Hello, I am currently in the process of purchasing 3.911 acres in PA. At the inspection, a group of neighbors (to my surprise) came walking up the 80+ yard driveway and introduced themselves and said they come up all the time to see the waterfall and it's the only thing for them to do in that rural area. It wasn't put as a question, it was a direct statement, like this is what we do and why.
I hate to piss off my neighbors before I even move in so I mentioned that I have a large dog who will be roaming the property (hoping that would deter them from coming at their leisure) but they responded with they were getting a dog too. I said I would not want to see the dogs get into a fight since they don't know each other, but they again got around that by saying they wouldn't bring their dog. The conversation ended when I told them I had to get back to the inspector.
The way it was put, it was like they were letting me know that they were going to keep doing it. and because negotiations on the house are not final yet, I didn't want to address it right then because it's not my house, yet.
My fear is that these people are going to be mad that they can't make my property part of their walks anymore, and that the kids will give my 1st grader a hard time (they will be going to the same school and riding the same bus). There were two kids slightly older than my son and one who was slightly younger than my other son. I would like to have everyone over for play dates, it is an incredible piece of land that I want to let others enjoy, just on my terms since it is my home. The waterfall is right outside the house at the top of the driveway, so it is just too close for comfort to have people walking up with no notice.
Does anyone have any advice on how to make it clear I do not want people coming up without talking to me first, but still seem like a nice neighbor? I don't want to burn any bridges, but for privacy and liability reasons, they just can't keep coming whenever they want. Thank you!
