The girl next door isn’t just an idealistic concept starring Elisha Cuthbert. When the situation presents itself, it’s a realistic opportunity for the savvy Player to test his game — and whether you live in an apartment, condo or house, such opportunities shouldn’t be missed.

Keep in mind, however, that scoring your neighbor isn’t the same as landing a bar maid in the dusky shadows of a random club. The woman next door, since she’s privy to a few details that aren’t exactly public knowledge, likely knows a bit more about you than even some of your best friends. Here are some points to remember as you attempt the neighbor hook-up: She may have seen you wear the same tie two days in a row, she might have seen you pick up the newspaper in an old bathrobe and slippers, she’s likely familiar with some facets of your daily life, and she may have received some of your mail, which she discreetly placed in your box.

There are several ways to approach that delectable single female next door, and most require you to be either proactive or subtle with a not-so-hidden ulterior motive. I suppose you could play the flirting game and hope for a magical spark to ignite, but that’s a boring waiting game that isn’t guaranteed to yield results and gives her far too much control of the situation.

If you want a decent shot at some neighborly nooky, take a gander at some of the strategies that I’ve found to be effective. A Player’s warning: In this situation, your anonymity isn’t secure. You’ll have to welcome the girl next door into a part of your life that is normally off-limits to other women. It’s risky, but you have to adapt and assimilate in order to be successful.

Create intimacy from proximity
There are multiple opportunities to create intimate exchanges between the two of you because of the small space (the building’s entrance, elevator, hallway) that you share. The fact is that nothing makes a woman feel more liked, wanted or appreciated than if you ask her for advice on one of her favorite topics. Perhaps you know that she maintains a vegetable garden — ask her the best way to start and use her advice when you plant your garden. Perhaps you know that she’s an accountant — ask for some help with those tricky filings during tax season. There are a million possibilities here, especially if you take the time to do a little research about your desirable neighbor.

A perfect icebreaker is to ask her for a favor when you to leave on a business trip or pleasure cruise. Ask her to watch your place, pick up the mail, water your plants, and feed your cat while you’re away Doing so shows that you see her as a reliable, trustworthy individual, and the situation will provide you with at least two opportunities to talk to her: before and after. And once the “after” rolls around, you now have an excuse to thank her for her efforts while you were gone. The beauty of this plan is its simplicity; we don’t expect you to go psycho and fabricate a trip and sleep in a motel for a few days. That would be a tad extreme.

Invite her to a dinner party
Throwing a party is one of the best ways to meet your neighbors. Single men have been using the social gathering as an excuse to meet their sexy neighbors for years. A simple dinner party is perfect, since you might not know your neighbors well enough to invite them to anything more intimate or private, such as a birthday party. The biggest risk you’ll have is one of timing, meaning that she isn’t available on the night of the party. You can’t keep throwing parties until you hit the one night that she is available. Fortunately, you know a little about her: Her work schedule is similar to yours, so maybe you should consider having the party on a weeknight. You might see her leaving every Tuesday night for a yoga class, so you know that day is out.

It is crucial that you keep the party small, relatively quiet and invite other neighbors, lest she starts to wonder why she’s the only neighbor — and, therefore, the only stranger — at the party. She’ll feel uncomfortable if she shows up and it’s just you and all your friends. And, it should go without saying, keep the single men in attendance to a minimum. This is not a sausage fest; this party is a play to start some conversation and to land a score — period. Everything else is cosmetic.

Be strategic in your encounters
This tip requires subtlety, as it may give the appearance of desperation or stalking — appearances that are unbecoming of a Player. It also asks you to make yourself more visible. Living in close proximity gives you the distinct advantage of showing a side of yourself that the women at the nightclub can’t possibly see — you in your habitat. So, whenever she’s in the vicinity, do something that might make her smile. Let her see you playing catch with your dog on Saturday morning or make those gourmet ingredients obvious to her in the shared elevator ride. Women also love a man who takes care of himself; let her catch a glimpse of you when you go out for a run or hit the gym.

They say that it always helps to be in the right place at the right time. For most situations, it’s all based on luck, but this is a singular scenario. It’s all about being a little observant, being a little open to making your daily schedule coincide with hers and, ultimately, being in her direct line of sight as often as possible. Just don’t go overboard or be too obvious about it.

Keep an eye out for an opening
This option works wonders, provided that you have a previously established rapport — such as passing small talk, a couple of discussions and a laugh or two — with the object of your desire. Once that’s settled, you can look for a chance to play the role of the consoler or helpful healer. For example, you notice that she appears crestfallen one day, and it’s clear she had been crying. It’s your chance to gently ask her if everything’s OK. If not, and she admits to being a little distressed, you can carefully take it one step further and offer your services as a friend to confide in. Another thing to look out for is a cold; if she has the sniffles or a cough, take action and show up at her door with some chicken noodle soup and a box of tissues.

None of this is anything more than pleasant neighborly behavior, but do not cross the line and come on too strong or you’ll run the risk of tearing down everything that you’ve built. You’re a friendly acquaintance, one who has a sensitive and distinctly humanitarian side to your personality. You are a genuinely concerned person who likes to flirt a little — nothing more and nothing less. Even if it’s not true at the moment, tell her that she is cute and you couldn’t resist helping her. You must tread carefully with your technique; if you come on too strong she’ll be offended and reject you and if you don’t come on at all you will forever be lost in the friend zone.

Take note of her personal tastes
Living in close proximity to each other can be either an advantage or disadvantage. Use it to your advantage and sleuth around to discover her likes and dislikes. When you notice her bringing home some DVDs, try to catch a glimpse of the titles. If you can, that just became one of your favorite movies. See where I’m going with this? You can play the other side too. Say, for example, you pass her and a friend in the hall, and she’s talking about that great new album she simply can’t stop listening to. Well, maybe she’ll see you drive in one day with the windows down and the stereo playing songs from that album.

The concept applies to both likes and dislikes, though, so take note and create a running list of things not to do in her presence. You realize quickly she doesn’t like negative people, so don’t go complaining about the weather or your job. Perhaps she doesn’t respond to forward behavior or aggressive guys, and if that’s the case, it’s time to examine the subtler tips, like the dinner party or strategic encounters. And as a general rule of thumb, don’t turn into the creepy, psycho stalker guy. That guy doesn’t enjoy the happy ending; he gets the police called on him and ends up in the clink.

knockin’ the neighbor
Every encounter is different, but scoring your neighbor has an especially original flavor to it. There are multiple opportunities and openings, and as many stumbling blocks that combine to make the situation similar to maneuvering through a minefield with plenty of shortcuts and safe zones. You just have to find these opportunities without losing precious limbs or other parts of your anatomy. Remember: If you screw this one up, she’s your neighbor. You didn’t just blow it with a disco queen at a club — somebody you’ll never see again — you blew it with a woman who sees you every damn day. But if you remember the warnings, keep it casual and heed my advice, your chances of getting a cup of sugar from your neighbor are pretty good.

from askmen.com