It might be obvious once I say it, but the way a neighboring house and its yard look right now isn't necessarily the way they'll look in five years.

Here's what I mean...

Let's say we're taking a look at a house for sale on a beautiful cul-de-sac. Every yard is manicured with nice edging along the driveways. You can tell that everyone takes great pride in caring for their home and yard.  You're excited to buy a house on this cul-de-sac... assuming the house for sale matches what you're hoping for in a new home.

Now say we're touring a different cul-de-sac. Two yards have grass that hasn't been cut in what looks like a month. A couple houses down, there are cars in various states of repair sitting in the driveway. And one neighbor has the cab of a tractor trailer parked in their front yard. You might be less excited to buy the home for sale on this cul-de-sac.

But... keep in mind... neither of those snapshots is permanent.

On the beautiful cul-de-sac, some of those diligent, lawn-care-obsessed sellers are eventually going to sell. And who buys their house next? Maybe a young family with two kids in travel soccer and two full time jobs. Great people. Good neighbors. But maybe mowing every five days and edging the driveway just isn't where their time goes anymore. That beautiful street you fell in love with can slowly look a little less picture perfect over time.

And on the rougher looking cul-de-sac? Those same forces can sometimes work in reverse. The folks with the overgrown yard or the project cars might sell their home. And the next owner might be exactly the kind of diligent, house-proud person who mows twice a week and has that tractor trailer cab hauled away. That street can quickly transform into something much nicer than it looked the day you toured it.

So what do you actually do with this information?

I don't think it means you should ignore how a neighborhood looks. But I do think it means you shouldn't let one snapshot in time make the whole decision for you. Neighborhoods are made up of individual households, and households change. People move, progress through different stages of life, and priorities shift.