# I'm not in the habit of spying on my neighbors, but . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2011, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-in-the-habit-of-spying-on-my-neighbors-but/589335 "2011-07-17T07:58:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-in-the-habit-of-spying-on-my-neighbors-but/589335/41 "2011-07-18T13:58:38Z")
I think my next door neighbors are hoarders. I’ve only seen their garage door open one time, and it was full to the ceiling with boxes - a wall of boxes! No idea how deep it was back towards the inside. For the longest time, they had an old Ranchero or El Camino rusting in their back yard. Recently they had one side of their fence redone, and added a wide gate. Then I saw them getting the El Camino out, and added a big closed-in U-haul type trailer. They have 4 vehicles in their driveway, but it’s just the two of them (an older couple), and their four or five weenie dogs. The HOA asked them to stop parking in the grass near their driveway. They would park at an angle so their ass end wouldn’t hang out in the street because of the big honking Expedition they leave parked there. They’re racists too, but I try not to talk to them much. They’ll talk your ear off, and they know _everything_ because they’ve lived in this neighborhood since it was built. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-in-the-habit-of-spying-on-my-neighbors-but/589335/42 "2011-07-18T14:55:13Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > In the previous house, we had a storage nook-type thing in the bathroom, and it had a few holes in the bottom. Well one evening we noticed light coming form those holes. We went outside and checked the cellar-type door (not underground). The normally padlocked door was unlocked. We weren’t about to approach a potential deranged hobo, but later found out that the neighbor was living down there. Fight with his girlfriend or something. A call to the landlord stopped it for about two days, then he was back. It wouldn’t have been a big deal except he was probably on our power. You didn’t call the police that minute and say “Someone has broken into our cellar and seems to be still in there now, come quick?” There’s no way I could have gone to bed that night knowing some stranger was in my basement! Especially if you thought it might be a deranged hobo! In fact, that’s one of my nightmares…discovering someone is living in a hidden part of my house! Great username/post, though! ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-in-the-habit-of-spying-on-my-neighbors-but/589335/43 "2011-07-18T15:37:39Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > We speculate that they are engaged in some illicit business, but there is rarely any traffic in or out of the house. > > It’s a mystery. They could be hiding a person there! Have there been any missing school girls in your area lately? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-in-the-habit-of-spying-on-my-neighbors-but/589335/44 "2011-07-18T16:36:29Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Whenever I happen to look out one of my front windows, regardless of time of day or night, there’s a car pulling into or out of the driveway. Very strange. > [@PandaBear77](#): > > Drug dealers, darlin’. > [@nikonikosuru](#): > > I’m putting my money on this. Speaking from experience, too. There’s a house in our neighborhood that’s like this. Constant stream of cars coming and going. We used to refer to it as “the crack house” because that’s the only explanation we could come up with. Turns out they run a day care. Although we still call it “the crack house”. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-in-the-habit-of-spying-on-my-neighbors-but/589335/45 "2011-07-18T17:01:30Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > What do you think the large, fearsome dog eats? Not kittens, I don’t think. Or, at least, only the really sick and crippled ones. They are mostly very skittish, having evading the several traps that other neighbors have set out. (Feral kitties leave nasty messes in children’s play areas.) ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-in-the-habit-of-spying-on-my-neighbors-but/589335/46 "2011-07-18T17:03:17Z")
> [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](#): > > They could be hiding a person there! Have there been any missing school girls in your area lately? Yeah, we’ve wondered about that. Especially after, when one neighbor put up a multi-level play area for his kids, the mysterious neighbor made his fence two feet higher to assure they could not look into his back yard. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-in-the-habit-of-spying-on-my-neighbors-but/589335/47 "2011-07-18T17:50:13Z")
The people across the street from me have three daughters between the ages of 9ish -16ish. Between the girls’ litany of after-school and church activities, and the older daughter’s constant stream of dates, there’s literally a car pulling into or out of their driveway at least once an hour. And I think they’re selling weed, too. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-in-the-habit-of-spying-on-my-neighbors-but/589335/48 "2011-07-18T18:11:09Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > We speculate that they are engaged in some illicit business, but there is rarely any traffic in or out of the house. > > It’s a mystery. My guess would be pot. Ask them how much for an ounce. Any chance a Google Map search reveals anything about their backyard? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-in-the-habit-of-spying-on-my-neighbors-but/589335.md?page=2)