RottenNeighbor.com - Are Your New Neighbors Cool?

When I first saw this site, I thought it was a joke. And in effect it may be, but it purports to be quite serious. It is a real estate search engine site that wants to empower new homeowners about the people living on their potential new streets. The creator is quite serious in thinking that is the one piece of information new homeowners never have, and yet it hugely impacts one's quality of life. That is true, I can attest to that. However, when I entered my home zip code the complaints registered were suspiciously similar in writing style and issue...making me think people are just taking this site for what it seems like, a joke. The emphasize on the site that they are not part of the real estate industry and only make money from advertising on the site.

"We are the first real estate search engine of its kind that helps you find bad neighbors before you move so you don't regret the purchase of your new house, home, condo or apartment.

Our goal is to be an exceptionally smart assistant when you are looking to move into a new neighborhood. We hope that you will be able to find your dream home in your dream neighborhood by using our data and information provided by other users such as yourself. We then hope you will return the favor to other home buyers by adding to our database.

It doesn't matter if you are moving down the street or all the way across the county, we are here to help you find and discover bad neighbors no matter where you are thinking about relocating. When you are going to make one of the biggest decisions in your life we are here to help you make a choice you won't regret later when you might discover a bad neighbor living right next door. We show you detailed maps of states, counties, cities and neighborhoods all searchable by ZIP code.

We depend on users like you to submit bad neighbors to our maps. By doing so you will be adding to our real estate search engine and improving the home buying experience for thousands of people.

RottenNeighbor is also a tool for real estate agents to market their services and discover homes that they can feel more confident in showing knowing there are not bad neighbors nearby."

It is true that bad neighbors can sour any living situation, and that it is nearly impossible to figure out who your neighbors are before purchasing a home or condo. This site seems to be part of the new online consumer revolution aiming to arm the home buyer with as much relevant info as possible to help them make an informed decision.

While it is true any neigbhor can sour a living situation, it is not true that it is easy, fair or practical to write about it on an open forum. Who is really writing these comments about neighbors and how does the site monitor posts to avoid teenage boys writing up anything and everything they can think to write? Plus, who in seriousness would write about a neighbor and not fear some kind of retaliation?