The problem: We're selling our house this spring. The problem is that our next-door-neighbors are, well, trashy. Their yard is unkempt, their house paint is chipping and their cars clutter the driveway. To make things harder, they are the nicest people in the world. But I'm worried about potential buyers being turned off.

Low road: Get a few of those "We Buy Ugly Houses!" signs and stick 'em under their door.

High road: Your neighbors' lack of tidiness could be off-putting to potential buyers. Their mess also could affect the price you get for your house. On the other hand, your immaculately kept house isn't guaranteed to stay that way. It, too, could turn over to someone more like your neighbors. Blocks, and the people who populate them, bring a range of skills and differing priorities. (I live in fear that the garden gurus on my block will notice that I kill everything I plant.)

Your hesitation to call them out is kind. Maybe somebody's out of a job and they're focusing less on yard art and more on putting food on the table. Maybe they just don't care about that stuff. You don't want to make things worse for them by judging, and you don't want to make things worse for yourself by creating tension in the months before you do sell.

Depending on how well you know them, you might go over with homemade cookies. Tell them you're putting your house on the market soon, and that people will be coming by to look the place over. With any luck, they'll get the message. And if they don't, add a "wonderful neighbors" sentence to your selling materials.

Send questions about life's little quandaries to gail.rosenblum@startribune.com. Read more of Gail's "High Road" columns at startribune.com/highroad