Twin Lakes (KB Homes) - Plane noise & RE values. (Raleigh: apartment, buying a house)

[Petunia16]

I love the look of the MS Twin Lakes KB homes... all the design features etc... but the plane noise? Coming in on a very large plane at 6am, I could see the pool right under us.

It is perfectly aligned with every flight pattern, coming or going:

RDU Aircraft Noise Program

and I should point out... NC law requires home sellers to notify possible buyers about homes in the noise impact zone, but brand new homes are exempt from law. Isn't that just grand?

I was wondering...

1. If you live there... how annoying is the plane noise.
2. RE agents... how unattractive is the noise to potential buyers if we decide to sell down the road?

Thanks so much...

[rdutennis]

I live @ Bedford in Twin Lakes, which is not the main site, but rather on Town Hall Commons. I never hear planes when I go to bed, but maybe during the day if I really want to try to hear them. I work from home, and it has not been a factor at all. You can not beat the location of Twin Lakes.

[raleightransplant]

My wife and I purchased a townhome recently in this area...Downing Village which sits adjacent to Twin Lakes. To answer the question, yes you can hear the planes. Personally, I don't find it to be a problem. To others it might be. I've never found the noise to be intrusive in any way.

You'll hear a plane in the distance, but it's no different than any other background noise you hear in daily life. Definitely nothing to scare anyone away I wouldn't think. The convenience in location CAN'T be beat. There's enough to do in nearby Cary and Durham, Raleigh, etc., are all extremely accessible. I've made an art out of not needing to get on a freeway anymore and my quality of life has gone up, stress way down.

[tlh1005]

It's in one of the flight paths and I believe there are other discussions on the board where people have mentioned it being an issue. I looked there when they first built the models and I'd have to think the plane noise would bother *most* people. I am sure some don't care, some justify their investment by saying it's non-existent, and some get used to it but it was very noticeable when I was at the model. A friend who was looking there had the same observation... A couple of planes that were low enough to drown out the agent speaking outside of the model. Believe me, I want to like this neighborhood because it would be a viable option in our sqft. range but the plane noise makes it a deal breaker for *us*.

[JohnE1000]

The noise level should be measured from outside the home not inside. The noise, of any kind, will be annoying while you are setting on the porch, washing your car, working on the garden, etc.

For us, we will not consider anything in flight path or near any highway or busy roads.

[VickiR]

As you can see from your question...the noise will bother some and not bother others at all.

I sold a house near the pool. While there on numerous trips, with my clients, I asked them repeatedly is the noise bothered them. They said no. Now, months later, they say they are so used to the planes that they don't hear them at all!

I can understand that as hubby collects antique clocks. We have about 13 of them that ding and dong all the time. My kids' friends used to ask how they lived with all those clocks going off all the time and my kids would look at them like they were nuts and say "I don't even hear them anymore".

As for re sale, the location is great for those working at RTP and the surrounding area.

So the question is...will it hurt resales? Probably not. Will some people choose not to buy in Morrisville due to planes and trains? Probably.

And to the poster that said new construction doesn't have to disclose planes in the area...that is incorrect. The builder contracts are about 20 pages long. The disclosures are there for noise, smell, mold,etc., etc., etc.

Vicki

Vicki

[Grass Is Greener]

Originally Posted by JohnE1000

For us, we will not consider anything in flight path or near any highway or busy roads.

Hum, that's going to really limit your choices. Out of the 100's of homes I looked in the past month, most of them either backed up a freeway or a busy road or a railroad or a power line or another house. Very hard to find a house that backs to a private wooded area, unless you are in the 500K+ price range. Good luck!

[MrsSteel]

Originally Posted by Grass Is Greener

Hum, that's going to really limit your choices. Out of the 100's of homes I looked in the past month, most of them either backed up a freeway or a busy road or a railroad or a power line or another house. Very hard to find a house that backs to a private wooded area, unless you are in the 500K+ price range. Good luck!

Not necessarily. My house in southern Durham backs up to a beautifully wooded area. It's also very quiet, even though we're close to a lot of shopping. And as a bonus, the house cost less than $200K. The gems are out there. You just have to hunt for them & act quickly.



Petunia, I agree that it's an individual thing. I personally would not consider buying a house in a flight path because my husband is very sensitive to sound. However, I have friends who've lived in flight paths before & easily got used to the noise.

[Dire Wolf]

If the noise was such an issue, you wouldn't see stuff like Twin Lakes, Preston, Carpenter Village, Highcroft, etc. sell like it does.

[JohnE1000]

Originally Posted by Grass Is Greener

Hum, that's going to really limit your choices. Out of the 100's of homes I looked in the past month, most of them either backed up a freeway or a busy road or a railroad or a power line or another house. Very hard to find a house that backs to a private wooded area, unless you are in the 500K+ price range. Good luck!

Yes you are right. Our choices are very limited. Every other house we like is backed to a major road.

Our house in SC is on 10 acres fishing pond. It is very quite there, and we get used to it. Now, we live right on Six Forks rd. and we hate it. Traffic noise never stops day or night. We cannot even open a window from traffic noise. If it weren't for the moving headache, we would have moved to different apartment.