River Oaks Townhome by the railway tracks (Houston, Briar: to rent, townhomes)

[butterpaws75]

I'm looking to rent /purchase a unit at 4040 San Felipe in River Oaks. My unit faces the west, and is right by the railway tracks. Does anyone know if the noise from the trains is an issue to the residents here? I understand that there is a contract for the trains to NOT sound their horns at night but do they abide?

Thanks!

[EasilyAmused]

I can hear that train all the way in Briargrove. So, um, yeah, I think they blow the horns anyway.

[jfre81]

NRR 34 High Blocking Ear Plugs

[jimboburnsy]

The train usually does not sound the horn as it is going through the intersection at San Felipe but you will hear the horn from a mile away regardless. Probably more obnoxious than the horn will be the vibration and clatter as the train passes. If you stack plates in your cabinets, they will give you about 30 seconds advance warning of any imminent train traffic.

[Beto]

You will hear the horn and if not you will feel it as jimboburnsy said.

[MatthewHogue]

I lived in the River Oaks Townhomes for 3 years and just moved out and put my place on the market last month. The trains are not supposed to blow their horns but you do have the occasional engineer that gives a little toot, Maybe once a month. As for the Rattling, it was never really bothersome nor did I notice unless I was sitting out on my balcony at night, then you can hear the noise good!

I guess I just had good insulating when I re-did my placeGood luck on the move and welcome

[TreeHaus1]

I also live in the River Oaks Townhomes. MatthewHogue is pretty spot on. The often do not blow their horn and personally, I think you do not really hear the horn as much as people say. Sometimes you can feel some slight vibrations, but not so badly that it rattles the place at all. I do live on the east side of the complex though, so it is possible that the west side is more sensitive to that. Overall, it is perhaps the best place I have lived in Houston next to my childhood home in West University. The same set of tracks ride on through there as well. It is a part of living inside the loop here in Houston and they are a part of the city's heritage: [url=http://www.houstonrrmuseum.org/]Houston Railroad Museum[/url]

[Vector28]

We lived within a city block of train tracks for seven years. We quickly became accustomed to the rumble and slight vibration and hardly noticed it. The problem came when we needed to sell and relocate. Many potential buyers won't even look at the property once they learn of it's proximity to the RR tracks. You pretty much have to hope for a buyer that's lived near some and knows it ain't no big deal. Even so, resale is likely to be at a lower price. Make sure you are paying a significantly lower price than comparable units that are not close to a RR.

[oblivionlml]

This has come up before and I will always say the same thing: Train horns aren't blown for fun or to annoy you; they are to save lives! God forbid you deal with a horn blast or two every hour. If you absolutely can't stand the noise, don't live there! There isn't a valid reason in the world to not have train horns. I've lived by the tracks before and it never bothered me.

[ToyYot]

Resale is the biggest issue but who knows, one day it could be full blown commuter rail which won't help.