I tell my neighbours that I’m not a bad neighbour, I’m just not a nosey one; if whatever they are doing does not affect me…I don’t care!
There is an old expression that says…”good fences make good neighbours.”
But, I suppose that what a person considers a good neighbour will depend upon what you want or need.
A couple with children may want some neighbours that also have children for play dates and perhaps the occasional sitter.
An older couple may wish to have a couple around their own age in order to have someone to share “old times” or have as a companion for various activities.
Me…I’d love to have a bunch of musicians as neighbours.
I had one for a short time and it was really cool. we figured if the flats were filled with musicians, we would have the happies porch in the neighbourhoodd!
I once lived in a high rise building filled with people who essentially had no life or business of their own so they wanted to mind mine. THAT is the one thing I do not want in a neighbour…a person who always has their nose stuck in my affairs. I am of the sort that if I want you to know something, then I will tell you.
I don’t go in for gossip, but good conversation is always welcome. And proper respect for my privacy and leave me be when I am trying to work. I enjoy sitting outside whenever the weather is nice; living in snow country, we spend a good bit of the time inside and when it is nice, I want to sit outside; but that doesn’t mean I have nothing to do. Outside in the warm air seems to help me think when I am trying to write.
Besides my musician neighbour, the best neighbours I had were a group of college students from Romania – Transylvania actually – who were over here for the summer to work. I only heard them (they were in the flat over me) was about three times all summer when the Bulgarians came over for a party. But even that wasn’t bad, they had good music 🙂
Sharing music is never a bad thing for me; although there are times when I am not a fan of the music they are playing (like rap; especially the profane filled rap).
What makes a good neighbour depends on who you are and what you want; so there really isn’t one specific description – it is not a black/white, right or wrong issue.