New neighbours: Weird or ... Weirder?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Earlier this year, my next-door neighbours put their house up for sale. A sale ensued, and at the end of March, the old neighbours moved out, with the help of a couple of cars packed to the gills, and two 35’ U-Haul trucks. We had a farewell beer, and promised to keep in touch. They were great neighbours, and I’m glad to know them. They left me with the knowledge that the buyers were a young couple, but that was all they knew.

A couple of days later, the new neighbours moved in. No U-Hauls, no moving vans, just a pickup truck that made a couple of trips. And an SUV, containing a couple who turned out to be their parents. Whom I met, when getting out to get into my own car. “Hello,” I said, walking across the driveway. “You must be the new neighbours. My name’s Spoons,” and I extended my hand.

They appeared a little nervous at my greeting, but they shook my hand and admitted that they weren’t the new neighbours; they were one of the couple’s parents, and the couple was all moved in. But we had a nice chat, and I continued on my way.

Since then (about three weeks), I have not seen the new neighbours once. Not getting in their cars to go to work, not on their back porch (which is in clear view from my sunroom), not even out looking at the potential for summer gardening in the front yard. They’re invisible. Their cars stay in the driveway (one is unplated), and it took them three days to bring in their garbage bin after the city collected the garbage last week. Their kitchen light stays on all the time, but all exterior lights are off. They have a dog, as indicated by its barks, but it never seems to go for a walk.

So, very little stuff to move in (two pickup trucks worth to fill a house, really?), not out and about in the normal course of people’s affairs, and an unwalked dog. Are they just shy, or is this a front of some kind?

Note that I am not implying anything nefarious. Everything could be perfectly innocent. I’m just finding it weird, and I’d appreciate you Dopers’ thoughts.

2

Neighbors who keep to themselves are good neighbors.

Also, maybe you should put up one of those motion sensor cameras in case you miss anything :wink:

3

Hey, this could be a sequel to The 'Burbs!

5

My buddy Mike has motion sensing cameras in his front and back yards. He mainly sees cats and raccoons. A few of us have taken advantage of this, doing rude things for the cameras.

6

Ask them if you can use their shower.

7

Or borrow a hat.

Those two are the real tests.

8

A young couple just buying a first house might not have much to move in. I know I didn’t way back when.

And staying inside? Well, we’re still in a pandemic, so maybe they’re just cautious. Plus, if they’re working from home, that explains the cars never moving.

Plus, a lot of people these days seem to want places where they just stay in the house all the time (even pre-pandemic, this seemed to be the trend). There are several large developments around here that are just massive houses on tiny lots. “Back yards” that can barely fit a BBQ, “Front yards” not even long enough to park a car in the driveway. I figure anyone who buys a place like that expects to spend 99% of their time in the house. Maybe these people are the same way.

9

Neighbors are different now. Used to be you knew your neighbors. I know the first names of the couple who live upstairs (condo) but not their last name or what they do, or anything else. People just keep to themselves and have no interest in being neighborly. I apparently have reached the old person status…

10

Perhaps they work the night shift, and they are asleep when you are awake?

11

I’m 64, my gf is 63. We live on a private road with two neighbors (two couples). We are the youngest people on our road. We are all friendly and help each other out; loaning tools, lending a hand, picking up mail over vacations, etc. When we are inundated with chicken eggs we share our bounty and the neighbor with a garden does likewise.

12

You’re in America, right ? Can’t you just shoot them ?
I’m joking !

13

Only when it’s neighbor season.

14

Witness protection program.

The “parents” are their FBI handlers.

15

Maybe they bought the house before they were ready to completely move, and they’re still spending a lot of time at their old place?

16

“Should we go outside and check out our new front yard?”
“No way! Weird neighbor who won’t stop staring at our house is still out there.”

17

Yeah, we have these popping-up around here as well. Technology and stuff inside seem to be more important than having a yard to care for.

We have a neighbor across the street similar to the OP. We were friendly with the old neighbor, but they moved out and the people that moved-in totally keep to themselves. At first, they were able to park in their garage, and if we were out front doing yard work or playing with the kids, they would drive toward us, their garage door would open, the car would pull-in, the door would start going down before they even had the car turned off. When they leave, the garage door would open and it seemed like they already had the car running, they would back out of the garage/driveway quickly, then bolt off down the street at high speed while the door was closing. Occasionally I would get a piece of their mail in error and walk it over there, ring the doorbell and give it to them, they’d respond with a polite thank you. But they barely make eye contact, so now I just leave wayward mail on their doorstep. I know they have a teenage son and can hear him playing basketball on a hoop in their back yard, but he is rarely seen.

Yes, I consider this family weird and an oddity on this street where everyone is friendly, if not friends. But they are quiet and harmless so that beats most other considerations.

18

I’m not sure I get what is unusual about this, as it describes how I enter and leave our integral garage. Pulling in, I usually have one or more dogs in my vehicle and want the door closed asap after I pull in. When I leave I’m usually in a hurry to get where I’m going.

19

Or maybe they’re :man_vampire: :woman_vampire:

20

I vote for this one.

21

It’s a generational thing as best as I can determine.

I’m Gen-X, and we know our neighbors of the same age and the older ones, for the most part. Even the less-social ones are fine with introductions, etc… We just don’t see them very often.

But the under 40 crowd? They’re notoriously antisocial. As in they seem uncomfortable and awkward talking to their neighbors, even for the innocuous introductory chit-chat people normally engage in. There have been multiple couples who have moved into various houses nearby, and they’ve ALL had the same awkward/uncomfortable reaction. Not a one of the Gen-X or older people has had that reaction.

It’s like they missed that day that “normal social interaction” was covered in school or something.