"Did you find neighbors responded better to signage or landscaping overall?"
Honestly, landscaping all the way. Had a client once who put up a big "Future Home of..." sign and got mostly eye-rolls and awkward waves. But another client just planted some nice shrubs, a couple flower beds (nothing fancy, mind you), and suddenly neighbors were stopping by with muffins and gardening tips. People seem to warm up faster when they see you're invested in making the place look good—even if you're not building right away. Just my two cents...and maybe worth a muffin or two.
Totally agree about landscaping being the better icebreaker. Signs always seem a bit...corporate? Had a similar experience myself—bought a plot intending to wait a year or two before building. Didn't even do anything fancy, just cleared out some weeds, put down fresh mulch, and planted a few trees. Next thing I know, neighbors I'd never met were stopping by to chat or offering to lend tools. Pretty sure one couple secretly watered my saplings when I was away (they deny it, but who else would?).
Maybe it's because landscaping feels like you're already contributing something tangible to the neighborhood vibe, rather than just promising future improvements? Signs kinda scream "stay tuned," while landscaping quietly says "hey, I'm here now." Just my theory anyway...and sadly no muffins involved in my case, but I did score some homemade jam once.
That's a great point about landscaping feeling more immediate and neighborly compared to signs. I had a similar experience when we bought our lot a few years back. Initially, we just left it untouched, thinking we'd wait until we had a solid building plan. But after a couple months, the weeds were getting embarrassingly tall, and I swear the neighbors were giving us side-eye every time we drove by.
Eventually, we caved and spent a weekend clearing it out, planting some shrubs, and putting in a simple gravel path—nothing fancy, just enough to show we cared. Sure enough, within days, neighbors we'd never spoken to before started waving and stopping by to chat. One older gentleman even brought over some extra mulch he had lying around, claiming he "needed the space in his garage." (Yeah, right.)
I think you're onto something with the idea that landscaping signals you're already invested in the community. Signs do feel a bit like corporate placeholders—like those "Coming Soon" banners on empty storefronts that stay empty for years. Landscaping, even minimal stuff, says you're already part of the neighborhood fabric.
Funny enough, we didn't get muffins or jam either, but one neighbor did drop off zucchini from their garden. And by zucchini, I mean enough zucchini to feed a small army. We were eating zucchini bread, zucchini pasta, zucchini everything for weeks...
Curious though—has anyone had the opposite experience? Like, you put up a sign first and actually got positive responses from neighbors? Maybe it's just my neighborhood vibe, but I'd be interested to hear if signs ever worked better for someone else.
We actually had a sign up first and it wasn't terrible. A few neighbors stopped by to ask about our plans, but yeah, landscaping definitely made a bigger difference. Guess signs just feel less personal somehow...
Totally agree about landscaping making a bigger impact. Signs can feel a bit impersonal or even temporary, like you're still deciding what to do. I've noticed that neighbors tend to relax once they see you're actively caring for the property—mowing regularly, planting trees, or even just clearing brush. It signals you're invested in the community, even if building plans are still up in the air...
