Buying a house next to busy road

[northernladuk]

Can't you compel the train company /Network Rail to install acoustic barriers

Even with accoustic barriers you'll struggle with the underlying rumbling road/rail noise. The acoustic barriers are not very good at dealing with low ambient sounds so you'll never get away from that. These are the same low-level noises the walls won't be able to stop either.

[DimPrawn]

Market it for deaf people.

[PurpleGorilla]

I see the odd house like that come up from time to time. Personally - not for me. But it will be sold in 2 weeks, the whole market is bonkers mad. Probably some hermit who fixed shoes with fish skin lived in it 100 years ago...

[tomtomagain]

I once found awesome house I was interested in. Price was great. Pictures were great. There was only one thing wrong, the google-earth shot of the location showed these two familiar looking lakes near by.

I couldn't quite remember where I'd seen them before, a few minutes research later and I located the house. It was effectively at the end of Heathrow Airports runway.

Another great house I wanted, this time out in the country, had everything. Good size. Good price. Lots of space. Drove past it and was surprised to see a massive 100ft electricity pylon in the field next door with the power lines stretching straight across the garden. Somehow the estate agents pictures had failed to capture that. I wonder why?

Lots of things with houses you can fix. Subsidence, damp, decor. You cannot "fix" massive noise pollution. ( Or overhead electricity cables ).

Buying the wrong house for you will make you poorer, unhappy and quite possibly ill.

If you need to ask the question on this forum then you already know what the answer is : No. Don't buy it.

[WTFH]

Have you made out a checklist of what you want in a house?


If not, create a spreadsheet. If there is more than 1 of you involved in the purchase (i.e. you have a partner), then make separate spreadsheets and list your priorities in order of importance.
What are the "Must haves"
What are the "Would like"
What are the "Don't care"
What are the "Must NOT have"


Then you combine both lists to see what are the requirements, etc.
Then as you look at various houses, you record how well each house does.


...and then you make the compromises.

[PurpleGorilla]

Have you made out a checklist of what you want in a house?


If not, create a spreadsheet. If there is more than 1 of you involved in the purchase (i.e. you have a partner), then make separate spreadsheets and list your priorities in order of importance.
What are the "Must haves"
What are the "Would like"
What are the "Don't care"
What are the "Must NOT have"


Then you combine both lists to see what are the requirements, etc.
Then as you look at various houses, you record how well each house does.


...and then you make the compromises.

You can have it all.

Just add another £300k on top of your max budget.

[ZARDOZ]

Next to an A road no way.
A/ vehicles will crash into your house/garden
B/ Kids/pets will not be safe to wander unattended
C/ Polution and accumilation of litter
D/ The road may be widened/altered and the gov/council will aquire what they need via compulsary purchase and on the cheap
E/ Getting in and out may be dangerous/PITA at peak times

[Chuck]

The sort of A road that has 24 hour traffic rumbling by? Police sirens going at all hours? Heavy trucks thundering past? Is it used by bikers racing on a Sunday morning?

The only way to find out is go and see it for yourself, at all times of day and in all weathers. Imagine high summer when you want the windows open, or want to be in the garden.

Personally, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Too many possible negatives.

[AtW]

Market it for deaf people.

Or for very stupid, much bigger market...

[Bee]

Suggestions on buying a house that is on an "A" road separated by a slip road and green. So the house is about 10-15 feet away from the main (busy) A road (with the slip road and be green in between the house and the " A" road) The house itself is awesome. The compromise is on the road. How noisy will it be? is it worth the buy? Value of the house is £550,000. Thanks

I prefer a cave in the middle of a natural park.