Advice on buying house on "busy" road w/ poll

[kalrith]

Update 9/6/2012: Bought a different house and moved in last weekend. The house is on 10 acres on a private lane about half a mile off of a non-busy 55mph highway. When outside my house, I can't hear the highway most of the time and can't see or hear my neighbors (other than the occasional dog or cow off in the distance). With the previous option, I could hear the traffic inside the house. It was definitely the right choice to pass on the previous house and keep looking for exactly what we wanted.

Update 6/6/2012: It's a "no". I decided to pass on the house. I don't think I'd ever get used to the road noise. I'm moving to the country mainly for peace and quiet, so it's silly to move 35 miles away in the middle of no place and then live on a 55mph highway with a decent amount of traffic.
I want to move to a quiet country setting on 5 or more acres. I found a really great property. I like everything about it except that it's on a 55mph highway. It's not really busy, but one car drives by every 5 minutes. The setting is perfectly quiet except for the very loud sound of trucks and motorcycles driving down the road.

Am I being too nitpicky/anal about this? Do I need to just get over it?

Or should I pass on this property because I'll always be disappointed with the noise?

 

[SillyOReilly]

I do NOT understand moving to a quiet place on a busy road.

 

[sixone]

I would pass, and keep looking for a property farther from the highway.

 

[IronWing]

Do you want to sleep with the windows open? The traffic noise won't get any better with age.

 

[todpod]

You will adjust to the noise. It would be a non factor to me.

 

[edro]

How far from the road?

I live on a very busy 55mph highway. Traffic is constant. It is annoying when in the front yard and when you have the windows open in the summer.
It is our least favorite thing about the house.

Still, not having neighbors and a great back view/yard are worth it to us.

I have bad hearing, so I can't hear it when the windows are closed.

It will definitely bug you. I would look for the same type of thing on a country road.
I wish I would have.

 

[IronWing]

You will adjust to the noise. It would be a non factor to me.

I figure that when I'm old and deaf I can move back into the city.

 

[SirStev0]

I went out of my way to get a house away from a busy road.

 

[DesiPower]

depends on how far the house is from the highway...

 

[highland145]

You'll be pissed when the 6 lane super highway moves in.

 

[DesiPower]

You'll be pissed when the 6 lane super highway moves in.

That might increase the value of the property and he can buy a 10 acre property further in

 

[highland145]

That might increase the value of the property and he can buy a 10 acre property further in

Or eminent domain and he gets the shaft.

 

[kalrith]

The house is about 150 feet back from the road. There are some trees and bushes in the front yard, so I can't actually see the road from the house (which will probably change in the winter). The noise is loud enough for me to hear inside the house with the windows closed.

The only reasons I'm considering the property are that there's only 1 car about every 5 minutes that comes down the road, and no neighbors can be seen or heard.

I will point out that this a 2-lane country "highway" and nothing like a highway in the city. However, it still gets a fair bit of traffic. I was hoping to live on a road with 1 car every 20-30 minutes, rather than 1 every 5 minutes.

 

[DrPizza]

I used to live in an area relatively near a set of train tracks. After a while, you don't even hear the trains. Having gone back to visit, trains were very annoying. So, regarding the noise - you'll get used to it. Though, it wouldn't really be tranquility for you. Other issues - if you're out where there are no neighbors, country setting, most people in such situations let their dogs and kids play in the yard. I wouldn't want to raise a family next to a busy road. I wouldn't want to have pets (cats or dogs) that might end up squished on the road. As it is, I have 2 cars per hour on my road, yet still get the occasional squished kitty.

edit: 150 back? That's not so bad. Is the traffic constant at that rate 24/7? Or mostly during the day? If the day, and not as busy in the evening (and even less busy at night), I don't think I would shy away from that property.

 

[kalrith]

I visited the house on a Sunday afternoon around 1:00 PM and then today from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, so those two visits are what I'm basing the traffic on. I'm guessing that the rate of traffic will decrease in the evenings and probably be light enough to sleep with the windows open (although that's just a guess).

I'm mainly thinking of sitting on the deck to relax on the weekend and having the car noise bother me. My wife is really frustrated with me, because I say no to 80% of the listings because of their proximity to neighbors or roads, so I want to make sure I'm not being unreasonable. We're looking at houses with 5+ acres, so it's really surprising how many are only 100 feet from neighbors or a busy road.

I'm not certain if I'd get used to the noise. I've lived in my current house for 4 years, and the noise of dogs barking, neighbor's music, etc. really gets to me. I want to make sure that I don't make the same mistake, but I also want to be at least somewhat reasonable.

I plan to fence off the entire property. My dogs will be on tie-outs when outside until the fence is complete. I plan to install the front fence immediately to keep my son from running into the street.

 

[iRONic]

I'd pass. Even fenced I'd be uneasy with my child outside.

 

[Saint Nick]

Blah. You should just buy some land and build your house further from the road.

 

[Sixguns]

I used to live in an area relatively near a set of train tracks. After a while, you don't even hear the trains.

When I was little, we lived right next to a highway. After the first couple of months I no longer would hear the traffic. And once we moved to a different state, our new house was far from any traffic, I had a hard time falling asleep at night for awhile.

 

[kalrith]

Blah. You should just buy some land and build your house further from the road.

That's what I'd really like to do, but the only way it would fit in the budget is to go with a mobile home, and I don't think that's a good option.

 

[Saint Nick]

Suck. That's too bad. I wouldn't want to live in a mobile home either. I'm with you though, I really want some quiet place to live.

 

[Meghan54]

Lived in almost the same situation you did, OP, back in '69-'71. Two lane country highway, house set back 100 ft. or so, about 5 acres of land.

At first, we noticed every single car and truck that went by. Eventually, and in less than a few months, didn't notice any of them. And we didn't have the benefit of a breakfront stand of trees/bushes separating our land from the highway.

What I remember most is hating to mow all that land......almost all of it was mowed which lead to long days cutting it. Outside that and having to put up a fence to keep our dog from being stupid and running into the road, didn't mind it much if at all. Traffic noise, which was an initial concern, ended up not being a problem.

 

[kalrith]

My dream would be on a 5-10 square-acre lot with the home right in the middle. Then it would be hundreds of feet from the perimeter. So, even if a neighbor sold his land, and someone put in a subdivision, it wouldn't be as big of a problem.

Unfortunately I don't have a dream budget unless I buy a mobile.

 

[kalrith]

Lived in almost the same situation you did, OP, back in '69-'71. Two lane country highway, house set back 100 ft. or so, about 5 acres of land.

At first, we noticed every single car and truck that went by. Eventually, and in less than a few months, didn't notice any of them. And we didn't have the benefit of a breakfront stand of trees/bushes separating our land from the highway.

What I remember most is hating to mow all that land......almost all of it was mowed which lead to long days cutting it. Outside that and having to put up a fence to keep our dog from being stupid and running into the road, didn't mind it much if at all. Traffic noise, which was an initial concern, ended up not being a problem.

This is really encouraging to hear. In my mind the road traffic will be tolerable because it's the only noise. In my current house, I have all the typical noises of a neighborhood (and then some!), so any noise really gets on my nerves.

The lot is really perfect except for the road. It's 5 acres with a 1-acre mostly shaded clearing and 4 acres of solid woods. If I want more room to play with my son or to get some goats, then I can always thin out some of the woods this winter.

So, I don't think I'll have to mow much because of all the shade. And I plan to put up a fence (with an electric fence on top) to keep my dogs from running into the road.

 

[Saint Nick]

BTW I voted "No" because I believe that you should buy what you really, really want. Don't settle IMO, especially with a house

 

[lxskllr]

Pass. Find something you really like. Settling for property isn't the same as settling for a second rate dinner. Dinner's over in an hour, the property ownership goes on and on...

You get used to the noise, but then you realize how much it sucks when you go some place that isn't noisy. Traffic around me has increased over the years, and I always hear it. Sometimes I just want to hear the birds and the wind, but the obnoxious background drone is always present.