Totally agree about clarity upfront. I've seen neighbors start off best buddies only to end up barely speaking because of driveway drama. Diagrams sound boring, but hey, beats arguing over inches of gravel later on...
Yeah, diagrams might seem tedious, but have you considered maintenance responsibilities too? Like, who covers snow removal or pothole repairs down the line? I've seen situations where neighbors agreed on access but never clarified upkeep—ended up with one neighbor footing the bill and resentment building fast. Maybe worth hashing out those details upfront as well... saves headaches later.
"I've seen situations where neighbors agreed on access but never clarified upkeep—ended up with one neighbor footing the bill and resentment building fast."
This is spot-on advice. When we bought our first house, the previous owners had a casual agreement with neighbors about driveway access. Seemed fine at first, but winter rolled around and suddenly we were the only ones shoveling snow at 6 AM... not fun. Eventually, we sat down together, hashed out responsibilities, and even made a simple written agreement. Honestly, it cleared the air and made things way smoother. Better to tackle it early than let small annoyances snowball into bigger issues later.
Yeah, learned this the hard way myself. Our place has a shared driveway, and when we moved in, everything was super casual—just a handshake deal. Worked fine until the driveway started cracking and needed repaving. Guess who ended up paying the majority of the bill? Yup, me. It wasn't malicious or anything, just that nobody had ever really talked about it clearly.
Eventually, we all sat down, hashed it out, and split future costs evenly. Honestly, wish we'd done that from day one. It seems awkward at first, but better to have that slightly uncomfortable convo upfront than deal with frustration and resentment later on. I'd say if your neighbor wants access, that's fine—but get clear on maintenance, snow removal, repairs, etc. Maybe even jot down something informal just to keep everyone honest.
Yeah, totally get that it's awkward, but have you thought about how you'll handle things if one of you decides to sell later on? Might be good to clarify that stuff upfront too... saves headaches down the road.
