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Our buy in Sherborn fell through. Been looking at a house in Southborough that's, according to Google Maps, ~1800' from the commuter rail, and about 3000' from the pike.
So, in general, how close is too close? The house is at 43 Constitution Dr, Southborough, MA 01772.
I looked at the satellite pictures and it seems like the train is a good distance from the house. But like robr2 says, you need to check it out yourself.
I would go check it out too. Do you spend a lot of time outside and do you like to keep your windows open in the warmer months? Some people are not bothered by noise, but some, me included, really are bothered by it. That is always the first thing I look at... roads, cut throughs, airports etc.
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I lived a couple blocks from the commuter rail and we never noticed the train noise or vibration, and it never woke up our baby. Our friends and family noticed when they visited though. We had window AC units so the windows would technically be open during the summer. The annoying part was waiting to cross the road at the train crossings.
It really depends, and there's no substitute for experiencing it yourself. I suggest seeing the place at between 4-7PM on a weekday.
Our house abuts the MBTA regional line, and it's been no problem living for the past few years. I checkout out a nice house abutting the same line 0.5 miles away, and found the noise difficult to deal with. Same trains and same line, but I think it's traveling at a faster speed at that location.
Looks like you are about 1/2 mile from the pike which is probably right on the cusp of it being an issue or not depending on topography etc - should be ok. As others have said, check it out for yourself during rush hour, and maybe chat with neighbors to see if it gets any worse in the winter when the leaves are gone,....although you will be indoors then. Also, ask about if there is any freight trains on that line.
I would be far less accepting of any traffic noise if I was in a further out suburb like Sherborn or Southborough, because you have that option, than I would closer to Boston.
I was at a friends house a few weeks ago - two streets back from route 9 - and I could not believe how much background traffic noise there was.
Looks like you are about 1/2 mile from the pike which is probably right on the cusp of it being an issue or not depending on topography etc - should be ok. As others have said, check it out for yourself during rush hour, and maybe chat with neighbors to see if it gets any worse in the winter when the leaves are gone,....although you will be indoors then. Also, ask about if there is any freight trains on that line.
I would be far less accepting of any traffic noise if I was in a further out suburb like Sherborn or Southborough, because you have that option, than I would closer to Boston.
I was at a friends house a few weeks ago - two streets back from route 9 - and I could not believe how much background traffic noise there was.
+1
The further you go out the bigger a deal things like Traffic noise will be.
Where the OP is now, in east natick, he probably has some traffic noise from Rt 9 and major roads such as Oak or Bacon Street but people are generally willing to put up with a lot more noise in that location since it is substantially closer in than Southborough. When you go even further in, some areas of Newton and Brookline are amazingly noisy but given the close-in location people put up with it and those homes fly off the market where they would probably sit for a while due to the noise in Natick.
For Southborough, i think the home has to be pretty darn quiet.
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Been looking at a house in Southborough that's, according to Google Maps, ~1800' from the commuter rail, and about 3000' from the pike.
