While you help your clients find the perfect home, you can’t guarantee they’ll have the perfect neighbors. “The neighbors’ noise and aesthetics are among the top concerns of home buyers,” says Noah Goldberg, a Redfin real estate professional in Northern New Jersey. “If you have a bad neighbor, that’s something you’ll deal with every single day. You might hate that they still have Christmas decorations up in February or that the family upstairs lets their kids run around at night. Many people list their homes not because of a fault of the property but due to the surrounding situation.”

Goldberg shared on Redfin’s blog some of the most common type of neighbor complaints he encounters, whether from single-family or apartment dwellers, including:

The noisy neighbor. Apartment dwellers may share thin walls with their neighbors, which can be problematic if the neighbors are loud. However, single-family homeowners also have plenty of complaints, from barking dogs to the “7 a.m. lawn mower,” Goldberg notes.

The party animal neighbor. Sometimes you get a neighbor who loves to party. “I’m working with a couple that want to upgrade to a larger ‘forever home,’” Goldberg writes. “We found a fantastic, newly renovated house at a great price. We were planning to submit an offer when we noticed the neighbors’ yard. It looked like a frat house after a huge party. The driveway was filled with old cars, and in the yard was a tiki bar, assorted junk and furniture, and a pool filled with leaves. As much as my clients loved this home, they passed [on it] out of concern they’d be living next to a party house. That property was on the market for a year before the seller opted to rent because no one wanted to live there long-term.”

The pests who become your neighbors. Unresolved pest problems or proximity to wildlife can also bring about some uninvited guests. “The solution to this type of problem is to have an experienced agent on your side who’s a neighborhood expert,” Goldberg writes. “A good agent can steer you to well-built buildings and away from problematic poor construction. They know the neighborhood and can point out issues you likely won’t notice, such as an airport flight path, a rowdy neighborhood restaurant, or whether buses and trucks will use your street as a commute ‘cut-through,’ bringing traffic and noise. We also have good recommendations for trusted inspectors who will be able to identify potential problems we can’t know for certain.”

To avoid bad-neighbor issues, Goldberg advises clients to spend a significant time scouting out an area at different times of day and night before buying a home. Also, he encourages his buyers to talk to potential new neighbors, but make it casual rather than knocking on doors. Spend time in the lobby or common areas for chance meetings. Also, he suggests paying close attention to the exteriors to judge whether the homes in the neighborhood look like they’ve been well-maintained.