You just moved into a new home and you know exactly what that means – an overwhelming number of post-relocation tasks for you. Yes, you’ll have to be the one to start unpacking those freshly-delivered boxes and arranging their contents around the new apartment or house.
Besides the dreaded job of unpacking, you’ll also have your hands full for a long time too – inspecting the home, turning on the utilities, setting up the major appliances, arranging the home to your taste, disposing of the excess packing materials as you continue unpacking, and so on.
You just moved into a new neighborhood and you know exactly what that means – new neighbors. Now, meeting new neighbors after moving is not the easiest thing to do but it’s not the hardest one either. In most cases, it gets to be a natural thing – you’ll eventually meet them and hopefully, become friends with some of them.
However, getting familiar with the proper ways to meet your new neighbors after moving will help you get to know the folks next door faster, which in turn will enable you to get settled into your new neighborhood much faster too.
Here are the top tips for meeting new neighbors after moving.
Introduce yourself to your new neighbors
You just moved in, now what?
If you expect your neighbors to rush to your door to greet you and welcome you to their neighborhood as soon as your movers depart, then you may be seriously disappointed when nobody shows up. It could happen, of course, but even if it did, it would be one or two often nosy folks who are impatient enough to take a closer look at the new face in the neighborhood.
The welcoming etiquette will depend on which city or town you moved to, then which neighborhood you just moved into, and who your new neighbors will happen to be. Either way, you shouldn’t expect your neighbors to be the ones making the first step. Why don’t you take a quick break from the tedious task of unpacking and go and introduce yourself to the people who live next door?
You don’t have to do much, really. All you’ll need to do is go and say Hi to them, smile friendly and just let them know that you just moved in. That’s it – there’s really no need to overdo your initial introduction. Try to avoid making the mistake of wanting something from them the very first time you meet them – leave any questions or requests for help for at least the next day.
Good advice: 7 things to do on the first day in a new home
Don’t be too timid to ask your neighbors for advice
Now, going up to your neighbors only to introduce yourself may not be a good enough reason to risk making them uncomfortable or uneasy, or even startling them a bit. What’s more, you don’t want to be labeled as the weird newcomer who goes from door to door only to say Hi.
So, if you’re going to be knocking on your neighbors’ doors, you should at least come up with a good reason to do so. And what’s a better reason to ask your kind and knowledgeable neighbors for some good advice about the neighborhood. In most cases, the people who live around you will be glad and proud to fill you in on how things work around there. After all, knowledge is supposed to be passed on, remember?
Think of good questions that will require longer answers than a simple Yes or No. If you have a dog, ask them about the best place in town to walk your pet. Ask them about the best places to buy groceries or the best restaurants with live music. Also, ask them how the garbage pick-up works and what’s the best way to recycle your leftover packing materials, for example.
Thus said, make sure you only approach your neighbors when you feel like the time is right – you wouldn’t want to inconvenience them at breakfast time or dinner time, and you shouldn’t trouble them when you see that they’re busy either.
Must-read: How to unpack quickly after a move
Spend more time outside your home
If you just can’t summon the courage to make your move and be the first on to greet the other party, then a good tactical move is to let chance help you meet your new neighbors. But in order to do that, you’re still going to have to spend more time outside – either in the garden if you’ve moved into a house or in the common areas if you’ve moved into an apartment building.
Either way, you won’t be able to meet anyone if you’re always inside your home, desperately trying to avoid the people living around you. Right?
One good way to make new friends in a new neighborhood is to make a genuine effort to spend some time in areas where you’re more likely to meet your neighbors. Or you can have frequent breaks from your post-relocation tasks and take nice walks around the new place, possibly taking the dog with you, if you have one.
At the end of the day, it’s a percentage thing – the more neighbors you come into contact with, the higher the chance you’ll strike an interesting conversation that may lead to a new meaningful friendship.
Remember to always stay friendly, smile often and be the first one to say Hello.
Useful info: What to do after moving to a new state
Invite your new neighbors to a housewarming party
Having survived a super-stressful move, meeting new neighbors can be a daunting task – an extra dose of stress you won’t be too willing to go through. Why should you bother making an effort to befriend your neighbors when the chance of becoming a good friend with any of them is practically zero?
For one thing, you never know who you’ll meet. And secondly, getting to know the folks next door a bit better doesn’t have to be stressful at all – you just have to think of a cool way to do it. And what’s cooler than inviting those neighbors to an informal get-together once you’re done with your more urgent post-move tasks?
You don’t have to organize something too fancy, and the folks won’t expect you to do it either. A casual cocktail party will do nicely, and if the weather is nice, you can host it outside your home, if at all possible. Some snacks, some great music and you’ll be more than ready to mingle with the people who’ve been in the neighborhood for a while.
The great thing about hosting a housewarming party is that there are no strict rules you should follow. You can do it any way you like, and as long as you do have some or all (!) of your new neighbors, you can just relax and leave things to happen the way they are supposed to happen.
Stay friendly and approachable at all times – but never invasive. Also, let relationships progress in a natural way without forcing things. Even if you don’t get to become close friends with any of your new neighbors, winning over friendly acquaintances – ones who will be willing to help you out in need – is also an important asset to have in a new town or city. Just remember that as a good neighbor, you should also be ready to lend a hand to a neighbor in need, whenever possible.
Read also: How to adjust after moving to a new place
