Wow, what a gorgeous front yard.I know your neighbors are injoying it too..Beautiful roses,you have.I wish I had you for a neighbor,instead of what I am stuck with :-) Thanks for sharing your gorgeous yard. Jean

If the home is priced less than the interior neighbors, then it's probably priced according to it's "defects" and if you had to sell, you'd also price it less than it's interior neighbors. If they are asking the same for it as the comps with a better location, then you have some negotiating power in it's location defects. Personally, it sounds lovely. Backing up to a large maintained garden is a big plus. All of the viewing pleasure with none of the work! And any of the children that would frequent the spot won't be of the noisy run around shrieking type that a park might have. A brick wall with foliage is usually a pretty good sound barrier except right at rush hour, so make sure to visit the home at the times you would actually be outside enjoying the yard, as well as rush hour to see if the noise migrates into the home's interior. If the noise is a mostly non issue, then negotiate hard, and you will probably love living in such a spot for many years.

Found the article. The author was from England which probably explains the left hand theory. From the story: My sister and I were among the most successful pickpocket teams in London. We worked hotel and theater lobbies, airports, shopping centers, restaurants. We're straight now, but this crime is worldwide. Here's how to protect yourself: Professional pickpockets do not see victims, only handbags, jewelry and money. Mothers with babies, the elderly, the disabled are all fair game. My preferred target was the lone female, handbag dangling at her side - the right side to be exact, so if I'm next to her I can reach it discreetly with my right hand across my body. Only about one woman in a thousand carries her bag on the left, and I tended to steer clear of them. Most dippers work with a "staller," almost always a woman. She stands to the victim's right. The timing is crucial. As I move in from behind, the staller casually takes a half step closer to the target and moves her left hand - the one nearest the victim - so that her elbow juts out above the handbag, obscuring it from the victim's view, security cameras or store detectives. Women whose bags are hanging in front of them are tricky for the pickpocket, as there isn't a blind side. If you want to make it even harder, use a bag with handles rather than a strap. My pet peeve was the handbag with a clasp on the side and a zipper underneath. They take twice as long to do - about five seconds. Worse still are women who keep their wallets in an inside zipped pocket. And a new bag, especially one made of leather, is much stiffer, making it harder to open without the owner feeling it. Toughest of all is the fanny pack, because it's worn at the front. A pickpocket needs targets who are relaxed and preoccupied. The perfect setting is a clothing store. Customers bustle among the racks, completely distracted as they hold up items. The presence of a uniformed security guard is even better. False reassurance makes a pickpocket's job much simpler. Women should check that their bags are closed and held in front of them or under their arms. Men should keep a hand on their wallets. Then the article goes on to say how he got caught and was sentenced to seven years in jail. Reader's Digest

I met with the coordinator today and had a tour of the facility. It's lovely. It's warm and cozy and has a real home-like feel about it. There are approximately 40 residents, and I met quite a few of them. One of the ladies asked the coordinator, "Where'd you find this pretty girl?" and that was so cute, as it's been ages since anyone's called me pretty or a girl! ;-) From the minute I walked in the door, folks were friendly. As I sat in the lobby and waited for the coordinator to meet me, a couple of ladies (residents) were sitting out there and they immediately started chatting with me. Just so very friendly, and obviously eager for someone NEW to talk to. There are numerous activities throughout each day, and I may be able to pop in some evenings but mostly my involvement will be on the weekends. Playing games with the residents, reading stories to them, or just taking them out into the beautiful garden courtyard on nice days so that they can get some fresh air. And talking. I'm sure there will be PLENTY of talking. The facility has a photo wall where they post pictures of residents fulfilling their "bucket list." Several of the ladies had always wanted to go to the theater, so there are photos of them dressed up at a production. One gentleman wanted to go fishing, and there's a photo of him kissing the fish he'd caught. One sweet little lady wanted to ride a motorcycle, but was too scared to get on the back of one, so they found one with a sidecar and she rode in that. As you can imagine, her photo was just beyond precious. This is a Level B facility, which was explained to me to be a facility in which the residents require SOME assistance but are generally mobile and able to feed themselves. One of the women who lives there has a little dog, and two of the men have cats. One is actually a kitten, and the receptionist told me how lonely he had been until he got this little cat, which now sleeps on his shoulders. I'm so looking forward to going back and getting involved. I felt I did pretty well today in stepping outside my own comfort zone and engaging with the residents, trying not to be self-conscious or shy. I'm pretty sure I even detected a streak of mischief in some of the women. This may be interesting! Certainly it will be a blessing to me, to be able to share some time with my new neighbors across the street.