Would you buy a house near a highway?? (Cambridge, Newton: power lines, renting)

[kristenethom]

Help me out. My husband and I looked at two homes. One had Rt 2 running behind it and the backyard seemed very noisy. The other we have not seen yet, but is priced very reasonably. It is located at the end of a nice dead end street, however there is a Rt 128 overpass at the very end of the street. The highway is not on street level, but above and is seperated by trees. Do people think this will have a huge effect on resale and will the noise be awful. My husband says that because the highway is to the left and above the house the noise will rise and won't be as loud as the home with the highway running right behind it? I am not convinced.

Does anyone have any opinions or experience living near busy roadways.
This house would allow us to be in the town we want, with the schools we want and we would have money left to redo renovate.

[bgrasser]

The noise factor is something that only you can decide on.
If it were me, I would steer clear of any state numbered roads.

[jayrandom]

I live near Route 1...outside you can notice the noise if you pay attention, inside you can't hear it at all. There's never too much traffic out where I am, so that may be a factor. You should go by at night and hear what it sounds like. That will tell you everything you need to know.

[puffle]

Originally Posted by kristenethom

Help me out. My husband and I looked at two homes. One had Rt 2 running behind it and the backyard seemed very noisy. The other we have not seen yet, but is priced very reasonably. It is located at the end of a nice dead end street, however there is a Rt 128 overpass at the very end of the street. The highway is not on street level, but above and is seperated by trees. Do people think this will have a huge effect on resale and will the noise be awful. My husband says that because the highway is to the left and above the house the noise will rise and won't be as loud as the home with the highway running right behind it? I am not convinced.

Does anyone have any opinions or experience living near busy roadways.
This house would allow us to be in the town we want, with the schools we want and we would have money left to redo renovate.

I live near RT2West and on 62west in Concord and let me tell you...no amount of double paned windows cuts down the noise enough. I would never buy next to a main artery like this..we are renting at the moment so it isn't a big deal. Have you been inside these two homes during rush hour or early morning? My opinion is the same as many which is location, location, location when it comes to resale value.

[miu]

I'm about two blocks away from the Mass Pike. And I also have a road near the front of my house that's busy during rush hour. So it's a little noisy around me. But having lived in Cambridge before, I guess that the street noise doesn't offend me.

How long do you plan to live in your next house? Every house has pros and cons. And the houses with too many pros tend to be much more expensive in any market. When I bought my house, I bought it to keep forever (figuratively).

[Freebird2007]

No

[haberstroh]

Three things that I will never live close by or on:
-street with double yellow line (that includes trains and highways)
-commercial development close by
-near high voltage power lines

All these things usually grow bigger, are quality of live and health issues and are serious for resale. If the noise is already a problem for you and you are not even living there...it shows me that you might not be able to make your peace with it and will listen to every distraction. Believe me I know!
If you need to compromise on the price of the house maybe go for something older or smaller, I know this is easier said than done but you can always change the house but not its location.

[AliceT]

I once knew a fellow who lived almost right under the turnpike in FL. You never heard a sound from the roadway because he was creative with trees, shrubs and bamboo that more than buffered the sounds. Had I not just used the turnpike to get to his house, I wouldn't have known how close it was. There are always ways to buffer the sounds of a nearby roadway, but ultimately, it becomes a personal choice.

[scarletfire]

Your resale value and time-to-resell would be impacted by living so close to a highway. I'd recommend making a concession in terms of home size or amenities before sacrificing location.

Best of luck!

[jayrandom]

As you may have already noticed finding nicer homes in better towns for less money, being close to a busy street is already priced in. When people say it hurts resale value, it's just as true for you as it already is for the person selling. If it doesn't bother you (although if it bothers you on a short visit, it will more than likely bother you to live there), make sure the price already reflects being close to a noisy street and go for it. If you pay full price for something with a problem you are making a bad deal, but if you get a big enough discount it's not a bad deal!

How much of a discount is a slightly different and much more useful question to ask. There are some that would avoid living near a busy road at all costs, but I'm sure almost everyone would accept a free mansion in Weston on 128 or Newton on the Turnpike, so it's really just a question of what that discount is.