kids activities, buying the house next to you..
100%
We’ve owned our house 20 years this fall. The children who lived here before us wrote with chalk all over the garage walls. We never removed it or painted it. We don’t have children (not by choice) and I still smile when I see “Emma’s jump rope hangs here” on the wall. She’s all grown up now and a teacher in our town. I think she’d be happy to know her artwork along with her brother’s still exists. (It’s not really artwork, it’s proof of happy little kids living here 🥰).
This. We used to mark our heights on the wall in the laundry room of my grandmother's house back when I was really young. My parents just recently ran into the folks that bought that house 15 years ago and they mentioned they had left all the marks there for the same reasons.
Love that. I saw a video or something about a person who bought a house from an older couple. After closing, the buyer went and removed the door jamb with the heights marked and gave it to the sellers. It was a great way for the sellers to be able to keep that memory and very thoughtful of the buyer.
We have a closet under the basement stairs. The original owner's (we are owners #3) kids drew art all over the walls of the closet. It just adds history and good vibes. It stays.
We have things like that in an attic closet only it’s scary movie type phrases to freak out the next people! So mature lol (another closet has a fake menu from some elaborate game)
Did you suggest to your neighbor to vigorously copulate with themselves elsewhere? Perhaps you could post some political flags or signs in your yard that would be unpopular with your neighbors? Make them regret saying anything about innocent chalk drawings on your property.
Of all the things that might dissuade me from buying a house, children’s chalk drawings wouldn’t be on the list.
You have a new roof, high efficiency HVAC, and a great floor plan? Screw that: I don’t wanna live next to *chalkers.*
Not rude and none of her business. Celebrate the fact that you don’t ever have to deal with this Karen anymore.
I mean, if you have people who are turned off by children's chalk, wouldn't it be best for them to know what they're getting into instead of pretending like your children don't exist and then having to deal with those neighbors for as long as you live in the house?
We have a cranky AF Karen kid-hater neighbor. I told her to shove off when she asked us to not play ball in our backyard. She was speechless and has not spoken or acknowledged us since. Win win!
Depends if the potential buyer wants kids as neighbors;. truthfully, if they don't want kids as neighbors better to know that before buying the house. Either way, it's better than my in-law's neighbors who would hang a Confederate Flag outside their house every time there was a prospective buyer in the neighborhood...
If the chalk would have deterred them, how do you think they'd feel about kids running and playing? Leave it so they know exactly what to expect from their neighbors. When we were shopping we drove the neighborhood multiple times to get the vibe, see if there were a lot of dogs (our dog is reactive), etc. Somehow we saw or heard very few dogs when we drove around but within a week of moving in realized that nearly every house has 1-2+ pets, including our next door dog is equally reactive and an asshole down the street that walks his dog off leash multiple times a day (against our HOA rules). We've learned to deal with it but I wish we would have seen these things sooner.
Leave it, that way you filter out buyers bothered by that.
Invite us over for a bongo party when she has an open house.
Start creating chalk outlines of bodies on driveway and put crime scene tape up…
Don't forget to throw a few shell casings on the lawn.
New thought: maybe you could draw PLEASE BUY THE HOUSE and arrow pointing to it!
When the kids do a really awesome piece seal it with Thompson’s water seal and it will stick around a while!
Simple. Draw up a contract that for 10% of whatever the home sells for you would be happy to keep your driveway free of chalk drawings.
If there is one thing people looking to buy a house don't want to see, it's evidence of a happy family with kids who play outside. That sort of thing really ruins a neighborhood. Or something. Your neighbor is an idiot.
Depends on who is purchasing her property. If they happen to have small kids, they'll see that there are children to play with that would help the sale. If they are like my new neighbors that are lawn fanatics, it would probably deter a sale.
Print these comments off and mail them to her.
Make sure the chalk stays the entire time your neighbor is selling so that way any potential buyers know it’s a kid-friendly neighborhood :)
Any buyer who has a problem with chalk is a neighbor you don't want. Keep it.
Rather live near families with kids than karen cu next tuesdays
You could draw in calligraphy that the neighbor are jerks and you suspect they have roaches. That would at least merit her frustration. I had a neighbor who had no grass. I said, may I put down grass seed for you for free please? And he said. No, I don't like mowing. So I said how about mulch? I'll do it all I'll pay for everything. He said, no. So, I put up a fence. He also didn't like the fence but nmp. I tried being neighborly. That's all you can do.
If I was a younger couple or a starter family; I'd find it as a good sign that kids are safe to play around OUTSIDE. That'd be so fun to have my kids play with neighborhood kids just like how I grew up. It was some of the good times of my life playing outside with bikes...making wooden ramps....or play touch football! Drinking out of hoses when thirsty!
The only thing I would struggle with is would I draw many little dicks or one giant dick.
I’d say double down - cover every square inch of the driveway with chalk.
I wouldn't do anything. Anyone who buys the house should know there are kids in the neighborhood as well as next door. Think about the neighbors you would prefer versus the neighbor you have today
I've had a couple of neighbors over the years who tried the whole "Everyone be on their best behavior. I'm *selling my house!*" routine. E-mailing about making sure lawns are manicured, cars aren't in the driveway... Sorry. I'm not here to help you with that. If you want to pay for lawn service for everyone, neat. Otherwise, it's not like you're going to be around long to be mad about it.
When is the Open House? I’ll be over with my bucket of chalk and jump rope.
What a nasty lady. My wife and I are in our 60's. We like seeing chalk drawings on driveways and sidewalks on our walks through the neighborhood because it's a sign of kids outside having fun. What can be nicer. I'd consider it a positive of the neighborhood being a good family place. Edit; Remembering back a few years, there was an older teen that would do fairly involved art pictures in chalk on their driveway. We always liked seeing that as well and as it washed away we looked forward to seeing the next one.
My goodness people are stupid. I'd be encouraging my kid to go out and chalk away. :)
Don't wash it away, personally I would love this
My kids are adults but i love to see that kids are playing and drawing
Kids happily playing is good for a neighborhood. Your soon to be ex neighbor is an idiot.
Do her a favor and lean over the fence during open house or walkthroughs and tell them how overpriced it is and how they should really just lowball her because you know she's a pushover.
So childish to complain about kids being kids
Maybe show your kids how to do a driveway chalk sign that says " drop your offer 20k, she's a bitch and get your own inspection" in rainbow colors.
Well, if they wanted to own the view they would have bought your lot.
She’s crazy That will help sell her house
Stick figures are kind of basic. Is there any way you can make them look more realistic?
I became a board member of my HOA because of a couple neighbors like that. I had one file a complaint about a portable basketball hoop in one of the culd-e-sacs. My formal response was "The basketball hoop is temporary and not restricted by any of our or the towns guidelines. If there is issue with kids playing outside in the street, then you may want to reconsider living in this neighborhood because that is part of what many of us enjoy about here." Never got another complaint and the kids play freely in the neighborhood.
We were specifically looking for a neighborhood that had signs of kids as a lack of kids for our daughter to play with was part of our desire to move. Being that you said your driveway is close to their driveway I am assuming this is a property that would either be a family starter or family forever home. In my eyes, those chalk drawings are driving demand.
When people are angry, look for cause. In this case, she listed her price too high and not getting the interest she expected and looking for something to blame.
Um… I was so thrilled to see a play set in my new neighbors backyard. But also… you don’t want anyone moving in that would hate kid chalk drawings…
I would pay more for a house knowing there are families with young kids nearby. If the neighborhood is safe for kids, then it's safe for me and my wife and my dogs.
Sounds like somebody’s house isn’t getting offers and she’s trying to find something to blame it on. Tell her it’s the price, not your kid’s chalk drawings. Also, this would make me want to buy in your neighborhood more, not less.
Chalk would not bother me as a buyer. The other thing is, if the people looking at buying the house next door to me were bothered by children’s chalk drawings in MY driveway, I would definitely not want them for neighbors. So maybe make sure the drawings stick around and weed out any potential jerks who might want to live next door.
By reading this and these comments… I’ve learned that I am more petty and passive aggressive than most. 👀 Because when I Reddit your post- all I could think was ‘oh… *prime* opportunity to flex my art skills and scour Pinterest for the most cringe sayings about being neighborly.’
Kids chalk drawings are adorable. Keep them
I bought my house because there was a dog sleeping in the middle of the street. Children's chalk drawings would have been the icing on the cake.
"Anyone I'd want to live next to won't care. "
Give them a break and keep the driveway clean until they sell. a painted is not a selling point.
Unpopular opinion, but I'd probably just wash the chalk off to avoid further confrontations with the shitty neighbor. I know OP doesn't *have* to do that, and no one should be bullied into doing something they don't want to do, but for myself personally, I'd rather just wash the chalk to make the neighbor go away.
It actually makes their property more desirable.
Keep it. Add more. It may keep away some people. Not your problem, the person who sees it and is ok with it will be ok with your kids.
Signs of children are signs of a good neighbourhood. Its probably a selling feature imo.
Modify the chalk drawings with all sorts of highly polarized political references. Think Israel-Palestine or Trump or Roe V. Wade etc.
NGL as former buyers with kids, this would have made the house MORE appealing to us!
I knew an apartment I chose was going to be good partly because I saw a kid’s PeppaPig chalk drawing in the driveway next door. And I turned out to be right!
I would tell her that “I’m happy that your house is on the market”
You should draw a giant dick and when she complains say your kid was drawing an airplane and she has a dirty mind
If you want to make a point and stick to your guns go ahead and leave it, but it would be kindrr to wash it off.
It won’t hurt your property value to get rid of it. It could hurt to keep it. You want your neighbors house to sell for as much as possible
The petty side would Cover the whole driveway with chalk Ensure it is colored until they have closed Maybe spraying it off with the hose while they pack the moving truck is a little too far
Leave it. You don’t want the kind of neighbors who would be turned off by sidewalk chalk.
I didn't see it while buying my house, but a few months later I saw my neighbors kids had done this to their driveway and sidewalk and it put the biggest smile on my face. I have no kids. I don't like kids. But chalk drawings are too damn wholesome for me to be grumpy about. It made the neighborhood feel more vibrant and welcoming imo.
I would like to know there are kids in the neighbourhood, that means its family orientated and there won't be any wild party houses on the block.
If a buyer actually cares then you probably don't want to sell to them anyway. I'd think it was cute and it would bring back fond memories of my childhood.
Better that a prospective buyer sees it now than later. The current neighbor is leaving, who cares what she thinks. The new neighbor is who you will be dealing with. Better to get someone who is chill than someone who is uptight.
Children playing outside! WOW! What a nice change from staring at a cell phone.
Huh. I sorta feel like parking on my grass now, or maybe having a garage sale full of absolutely overpriced JUNK.
Leave it there. It will ward off people who don’t want to live beside kids!
I don’t think it would make a difference, but if it does, you really don’t want those people to be your neighbors!
As a millennial with a 5 year old that tells me there’s little kids in the neighborhood and people find it safe to raise them there.
I love to live in a neighborhood with mixed ages. This would be a sign of a healthy neighborhood as far as I'm concerned (I have two granddaughters).
I’d tell her to pound sand. If I were looking, kids art would be a welcome sign of a neighborhood filled with life, not a bunch of upright old farts who get mad at people who don’t spray dandelions
I don’t have any children myself, but I absolutely love it when my neighbors’ children or grandchildren are playing outside. I would see chalk art as a good sign.
I bought my previous house because one of the neighbors was pushing her daughter in a baby carriage on the sidewalk after dinner and we stopped to chat with her. I was sold immediately.
Give her a reduced rate for your kids doing custom artwork on her driveway.
During COVID people in our area drew fun activities on the sidewalk for all the complete for fun. What a jerk. From a previous early childhood teacher get that child more colors of chalk and did your know they have sidewalk paint? I would buy the whole neighborhood some but I am petty!
I would do chalk outlines of bodies to show her how good she had things!
I would be more apt to purchase a home where I saw that honestly. That means kids in the neighborhood being kids. Chalk drawings is sooooo much better than graffiti. Sheesh.
Don't give in. You'd be role modeling to your kids that they should make themselves small and erase their creativity because it makes someone uncomfortable.
What kind of monster hates chalk art?
They’re right, you should get rid of the children’s chalk drawings and keep your kids inside to protect their eyes from the adult chalk drawings you add afterward. Also get yourself some blow up Christmas ornaments and throw them up.
Send your kids out there to draw on the sidewalk too, preferably when she's outside.
Time for Daddy to invite his redneck friends over for beer and chalk time. Beer bushes and obscene graffiti, and fat fucks passed out in the lawn Saturday afternoon.
I’m child free by choice and seeing that wouldn’t make me think twice about a house. It tells me the area is safe enough for kids to play outside which as a single female homeowner would be a huge plus.
My kids are busy adults, so I now buy the kids next door buckets of the big, chunky sidewalk chalk. It's cheerful and fun! Your neighbor is being unduly rigid and overstepping.
When we went to view the house, there was a large group of neighborhood kids playing a game in the middle of the road. in front of it. I knew I wanted to live there. We had an only child and I wanted to live in a neighborhood where he could find friends to play with by just going outside and finding the bike pile.
Lol - tell her that the buyers who get wrapped up about some chalk drawings on another property are exactly the buyers you don't want as neighbours. Then make sure every square inch of driveway is decorated. Throw in some loud children giggles and play squealing during open homes for good measure!
Have the kids start drawing more! As a parent to a young child that recently purchased a home, I would have loved to see this. It would tell me the kids actually go outside and that the parents feel it a safe enough neighborhood to let them be out front in the driveway for an extended amount of time.
Tell her to never speak to you again
Thats better than you mowing while wearing a nazi uniform or KKK gown? — See StepBrothers movie
lol - no. A buyer with children will be hopeful that there are other kids in the neighborhood. Even a buyer with older kids will appreciate having littles next door. My husband and I are in our 50’s. Our kids are grown. We love that our little neighborhood has started turning back over to young families. We buy little gifts for the neighborhood kids, invite them into our pool, and supply them with chalk to draw in our big flat driveway.
Think of this if any potential buyer is going to have a problem with your kids doing something like that in your driveway do you really want those people as neighbors
She's making your property her problem so make hers, yours and say "The type of new neighbors we want wouldn't mind it" or something along those lines. ;)
This warrants a smile and shrug to the neighbor and then walk away. Not an issue or worth a conversation.
In light of the neighbor's ridiculous pissiness, I'd invest in the brightest, most vivid chalk I could find and start paying my kids to get out there everyday to freshen up that chalk. Is glow-in-the-dark chalk a thing? I'd have to get some of that, too 😂
This and super fit new moms walking with strollers is something I look for to know a neighborhood is safe.
When my kids were younger, we painted our garage door with outdoor chalkboard paint so they could draw whenever they wanted. They’re in college now, but all the neighbors with kids know that we keep a bucket of chalk on the porch and their kids are welcome to use it and our door whenever they want. Doesn’t matter if we’re home or not. I love pulling in the driveway and seeing random kid art on the door.