Residential Lot with a View or Trees? (value, build, rating)

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by andyhenson

There won't be any condos near this small town any time soon. It's a rural farm town near where I grew up. I'm not too worried about the view being ruined by developers.

We said the same thing. Then every developer decided we and the neighboring town had untapped condo potential so they went up. Of the two most recent one is 1/3 uncompleted with mostly renters. The other is 75% renters, mostly Section 8. Both are waterfront on the Chesapeake. The others took years to sell out, as in 15 years.


We just had another developer come in for plans for yet another 40 unit condo a few months ago, His "market study" said we were underserved by that type of housing. I asked him if his market study guy noticed the empty ones. He got upset and left the meeting.

[cargoman]

I am at the top of a hill with a fantastic view of a valley and a mountain range. Hardly any trees. The house I was in before was a quarter mile away. It had two giant trees next to it. Here is my experience with those trees. Tiny twigs and some rather large moss covered branches constantly in the yard. Gutters full of leaves. Acorns everywhere in the fall. And they both constantly pissed sap on my car. Take the view and go to the park if you want trees.

[mig1]

I'd choose - Slightly sloping with a wonderful view of the valley

[DelightfulNYC]

what difference does it make if you can see nieghbors?

[jamies]

It is up to you. Do you want a view or privacy?

I once lived for years in a house with a view of a wall five feet away. Never again.

My house has both, a view and privacy. Took a long time to find it. And it is one of about four such properties in the area. Sits on a steep hillside. We basically have an infinity view, just look out over mountains and a valley, and the river. The homes below us are several hundred feet lower so we don't see them. We also don't see our side neighbors due to strategically placed walls. We just see a little of their backyards, as they do ours. And in front everything is walled and gated.

I like people at a distance. But leave me alone in my home.

[Blondy]

Sounds like this boils down to view or privacy and only you can decide which is more important.


To me privacy would be more important, but its unclear to me whether or not you could create that privacy in a few years with fast growing trees or hedges that would block out your neighbors without obstructing your view.


The creek as long as youre sure it doesn't flood would be a huge draw for me, but again that's a personal preference.


I think its worth considering also what direction the view is. Does the view include sunrise/sunsets and how important is that to you.....again a personal thing.

[BostonMike7]

Option #2.

Easier to plant trees as desired, than remove aging one or ones that block a view.



I bought a home with too many trees. At least 3 big oaks and some smaller maples. Getting quotes to chop them all down as we speak.

Biggest negatives are the sheer amount of leaves in the fall, disintegrating acorns all over, misc branches falling during storms, and too much shade causing my lawn to be a mixture of grass and moss.

[ADVentive]

I would pick the trees and the stream and the privacy, but that's just what I like. My lot is 10 acres in the woods with a little stream, so that's what I did pick for myself!

[SmartMoney]

If all things are equal and you still cannot decide, dig deeper (pun intended) into any perc testing that was done. Reading up on perc testing and understanding what differentiates one lot from another can save you thousands, maybe tens of thousands. I had one homeowner spend an unexpected 50K - 60K to build their home. And while that is rare, the added expenses are typically from installing well and septic.

[kab0906]

Trees. I prefer privacy.

But the post about the septic system is spot on. That should be the first step.