Moving someplace new can be a fun and exciting experience, providing ample opportunities to reinvent yourself and make new friends. However, it can sometimes feel overwhelming when it comes to determining the best course of action to accomplish this. To help ease your transition, Contemporary Management Concepts, LLLP is providing tips and ideas to help meet your new neighbors and make potentially lifelong connections.
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Making friends is going to take some work and sitting inside all day won’t do you any good, no matter how personable you are. Try hanging out in common areas and striking up conversations with other neighbors in the hallways, elevators, or on walks throughout the property. An easy way to make friends is to take your pet on frequent walks. Being a pet owner not only gives you more reasons to go out in the community but also gives you an automatic icebreaker with neighbors. Be sure to introduce yourself and try to find common ground with others by showing genuine interest in what they have to say.
Amenities are a perfect place to meet fellow residents. After all, they’re a laid-back space and are sure to attract residents with similar interests. Make sure to choose a community that offers a wide variety of on-site amenities, such as our apartments in Gainesville, as they provide ample opportunities to socialize with fellow residents. If you live in a community like ours, make use of as many facilities as possible. Even if something doesn’t necessarily fall into line with your current hobbies, you never know what kind of interesting people you’ll meet while trying something new.
A housewarming party is a traditional way to meet your neighbors for a reason. It takes the pressure off of approaching people while still letting them know that you are interested in getting to know them. You can make it an open invitation event or invite specific people to keep the numbers low. However, if you haven’t been in the community long, it might be a better idea to welcome as many people as you can to ensure that you have the chance to talk with an abundance of interesting people. Just make sure you can accommodate everyone you invite!
While housewarming parties may have been how our parents met their neighbors, social media is changing how people today meet one another. There are even websites dedicated to meeting new people with similar interests and hobbies. If you’ve never used online resources to meet people before, moving to a new area is the perfect time to try it out. Just make sure to exercise caution when getting to know someone and never disclose sensitive personal information such as your address.
A new area also means new sights, shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues to explore. And more likely than not, other residents from your community will be hanging out at these same locales. Instead of shopping or dining at big-name chains, check out local mom and pop stores and restaurants. Not only does this help support the whole community, but you’ll be able to get an insider view of the area’s culture and people. If you find a place that you like, invite a neighbor to try it with you sometime.
Similar to inviting new people to hang out, don’t be so quick to shoot down invitations given to you. Going to events or places that may be just outside your comfort zone is not only an excellent way to grow as an individual but can also be a fun outlet to connect with others. Keeping safety a priority, it doesn’t hurt to try different things — you never know what you’re going to like and who you’re going to meet as a result of trying something new.