We judge the judging once and for all
We all have moments where we let the overgrowth crawl too far up the fence or when clutter makes the house look “lived in”—and not in a good way. And while we can simply ignore it, the opinion of friends, family, and neighbors on these issues can feel stressful. What’s more, most of us are no strangers to passing judgment on others’ homes.
So, which domestic faux pas are turning up the most noses? We conducted a survey to find out what U.S. homeowners are really judging the harshest. Here’s what we learned.
Our state-by-state survey determined that 46 out of 50 states judge the cleanliness of outdoor spaces over the state of the lawn, which is good news for those of us who haven’t yet mastered growing the greenest grass. Things like keeping the hose neatly rolled up, clearing away toys and clutter, and ensuring the yard stays free of debris and litter are the true key to making a good impression in most states.
However, a few outlier states named lawn care as their number one thing to scrutinize. Here are the states that value keeping up with lawn care the most:
Alabama
Oklahoma
Texas
Wyoming
Maybe you have trouble sticking to your cleaning checklist or you’re a home chef with a penchant for potent dishes. Either way, you might wonder which areas of weakness garner the most judgment from your guests. While home cleanliness and aroma both play a role, there was a clear winner between the two.
Overwhelmingly, the number one aspect people judged when it came to home interiors was cleanliness, capturing the opinion of 43 out of 50 states. After all, who hasn’t said “sorry for the mess!” when inviting in a guest? Apologizing for a smell, on the other hand, is a bit tougher.
Our surveyed homeowners also got candid about their thoughts on gossiping, filing HOA complaints, sneaking a gander at the prices and interiors of others’ homes, and more. Here are the most interesting takeaways from their answers.
It’s one thing to have an inner monologue about the state of someone else’s home, but secretly discussing it with others is different—and it’s where many draw the line. Only 34.32% of homeowners admit to gossiping about their neighbor's yards or homes. Arkansas and Oregon are the only states with homeowners who admit to gossiping about their neighbors.
Apparently, that inherent nesting instinct is difficult to ignore. Around 62% of surveyed homeowners think about how they would decorate when visiting another’s space. The only states that didn’t think about it were:
Hawaii
Maine
Montana
New Mexico
Pennsylvania
Utah
West Virginia
Wyoming
While many imagine how they’d decorate a space, over 64.2% of homeowners claim they aren’t envious of their neighbor’s home. The only two states that were envious were Virginia and Wyoming.
Of the homeowners who admitted to getting envious of their neighbor's home, 29.82% of them said it was due to the size of the home. In a close second, 28.7% of homeowners state the reason was the style of the home.
Most U.S. homeowners seem to have learned their lesson from Rear Window: 69.84% of homeowners claim they have never looked into a neighbor's window to see what the inside of their home looks like.
In our survey, 50.4% of homeowners claim they haven’t sneaked a peak at the price of their friend/boss/neighbor's home. Similarly, when a house goes on sale in their neighborhood, 55.36% of homeowners admit to immediately opening Zillow to check out the photos and the price.
It’s easy to forget about the trash cans on pickup day, but rest assured that most of your neighbors aren’t thinking twice. Only 32.12% of homeowners judge their neighbors when they don't bring in their trash cans right away. The only outliers who did judge were Nevada and Oklahoma.
It might seem like busybodies are a natural symptom of HOAs, but the formal complainers are apparently few and far between. In our survey, 82% of homeowners say they haven’t complained to their HOA about their neighbors, with 25.75% saying their complaint was about noise.
Open houses might leave the door open for sneaky in-person judging, but most U.S. homeowners aren’t taking the bait. Of the survey respondents, 67.92% claim they never attended an open house for a friend or neighbor’s listing for the sole purpose of judging. Procuring free cookies or pinwheel sandwiches is likely a different story.
You can tell a lot about a person from their home, and some homeowners use hangouts as an excuse to scope out the scene. Around 80% of homeowners claim they have never requested to hang out with a neighbor or friend to be nosy and look inside. On the other hand, 20.88% of homeowners admit to hanging out with a neighbor or friend just to look inside their home.
We’re often our own harshest critics, and those anxiety-driven thoughts about what others think usually mean that there’s something we’re unhappy with. It may seem daunting at first, but if you’re worried about how your home comes off to others, now is a great time to beef up your arsenal of cleaning hacks, get over those home organization roadblocks, give your lawn some TLC, and clean your home’s exterior for maximum curb appeal. It’s also wise to get a quick home cleaning routine down pat so you can tidy in a jiffy before guests arrive.
Building a home you can take pride in takes work, but the rewards and peace of mind are more than worth it. If all else fails, you can always hand it to a local landscaper or a home cleaning service near you to help you accomplish—and stick to—your goals once and for all.
