How to Find Neighbor’s Name by Address: Our Favorite Methods
Cindy Ellis - May 5, 2023
It seems like the days of neighbors welcoming you to the neighborhood with a casserole are long gone, so it’s hard to know who is who. Of course, feeling safe in your home is a priority, so you want to know who lives in your building or neighborhood. Neighbors can also be a valuable source of community and become lifelong friends.
Getting to know your neighbors can be difficult or awkward, however. Fortunately, you can get to know a little about your neighbors without knocking on their door and appearing nosy.
You don’t have to wait for the postal service to misdeliver your neighbor’s mail to your box to know their names, though that is a surprisingly likely occurrence. There are more certain methods to find their information on your own timeline instead.
In this guide, we’ll look at a couple of ways to get some basic information about the people around you, starting with their names.
Online Search Tools
In this digital age, there are more tools than ever to discover the basic stats of people. For example, you can use the reverse address search tool available on Information.com. With just a street address you can find the names of current residents and sometimes previous residents. You might also find information such as phone numbers and email addresses.
In the United States, the are other search tools that can also be valuable, especially for prospective homeowners. For example, most states have a publicly accessible sex offender registry. Especially for those buying a house to raise their family, checking to see if any potential neighbors are registered sex offenders should be part of your research.
Most townships also make their tax records publicly available on municipal websites. You’ll be able to see how much property tax was paid in the previous tax year by whoever owned the property.
It should be noted that the owner of the property may not be the current resident if the property was recently sold or if they are using it as a rental. You can also cross-reference how recently the owners of a property have changed by checking realty websites like Zillow.
Once you have a name, you can always indulge your curiosity by looking up their social media profiles. If they have public profiles, you can learn a little about their interests, political leanings, and their family.
The Old-Fashioned Way
Of course, if digital search tools make you uncomfortable or have you feeling like a snoop, you could always try to make contact in a more personal way to get to know your neighbors. Just don’t be disappointed if some of the neighbors aren’t keen to socialize just because they live in the same neighborhood or building.
You can always be bold and knock on your neighbor’s door, to say hello and introduce yourself, or write a brief letter introducing yourself and asking them to call or write you in return. If that feels a bit too forward, there are other ways to meet neighbors.
Find the “Third Place”
If you live in a community that has nearby gathering spots, you can often meet neighbors there. Find the nearby pub, cafe, or community park that attracts many from your neighborhood, and enjoy a visit on the weekend or after work one evening.
Once you find it, you’re likely to see your neighbors similarly having a break in the “third place” of your community. A third place is an essential social spot beyond your home (place one) and your work (place two) where you can gather and get to know your neighbors while having a break from the duties of life.
Get Involved
Many communities still have periodic town hall meetings or building meetings to discuss current local or building issues. Topics like proposed renovations, safety, and upcoming events are often discussed. While they may not garner the attendance of every neighbor, it’s a great way to get to know others who live in your area and also take an interest in what’s happening around you.
Similarly, volunteer groups can also be a great way to get to know your neighbors and also give you some altruistic purpose when you can spare the time. Local churches, Boys and Girls clubs, Adopt-a-Highway groups, and other clubs and organizations do outreach within the community. You can get to know fellow volunteers, but also neighbors that may need a helping hand.
Host an Event
If there aren’t many community events within your neighborhood, you can always host your own. You can host a barbecue or open house at your place that the neighbors are invited to.
Drop a little flyer at each door or put up a sign in your yard advertising the event. Then sit back, and wait to see who arrives. Get to know your neighbors and catch up on neighborhood gossip over a cold beer or a hot cup of tea.
Yard sales are also fantastic ways to meet your neighbors. In the spring and summer keep an eye out for yard sale signs popping up and feel free to hold your own to bring in your neighbors and have the added benefit of clearing out things you no longer need.
Some towns will even have a garage or yard sale weekend in the community calendar that many people participate in to shed the excess they don’t need anymore. You can participate yourself or enjoy walking down the block meeting your neighbors and having a look at their interesting old junk.
Find Your Neighbor’s Name
While it’s less common now to be close-knit with your neighbors, there’s still no reason to have no idea who lives around you. There’s a lot of anonymity in neighborhoods, but there doesn’t have to be.
You can use modern digital tools to find the names of your neighbors and sometimes even more information. When looking to ensure your family’s safety, this can be a really helpful starting place.
You can also use some in-person strategies to get to know your neighbors personally and maybe even forge lifelong friends. If you’ve found your forever home, having friends for your children to play with and companions for you to do activities with can help you enjoy your neighborhood a lot more.
