Breaking the Ice with New Neighbors

Meeting your new neighbors can be one of the most anxiety-causing parts of a move. How will you introduce yourself to them? Will they like you? Questions like these often plague those who have just come into a new community. Here are some tips on how to deal with new neighbors:

Don’t Be Shy

Sometimes, your new neighbors won’t rush out to say “hi” when you move in. Instead, they’ll do things like peek out from between the slats of their blinds, or steal glances through slightly-opened doors.

Don’t worry though. Your neighbors may actually be shy, too. You are a new and unknown entity to them, and they’re not sure what reception they’ll get if they just charge up and start effusively welcoming you in. 

Once you realize they may just be shy, you may find their reluctance to approach to be a good thing – at least while you’re still working on getting everything in place. You’ll be able to concentrate on unpacking and getting set up, instead of immediately figuring out what to do when you move to a new neighborhood. And don’t be afraid to initiate and say hello if you see them outside. They might even be waiting for you to initiate the initial conversation.

Introduce Yourself Soon

After you’ve gotten all of your items in their new positions and taken care of any lingering set-up duties, it’s time to introduce yourself. Now, you won’t be rushed, distracted, or exhausted, and you can make a good impression. Go ahead and knock on your  neighbors’ doors and let them know who you are. This is the first step in how to meet new neighbors.

Be prepared for questions about what you do for a living. Though some consider that to be private information, others think of it as the perfect bit of ice-breaking small talk. Also, those in apartments or rental-heavy neighborhoods will have learned that this is a good indicator of whether or not you’ll be staying for long.

Ask Questions

It’s important to avoid looking nosy, but you’ll also need to ask some questions in order to get to know your neighbors. If they ask you any, you have the perfect chance to ask the same things of them.

You’ll get along with your neighbors best if you appear easy-going. While this will likely be easy with most of your new acquaintances, there will almost surely be a few who will say something that will really surprise or outright shock you! Be sure to keep a straight face no matter what.

Play a Game

If you have kids, this will be an easy thing to set up. Have all of the other parents bring their kids to a suitable place for a game of ball. If you’ve come to a single-family home, your yard is the perfect location. At an apartment, look for a suitable communal area.

Pass Out Food

What type of food or drink is good depends on your neighbors, so you may need to observe for a while to get a feel for what they’d like. Then, host a gathering or hand out baskets with food, wine, beer, or whatever else works. People tend to be friendlier to those who feed them, so they should warm up fairly quickly after this. Just be sure not to make comments like “I do this all the time” unless you really do.

• Take the initiative to introduce yourself
• Let your neighbors’ questions give you openings to ask your own
• If you want to be extra-social, set up a game or gathering where you and your neighbors can enjoy each other’s company

When you hire Tiger Moving and Storage, one thing you won’t have to worry about is how to get everything where it needs to go. Fill out our form for a quote today.