Thoughts About Homes on Corner Lots (Atlanta: for sale, new home, construction)

[Larry X]

Going to look at a house on a corner lot this week in SW Atlanta, on the corner of Beecher st. and Beecher ct. Does anyone know if this is a busy street/streets? I've only been past it a few times does not seem that busy. Are homes on corner lots a good or bad idea?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/18...f76deab16bc996

[jeoff]

Last two homes have been on corner lots--one large suburban, one smaller city-lot just happened to be what was for sale at the time. No strong opinion either way.
Advantages:
if it is at a 4-way stop on a less busy street, it is not a bad place for older (8+) kids to play in the street, since cars have to slow down to stop. May be worth more as a tear-down for a city lot, since it is probably easier to build a home with side garage access. Easier to get large things in the back yard. More street parking close to house.

Good and bad--More people can see your home at multiple angles.One less neigbor, but probably more neigbors walking by.

Disadvantages: Two easements to deal with--may result in narrower space to build/add/modify a home (can't remember for sure, but I think side-yard for new construction is about half the minimum distance of a front yard --so if the minimum front yard is 30ft, your street side-yard has to be 15ft, and your non-street side-yard has to be 7.5 or 7ft--old construction is grandfathered in, of course, but not new construction/modifications).

[demonta4]

Also Corner Homes are more likely to be broken in to, and watched by criminals who want an easy escape.

[brown_dog_us]

Corner lots in the suburbs generally sell for less because of the setbacks, lack of privacy, and extra curb appeal maintenance.

But yours is intown....

The side street only serves a few houses and doesn't connect to anything, so traffic should be negligible.

The house should get some extra light on the open side. Compare that to your neighbors who only get light on the front and back.

The house is very close to the side street though.

It looks like the house gets a lot of foot traffic on the grass along the side street. I'd want to know who is walking by and where are they going. It looks like the traffic is coming from the sidewalk in front of the house, down the side, and then exits the side street when it curves right.

[jeoff]

Looking at the map, I like the location, but the sideyard setback is probably at least 10ft inside of the location the current house. Permitting might be tricky for some types of work, I would guess (not in the business, but researched it for my own home). Might require a variance that might not be granted. If you were ever to want to build a new home there, I doubt they would let you build that close to the side street

[hautemomma]

That place has virtually NO buffer or side yard. I was going to say that you could eventually plant some privacy trees or have an 8 foot fence constructed for privacy, but if that is the home in question, those don't appear to be feasible options.

Corner lots are usually larger and you have more yard, but you need to be more strategic and savvy about how you utilize and privatize the lot.

[CCATL]

I own a corner lot intown, and I'd have to disagree with some of the posters saying the lack of a buffer is concerning. I'm on a corner that is probably quite a bit busier than that corner looks (people use the street as a cut-through), and the number of people going by in the car/pedestrians on the sidewalk isn't concerning to me. Like someone else mentioned, I have a lot more light coming into my house than neighbors since I have a whole side of the house not being blocked by another house. I think that's a plus. What I don't like about the corner lot is the upkeep. I basically have to maintain a whole other sidewalk that the neighbors don't have. Sweeping the sidewalk to clear it of sticks, trim weeds growing out of the sidewalk between the street and the curb, and where the yard that hits the sidewalk. Also, picking up trash that people have dropped. It doesn't look like you have a sidewalk on the side, but still, it's more maintenance. Proximity to the road/people walking by - to me, those aren't a big deal at all to me.

[North Beach Person]

I'd be concerned about the left side of the house being so close to the street (although it looks to be a slow street, almost 1 lane) and someone (a drunk, a texter) hitting the corner.


The agent needs to clean up the fallen tree limbs in the driveway.


How big is the lot? The houses look close even for an in-town lot.

[ATLTJL]

I'd probably be most concerned about being so close to tennis courts, especially if they have tournaments where lots of people gather.

I've never lived by them before, but I would imagine you would be able to hear echoes of the balls bouncing around.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I'd probably be most concerned about being so close to tennis courts, especially if they have tournaments where lots of people gather.

I've never lived by them before, but I would imagine you would be able to hear echoes of the balls bouncing around.

Basketball courts are the worst. Live next to two different ones two years in a row in college. The loud bounce every single step. One year the tennis court for the complex was just behind. Wasn't nearly as bad. The ball has a much lighter sound when hitting. Still have shoes squeaking from time to time but the noise the racket makes isn't too bad. I'd be more concerned about the people than anything.