Not exactly what I had in mind...
Our good ole' neighbors across the street - you know, the ones with the rake on the roof and all the crap in their driveway - got a new car a week or two ago. Great, you say, so how does it affect me? Her new car is for sale. Again, no problem, right? Well, she has decided to park the one for sale right in front of our house. I understand when you have umpteen cars at your house due to your many guests, parking can be a problem - sometimes it is unavoidable to park in front of neighbor's homes. BUT, our yard is NOT a car lot, and I do not want your dormant car parked in front of MY house with a big 'For Sale' sign on it.
I know I'm starting to sound like the annoying neighbor here, but I'm so sick of their crap. I have to say, they have made some improvements around their house lately. The rake, I am happy to say, has been removed. Thrown in their front yard, but at least it's off the roof. And yesterday, they moved all the boulders to their back yard. Their lawn is now covered with straw, so it looks like they actually planted grass seed. YOWZA!
Having witnessed their antics over the years, it's safe to say they're not the most mature peeps on the block. I thought of going over there and asking them to move the car, but again, was worried it would backfire if I pissed them off. If it was the neighbor on either side of us, I wouldn't worry, but these people...well, they're a different breed ya might say. So I thought, isn't it illegal to park a car with a 'For Sale' sign on a public street anyway? Maybe I could say WE got a call or something asking us to remove it. It is in front of our house afterall. But, no, their number is on the car, so that wouldn't make sense. I could say I got a letter from the city, but then they might ask to see it.
I know I sound like a bitch, but our house is up for sale this weekend, and they're eyesore enough, I don't need them parking their crap in front of our house for display.
So I called the City to ask if it was legal or not, to see if I have anything to back it up if I do confront the neighbor. The woman on the phone said she doesn't handle it, since it's on the street I would have to call the non-emergency Police Department number. Okay...so I did. I wish I would've thought before doing so, or at least given our neighbor a few more days to move the car on their own (it's been in front of our house for three), but being as impulsive as I am, I called immediately.
Me: Is it legal to have a car parked outside our house, on the street, with a 'For Sale' sign on it.
Police: No, mam. What's your address?
Me: Uh... XXXXXXX. It's not my car, it's my neighbor's.
PO: How long has it been there?
Me: Three days. I don't want her to know I called. I don't want to start anything with my neighbor. I just wanted to find out....
PO: We'll send someone right over. What kind of car is it?
Me: XXXXXXXXX. I...uh...just wanted to check. Damn.
I was really hoping they'd just send a warning letter or something. This sucks. Damn. I hate to be "THAT GUY." The one that calls to report their neighbors, when they should have the balls to just go talk to their neighbors themselves. Ugh. Crap.
Oh well. We'll see how this plays out. Let's hope we don't wake up with a rake or two on our roof in the morning.
Blech.
Updated to Add: She moved the car. I didn't see a police car drive by, but I saw her on the phone outside with a slip of paper in her hand. Of course, I then felt bad. I should've handled it differently. It started off with me just wanting to make a call to get all the facts before I went over there...it just didn't work out that way. I took the easy way out. Hind sight's a bitch!
