How to introduce yourself to new neighbors
When you move, you will leave your old place behind and have to deal with a whole new community. This is why you should be careful when trying to introduce yourself to new neighbors. First impressions matter! That is why we have decided to guide you through this trialing period in your life, in hopes of giving you some practical tips to help you meet and befriend your new neighbors. As experienced movers Frisco TX, we understand how frightening it might seem
Why should you introduce yourself to new neighbors in the first place?
Let’s suppose you just moved into the neighborhood with Fort Worth movers and you have all these new neighbors to meet.
All the research and hard work involved in moving house done. A respectable and peaceful neighborhood found. You now rightfully expect to make it you home ASAP. At long last, you have your own place, your ‘forever’ home, and now it is all uphill. Whether you are moving out from a shared accommodation or a family home, you are excited about being on your own and finally having some privacy. Well, life is full of surprises and sometimes they come disguised as neighbors. They know you are here. You might as well go and introduce yourself new neighbors.
First Impressions
Before long the whole neighborhood knows you are there. Although they can be the most charming people you have ever met, they can also be irritable and irritated if rubbed the wrong way. Or not at all – most people do not appreciate being left alone either, for they would attribute it to your arrogance. Whether you want it or not, you will have a relationship with them. If you make the introductions yourself, you have a chance to set the tone and start off on the right foot.
What about the situation when somebody else moves into your neighborhood? It is still important to introduce yourself to the new neighbors but maybe it is easier on you – the pressure is reduced by the fact that there is just one family or one newcomer to impress. Because make no mistake, although meeting new neighbors is not exactly a job interview situation, it is stressful and maybe even more far-reaching. Jobs we can change but the neighborhood is here to stay.
All in all, do not be distracted by all the jobs you still have to do like figuring out how to pack your kitchen, socializing is a task of moving like any other.
Neighbors now and then
Our actions are closely connected to our beliefs, and they, in turn, to what we learned from the past. We understand that the first settlers used to depend on their communities much more than we do now, economically and socially. Still, we also take a lot of pride in being pioneers, pushing the frontier and leaving our loved ones behind, until the time is right to settle. And the time for settling came, people came, and we learned to live less of a lone-wolf existence. Somehow, the brave new world we live in resembles that – we explore the new lands of technology for work, but we build homes with other people. Isolation is not necessarily bad, but we tend to live in closed spaces and do not reach out for face-to-face social contacts half as much as we should to be healthy.
Proverbs and quotes are a window to what our ancestors believed and lived by but they stand true to the day. Gilbert K. Chesterton pointed out that no matter how carefully we choose our new neighborhood, we can never choose our neighbors: We make our friends; we make our enemies, but God makes our next door neighbor. And yet, he implicitly also says that we can, and should, choose which of our neighbor we will make friends or enemies of. The fact that it is in our power makes all the difference.
Benjamin Franklin famously said: Don’t throw stones at your neighbors if your own windows are glass. Knowing we are not perfect helps accepting other people. And this is one of the reasons you want to introduce yourself to new neighbors as soon as possible. So, have a traditional move-in party and meet new neighbors!
We haven’t been properly introduced
You do not want to be formal, but how friendly is a bit too friendly for your new Frisco neighbors? They are famous for their BBQ, maybe you can host a housewarming party?
If you think it is too much trouble, maybe you can take a leaf from your children’s book? Do you remember how easy it was to make friends in the playground? Is it that children know something we manage to forget as we grow older, and go through all those articles about how to introduce ourselves cleverly at a job interview or in a new company? Even though they never read about it and nobody taught them how, your children will probably show you how to introduce yourself to new neighbors if you take them to the nearby park, playground of a shopping mall. Just follow their lead.
For people living on their own, pets serve the same purpose. Pet owners can easily meet and greet the neighbors in the street and develop friendships afterward if the neighbors are animal lovers as well.
These are all informal ways of introducing yourself to neighbors:
- Go for a walk – with your partner, children, or a dog. It’s a good way to introduce yourself to new neighbors
- Shop locally
- Spend time on your porch or in the front yard
- Ask for advice or recommendation
- Throw a party
- Volunteer to help in the community
Love thy neighbor as thyself
First found in the Old Testament, this commandment has been repeated many a time, and it is as plain as it sounds: Love your neighbor as yourself. If you want to be neighborly, it comes down to this golden rule, or in other words: Treat others as you would like to be treated.
People who moved into your neighborhood may be lonely, homesick and needing a helping hand. That elderly lady next door needs someone to give delicious brownies to, in exchange for a friendly word now and then. The kid on the first floor needs someone to show him how to play those bass right.
They say that the 21st century is about emotional intelligence and social ties more than anything else. You chose the same neighborhood which means you value the same things in life. With that in common, other things matter much less. So, go and introduce yourself to new neighbors! You will thank yourself for it.