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I don't think there's one absolute answer for this question. It depends on the specific corner lot. It depends on the specific back-wooded lot. It depends on the traffic around those lots. And it depends on the people living in the house (children, elderly, privacy seeking, garden aficionados, etc.)
JK is right, it depends. We had one that got all the trash. The one I'm in now, really has too much yard for me, but its wasted space imo. The front part is small, but the sides are big. I'd love the wooded IF it'd never be built in/taken out.
With a corner lot, it may be possible to have a side load garage with the driveway on the "side" street.
Possible cons: kids on bicycles or walking may cut across your lawn. Dog walkers may be more apt to stop "at the end of the street" (your house) and have Fido do his thing there. There's always a jerk or two who won't clean it up.
Lot size and orientation are significant variables.
In zero lot line neighborhoods, corner lots sell at a premium, because that is one side of the house that is not 6 feet from a neighbor's house. More light and air, and possibly more privacy.
If there is a sidewalk on only one side of the street, and that is not on my side of the street, that would help, too.
If lots are half an acre or more, and one of the streets is very quiet, like a short culdesac, or a stub, I would not mind a corner lot at all.
Before I got into real estate, I had always been told that a corner lot is more desirable for a lot of the reasons that have been posted here like - more lawn and no neighbor on one side. However, in the town where I do most of my business and where I live, lots are small (average about 10,000 sf a/k/a 0.23 acres) so having a corner lot here is often a detriment. Because there are two sides of the lot with "frontage," there are deeper setbacks on these lots which limits the building envelope more than compared with similar size lots that are not on a corner. So, being on a corner often inhibits the owner from adding on or building a larger home on the site. In a town like mine where there are so many tear downs going on, I would say this would devalue the lot compared to a similar size non-corner lot. I also find most of the corner lots in this town lack privacy. As the lots are smaller, homes are closer to the street and with these lots instead of being close to one street you're now close to two.
As for backing up to a wooded area . . . well we really don't have any undeveloped land around here so there's little risk of woods turning into a shopping mall. Generally, when you see woods it's a park or conservation land which shouldn't ever be built on (I was always taught to never say never in this business). So, most people see it as a plus although I've had some customers say it makes them feel too secluded.
So, basically my point is that you'll get different answers depending on where the person you're asking is located.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We love our corner lot. It's 12,000 sf, rectangular, and allows for a big front lawn and bigger side lawn. We have no sidewalks in our area, and with the rare snow we have no obligation to remove it. On one side of the house we see only our 80-100' fir trees blocking the house across the street, to the back we only see the neighbor's fence, except that we can see into their yard from upstairs. They have no view into our house or yard, nor does the neighbor on the side since they have no windows on that side of their house. Backing up to wooded areas is great while it lasts, but around here they are more and more often being bulldozed for new developments, despite the selling realtors advertising them years ago as backing up to open space. Zoning laws do change. Also, backing to woods can create hazards for kids and small pets if there are coyotes and bears.
If you have a corner lot people will walk across it ALL the time, sometimes talking loudly or playing music loudly as they go by under your bedroom window. It's annoying. Maybe not so bad if you can fence the front yard to keep them out. Mine is pie wedge shaped, and it's a pain to have a giant front yard and tiny backyard, and 7 different lots border mine. I never want to have a corner lot again!
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,186,228 times
Reputation: 57821
Quote:
Originally Posted by eevee188
If you have a corner lot people will walk across it ALL the time, sometimes talking loudly or playing music loudly as they go by under your bedroom window. It's annoying. Maybe not so bad if you can fence the front yard to keep them out. Mine is pie wedge shaped, and it's a pain to have a giant front yard and tiny backyard, and 7 different lots border mine. I never want to have a corner lot again!
I suppose that can happen, but our lot is about 6' higher than the side street with junipers so no one ever tries to cut across, and the bedroom windows all face the back yard. Plus, we never get anyone walking in our area with loud music, joggers and walkers always use earphones. You have to consider not only whether it is a corner or not, but the neighborhood residents, the topography and layout of the lot and where the house is placed on it.
If you have a corner lot people will walk across it ALL the time, sometimes talking loudly or playing music loudly as they go by under your bedroom window. It's annoying. Maybe not so bad if you can fence the front yard to keep them out. Mine is pie wedge shaped, and it's a pain to have a giant front yard and tiny backyard, and 7 different lots border mine. I never want to have a corner lot again!
We're on a corner lot and have yet to see ANYONE walk across it (and there's no sidewalk on our side of the street on one side, and they walk on the street instead of in our yard). Loud music and talking loudly? Either you have lousy neighbors or you're being overly sensitive. Ours is more of a rectangle, but if it were pie shaped, I wouldn't have wanted it either.
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