Neighbourhood Effect is now in effect

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I moved into a detached home during the pandemic, my first purchase of this type. It was a lot of money decided in a relatively short period of time. Having lived in a condo previously, I quickly learned and felt the neighbourhood effect around me was far, far more, in effect.

The neighborhood effect is an economic and social science concept that posits that neighbourhoods have either a direct or indirect effect on individual behaviors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighbourhood_effect

For the first year, I was learning more about home ownership and the immense money pit and sink hole a century home upkeep would entail. I needed a plan if I was to survive the never ending laundry list of maintenance and upkeep.

Home Ownership Upkeep To-Do-List on Day 1

front yard

front steps

parking space interlocking pavers

chimney

furnace

deck

fence

staircase

bathroom

stove

microwave range

The Plan

budget every year to fix something

don’t over invest more than the neighbours, but definitely invest enough to maintain or elevate the perceived value of the neighbourhood.

Year 1

worked on front yard

Year 2

roof was leaking, so had to replace that

And now we are in Year 3 and it looks like a furnace has to be replaced.

For a long time, I questioned whether or not the efforts I put into this was worthwhile. And 2 years after tidying up the front lawn, simple gardening, and tidying up… the neighbourhood effect starting taking hold!

vs.

I’d like to believe it all started this summer when we tidied further the front part separating our two lots where we spent a day tearing apart the overgrowth and ultimately decided to rid ourselves of a lot of great plants (and weeds) for simplicity (mulch).

Maybe it started here when we tidied this part. Maybe not. But it’s nice to see the neighbourhood effect taking shape, slowly but steadily.

Final thought.

How you conduct yourself and your home consciously and subconsciously effects those around you. When it comes to your home (especially with covid lockdowns), the aesthetic cues really act as consistent advertisement for others. Slowly influencing their behaviours overtime. The right aesthetic cues is like packaging for physical products, they enhance your belief in the value of the product.