The Vast Majority of Americans Like Their Neighbors, Says Survey

Friendliness Most Favorable Trait Among Neighbors; Noisiness Most Annoying

Younger Adults Generally More Bothered By Those Living Nearby

 CARY, N.C., April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly nine out of ten Americans (86 percent) like their neighbors, a sentiment that remains high across all major demographics including age, sex, race and even political party, according to results from a national Xcelerant omnibus survey conducted on behalf of Fathom Realty, a national, cloud-based, real estate brokerage.

Of those Americans that do not like their neighbors, being too noisy (50 percent) is the reason that troubles them the most about their adjacent counterparts, followed by not respecting boundaries (38 percent) and being nosy (37 percent). Gen Z has the highest concentration of individuals who do not like their neighbors (20 percent), which is twice that of their older Baby Boomer counterparts (10 percent).

"It's encouraging to learn that a great majority of Americans like their neighbors and are friendly with them, especially in today's polarized environment," said Josh Harley, CEO of Fathom. "Real estate professionals are currently juggling a lot of factors that impact homebuying decisions. That's why we are committed to providing our agents with the latest tools and resources to help them be more successful, such as free access to an abundance of proprietary hyperlocal real estate data through Fathom Realty's intelliAgent 2.0 platform. Our survey revealed some interesting findings on sentiment when it comes to neighborhoods and the people that live in them that may be helpful to the buying and selling process."  

How friendly are they?

Many Americans seem to have developed positive relationships with their neighbors. Eighty-six percent of survey respondents say they are friendly with their neighbors, although women are less friendly with their neighbors than men, 17 percent vs. 11 percent, respectively. Other findings include:

• 86 percent of both Hispanics and blacks, 85 percent of whites, and 91 percent of all other races say they are friendly with their neighbors.
• 42 percent of men are "very friendly" with the neighbors, compared to 32 percent of women.
• 41 percent of homeowners are "very friendly" with the neighbors, compared to 29 percent of those who rent.
• People in the West and South (41 and 40 percent, respectively) are more likely to be closer to their neighbors saying they are "very friendly" with them, compared to those in the Northeast (33 percent) and Mid-West (29 percent).
• 71 percent of married people say friendliness is what they like best about their neighbors, compared to 59 percent of unmarried adults.

Best and Worst Traits

Overall, 89 percent of Americans like something about their neighbors. Below are how survey respondents ranked what they like most about their neighbors:

1. They are friendly             
2. They are respectful
3. They are considerate    
4. They watch out for us   
5. They are trustful             
6. I can ask them for favors             
7. I can borrow from them
8. They return things borrowed    
9. Our kids can play together          
10. Our pets can play together         

Even though the vast majority of Americans like the people that live nearby, 44 percent of survey respondents are bothered by at least something about their neighbors. Younger people seem to be troubled the most, with 62 percent of Gen Z who say they are bothered by at least something about their neighbors, compared to only 33 percent of Baby Boomers. Below are how respondents ranked what they dislike most about their neighbors:

1. They are noisy/loud
2. They have unruly pets
3. They are nosy and don't mind their business
4. They don't respect boundaries
5. Their house is unattractive/sloppy
6. They abuse parking and park in spaces not theirs
7. They make a mess
8. They leave their children unsupervised
9. They are suspected of criminal behavior
10. They have loud sex

When neighbors become excessive, just 10 percent of Americans say they actually moved, while 24 percent considered moving. The survey also found that younger Americans have slightly less patience and tolerance in these matters, with 35 percent of Gen Z reporting they have considered moving because of their neighbors, compared to 75 percent of Baby Boomers who didn't even give it a thought.

"These types of peripheral criteria found in our survey results are playing an increasing role when it comes to homebuying, especially in the current ultra-competitive market," added Harley. "But the incredible knowledge and insight Fathom agents bring to their clients, coupled with our flat-fee transaction model, will enable both buyers and agents to thrive even with rising interest rates and tight inventories."  

About the survey
The Xcelerant online omnibus survey was conducted from March 31-April 1, 2022 by Directions Research among a demographically balanced nationally representative sample of 1,046 U.S. adults 18 years of age and older, weighted by age, gender, geographic region, race and education. Generations defined as: Generation Z (ages 18-25), Millennials (ages 26-41), Generation X (ages 42-57) and Baby Boomers (ages 58-76).

About Fathom Realty LLC  
Fathom Realty, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fathom Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: FTHM), is a national, cloud-based, real estate brokerage powered by intelliAgent, a proprietary technology platform that simplifies agent transaction management. The Company currently operates in 36 states and the District of Columbia with more than 8,000 agents, who earn higher incomes through Fathom's transaction fee compensation model, plus the ability to offer their clients a host of related services, from title insurance to arranging mortgages, and in some states, homeowner's insurance. Fathom agents also earn stock grants from the Company's publicly traded parent. Fathom Realty is the sixth largest independent firm in the country as ranked by the 2022 RealTrends 500 Ranking Report. For more information, visit www.fathomcareers.com.

Media Contact:  
George Medici  
PondelWilkinson Inc. 
[email protected] 
(310) 279-5980 

Investor Relations Contacts:
Roger Pondel/Laurie Berman 
PondelWilkinson Inc.  
[email protected] 
(310) 279-5980 

Marco Fregenal 
President and CFO 
Fathom Holdings Inc. 
[email protected] 
(888) 455-6040 

SOURCE Fathom Realty