next »

[noof_]

Anyone have experience living on a busy, four-lane street in a mid-sized metro area?

I am considering buying a house on a corner lot on a busy street. The front faces a four-lane street (35mph posted). The driveway is on a side street.

The entrance to a major highway/freeway is about three miles away. While the street is busy, it also has a bike lane.

I work from home a great deal and am concerned about traffic noise. I have a dog, but no children.

Also, for those of you who are selling or recently sold your home, did you have a hard time given the location?

[prytania3]

I lived on 181th Street in Manhattan, which is 4-lane and the way all the ambulances go to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. You get used to the noise, and you won't even notice it until you try to sleep somewhere where it's quiet.

Now I live in a very quiet residential area, but the train track is so close to my living room window, I can wave to people on Metro North and Amtrak. Now I don't even notice it.

[brunhilde]

Having your driveway on a side street will be a big help. I lived on a busy street and the part I hated the most was backing out of the driveway and hoping I didn't get hit by speeders. Make sure you spend time in the house during different times of the day, commute time, weekends, nighttime. I also did not like the traffic noise during the day when I was trying to work, but I didn't notice it at night and it did not keep me up.

If you live in a cold climate, one good thing is that your street will be one of the first plowed.

[drapple]

Make sure the yard is fenced, otherwise soon-no dog!  House sounds great, and $$ may be negotiable downwards due to "undesirable" location--especially if you tell 'em you are gonna have small children there in a few years!!

[n8vtnn]

Make sure you spend time in the house during different times of the day, commute time, weekends, nighttime.

While you're there looking at the house, open the windows so that you can hear what the traffic noise is like.  This is especially important if you're one of those people that likes/loves/has to have windows open during the warm season.

[noof_]

Thanks all. Yes, the yard is fenced. Thankfully, my dog is not a runner. Still, she doesn't have a clue when it comes to cars. That's a huge concern.

Great idea about opening the windows.

[scotia]

I lived on 181th Street in Manhattan, which is 4-lane and the way all the ambulances go to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. You get used to the noise, and you won't even notice it until you try to sleep somewhere where it's quiet.

Now I live in a very quiet residential area, but the train track is so close to my living room window, I can wave to people on Metro North and Amtrak. Now I don't even notice it.

I lived on a main road in a UK city for 15 months and did not get used to the noise: I was very glad to get out to somewhere more peaceful. The biggest problem was the traffic, particularly trucks, accelerating away after stopping; I was a few hundred yards from traffic lights and at busy times the queue extended back beyond my house.

My failure to adapt may reflect the fact that I was raised in a rural area. My neighbor grew up on a busy street in London and regarded the noise as 'average'.

[drangie]

but the train track is so close to my living room window, I can wave to people on Metro North and Amtrak.

That was you?

[genespleen2]

Here's a weird one: are you in an area where people put on snow tires in the winter?  If so, be forewarned that snow tires can be as much as 25% louder on pavement than normal tires.

[starrigyrl]

One of the drawbacks is road grit and car exhaust blowing into your windows. Another good reason to try that open window thing before buying.

[iomhaigh]

I'd buy it, but then, I get weirded out by silence. 

I would ask about resale potential and whether or not the town has any plans to make that road wider or busier.  (Can it be built up any more, is it mostly lived in residential vs. potentially turned into commercial, etc.)

How far back from the road is the house?

[noof_]

I'd buy it, but then, I get weirded out by silence. 

I would ask about resale potential and whether or not the town has any plans to make that road wider or busier.  (Can it be built up any more, is it mostly lived in residential vs. potentially turned into commercial, etc.)

How far back from the road is the house?

Good point. The street is already pretty wide. The bike path is in the center lane (not on the far right).

No tire chains, so that's helpful. Car exhaust concerns me.

Anyone try to sell a house on a busy street?

[illuminata]

It's all relative.

If you're currently surrounded by Nature, you may hate it.

If you're currently surrounded by Interstate, it won't bother you.

[noof_]

It's all relative.

If you're currently surrounded by Nature, you may hate it.

If you're currently surrounded by Interstate, it won't bother you.

I've lived in both situations, but as a renter.

I'm thinking resale.

The fact that it's been on the market for a couple of months gives me pause. But then again, the market is slowing everywhere.

[iomhaigh]

It's all relative.

If you're currently surrounded by Nature, you may hate it.

If you're currently surrounded by Interstate, it won't bother you.

I've lived in both situations, but as a renter.

I'm thinking resale.

The fact that it's been on the market for a couple of months gives me pause. But then again, the market is slowing everywhere.

Resale is the reason that I have had to walk away from quite a few things that I would live in.... I would live in almost anything.... your average home buyer, however, looks for things that I don't care about, like not living across the street from municipal buildings and having a steeply sloping backyard.

After a lifetime of renting, I am learning it is hard to stop thinking like a renter -- are you having that trouble, too?