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Sit in a car near the home and listen. Are they little short trains or really long trains that interrupt for a long time? Does the crossing have a dinging bell that you can hear from the house? The biggest issue people have is when the trains blow their horns in the middle of the night.
It will impact resale value as other potential buyers will have the same questions you have. Make sure that the purchase price already takes that into account.
from the OP's post "Unfortunately I'm unable to visit it personally before putting in an offer because I'm in a different state." This makes sitting in a car outside of the home to listen a non viable option.
And people wonder why they feel their realtor is not listening to them...I'm just sayin!
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by so954
It seems like 10 minutes but I bet it was actually 2 or 3. I've counted freight trains with 180 cars and it took less than 1 a second to pass by.
I understand what you mean, but in this case I timed them. They have to go pretty slow when they hit that busy part of Seattle, along Alaskan way with 3 cruise ships in Port. The first one had 3 engines in fron, one at the end, and I stopped counting at 150 cars.
It's a really interesting set up.... Don't know why I didn't think to put up a pic before but here it is. You actually have to drive through the parking lot to get to a driveway that leads you to this house and a few other houses. Commuters wouldn't be parking their cars on my lot, and there is definitely enough space on the lot for guests. It seemed like a big plus because at most stations in this area, a parking pass will cost a few hundred up to $1k a year and is only available to residents of the town the station is in.
That's even worse, you will have to listen to those cars drive in and close their doors all day long til the evening? Plus what crime like in that area out of curiosity?
A 180 car long train took less than 1 second to pass? Doubtful! Highly doubtful!
Re-read your quoted post, 1 second per car.
Quote:
...1 a second to pass by.
I've also timed it and is actually 2-3 seconds per car to pass/clear the entire opening in the intersection. (4 lanes)
On average I've waited 5 minutes to 30 once when it went extremely slow for some reason. (A person walking by it was faster than the speed of the train)
And the brakes, clanking, rumble, whistles etc it's loud!!
That's even worse, you will have to listen to those cars drive in and close their doors all day long til the evening? Plus what crime like in that area out of curiosity?
Yeah, no way I would buy it after seeing that set-up.
I live about 125 yards from a railroad track. I kind of like the sound of the train going down the track, the horn and the time of day that it travels down the track is the real issue, not to mention the safety concern of a possible accident. No doubt, a crossing would be more of an issue. Good luck with your decision.
I lived right next to tracks that were quite busy. After a while, you didn't really notice it and got used to it. It isn't as big of a deal for some people, but some would hate it. I live about 1/2 mile from tracks and they blow their horn for morons all the time and it doesn't bother me. It is amazing how loud the moron horns are. Hard to believe we are so dumbed down we need all that noise, but I guess we do.
It's a really interesting set up.... Don't know why I didn't think to put up a pic before but here it is. You actually have to drive through the parking lot to get to a driveway that leads you to this house and a few other houses. Commuters wouldn't be parking their cars on my lot, and there is definitely enough space on the lot for guests. It seemed like a big plus because at most stations in this area, a parking pass will cost a few hundred up to $1k a year and is only available to residents of the town the station is in.
After seeing the aerial view and access I would never buy to live in it. This is in Northeast which means snow. An access road along RR parking lot will be a nightmare at least 3 months out of year without even considering RR noise.
Also consider: Safety / security reasons. Do you have children? People can linger closely and no one will question as a RR station provides an excuse (picking up someone / waiting for train / transient types).
As for the noise, trying to determine remotely whether it would work is not wise. You would want to see what types of trains use the line and frequency. I like hearing trains (personally) in the distance with horn/ rumble but that close only if train spotting / counting cars while stuck waiting to cross. You will feel it if it is freight and there's always a slight chance of not being able to access your house in event of railhead disaster as you have a restricted access lane parallel to tracks.
As others mentioned, make sure the discount for the train / parking station are taken into consideration if you are set on purchasing. I would keep looking - there's likely a better option for you. Rushing into big purchase such as a house is a recipe for regret.
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