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Near a hunting area reminds me of a house that my brother and his friends rented many years ago. It was next door to a huge state park. It was really cheap. They could not understand why it was so cheap (until deer season opened).
Usually they did not even hear the rifle. Suddenly "whack" a bullet would fly through the walls and embed itself in the cieling. After about four times they moved out for two weeks. Odd thing was they stayed in that house for several years. Moved out for deer season opening every year. Took their TV with them (after one got hit). I guess the house was pretty nice for its price, and they liked being out away from things where no one would bother them (except the bullets).
A family friend also had the same experience during hunting season. They sold after a couple of years. They lucked out as the market was high and that area was in high demand. I have a friend that lives down in Monroe and not too far from her property is a snow mobile trail. Every winter they had an issue of someone running down their fence or running right across her property. No thanks.
Some of the old houses (well just about 70 years old) that I recently saw in Rockville had less then desirable day light inside the house. I left within 5 minutes.
I also voted against the foundation problems, damp basement (standing water, not a little whiff of mold when it rains), ATV trail (hate those things), and living next to a highway. Oh, and zoning is a must. Not ridiculously anal, but a little protection is nice.
Being the type of buyer who tends to gravitate towards fixer-uppers - I'm more about location than fixable things like cigarette odor and pet damage.
You didn't include major fixers like bad foundation, needs new roof, needs every window replaced. I bought my next (fixer upper) house last summer but didn't even bother looking at houses that needed high-dollar work: foundation, leaky or mildewed basement, new roof, all windows need replaced. Cosmetic damage was not a big deal, though.
I agree: location, location, location. That's primary. Next it boiled down to what can I fix, or easily get fixed, myself? Immutable features: HOA, proximity to freeways, bad neighbors, etc - I can't change those and wouldn't buy the house.
i will add that the property is next to or back up to a river
In that case you need to consider have for does the water need to rise to be a problem, I know many areas that are right next to a river but unless there is a flood of biblical level the river would never be a problem(my Grandmother's property was like this), I also know areas if it rains more than an "average" amount you have a serious problem on your hands.
Sometimes a quick thaw in spring is a problem, sometimes a spring rain storm when the temps are at freezing is a problem.
On a completely different level, NEW houses in-and-of-themselves are a deal breaker.
Years ago while "Dream house" hunting we saw houses that I wouldn't give 25% of their asking price, $750,000 for a house where the doors will not stay open or require force to get them to latch?
I find it interesting that "near a cemetery" was fairly high on the list.
That would really not bother me at all--in fact, I might even see it as a positive thing if it was one which was no longer active, yet was fairly well kept.
The deal breakers for me would be noisy neighbors and near railroad tracks would be probably as well, though that would depend on how often they were used. Foundation issues would likely be as well, though that could be negotiable with the right house and the extend of the problem.
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