In a sense of understanding the wife's perspective, proximity is just as important as the other major factors that affect how likely a relationship is to begin. There was a cool study of college students who lived in an apartment style building that showed you were most likely to begin a relationship with the person who had a door immediately next to yours. The only exception to that was for the person who had a door immediately next to the mailboxes. Proximity matters because it lets another person see you enough to form opinions based on a lot of interactions, and we all know someone who 'shines' despite their physical looks.

Plot twist: new neighbor was wearing a shirt that read, "I <3 dad bods," and was already flirting (asking for help moving boxes /eyeroll) with the guy in sweatpants.