Buying next to a school/college

totalguitar

Update - we visted the area throughout the weekend and could see no problems, the college was being used but they their own car park and we didn't see any problems. We looked around the properties in the area and none had any grafitti or fence damage etc. We once again went there at 8am - 8.45am this morning and where surprised how few kids actually used the path next to the house (4 or 5 total), another visit at 3.40 - 3.55 was again very reassuring. We have now made an offer and are awaiting a decision.

richardw

Is there room for a multi sport games area near the house, if so they may want floodlighting so that they can play until 11pm at night. The government is very keen to encourage out of hours school sport. Many people don't like floodlighting near their homes.

totalguitar

richardw wrote:

Is there room for a multi sport games area near the house, if so they may want floodlighting so that they can play until 11pm at night. The government is very keen to encourage out of hours school sport. Many people don't like floodlighting near their homes.

It doesn't appear so, and having asked my son he says not. It is used for some night classes but they have there own large car park. The sports area is on the other side of the building as well. We made an offer and have been accepted and our our is now on the market as from today, just need a quick sale.

Just to show the premium on new builds, the same house as we are buying was for sale (and sold quickly) for £41k more than we paid just 1/4mile from the site. New phase houses of the same model will be on sale in the new year at over 60k more than our accepted offer, and the new site is close to a motorway and council tip. Incredible !

Slinky

Has your intended home got a burglar alarm? If not get one fitted as soon as you move in. I have a footpath behind my house and found out the hard way it was a good access route in. I'd say the same to anybody whose home backs onto a footpath.

totalguitar

Slinky wrote:

Has your intended home got a burglar alarm? If not get one fitted as soon as you move in. I have a footpath behind my house and found out the hard way it was a good access route in. I'd say the same to anybody whose home backs onto a footpath.

Thanks for the advice. Yes the house has an alarm and it's fully double glazed with locks etc. The house is less than 3 years old and is in a considered safe area. We have spoken to some people who live in the same area and there really isn't a problem.

td

Just be careful - I teach in a school and jsut because they aren't allowed out at lunchtime now doesn't mean that won't change if the head does. My next door neighbour lives next to a path and always had kids on his wall and garage roof!

I personally wouldn't buy it - but then I have a low annoyance threshold. Weigh up the worse case scenarios and the best and see what you're willing to cope with.

td

gizmoleeds

totalguitar wrote:

(13-18)

13-18 isn't a typical age range for a state school...

Is it a private school?

(If so I probably wouldn't have much concern about behavior...)

Maisie

My friend lives next to a school and hates it. Mostly due to the inconsiderate car parking by parents. They block her driveway, turn on it and sometimes have even parked on it. Complaints to the school and the police do not help.
Over Christmas when school plays etc were on the parking was horrendous by parents watching the school plays etc.
We live in the next street to a school and although the parking etc does not bother us we get all the litter dropped by the kids on the way to/from school.

The senior school a 100 yds away is a cause of litter too. ie kids dropping stuff on their way home. Older kids at that school drive into school and the nearby roads are dangerous with the speed that some of the cars.

An ice cream van parks outside the senior school at 3.15pm when the kids come out and cannot be persuaded by the school to park elsewhere. Long queues form and block the pavement. The school is opposite a bus stop and when there is a bus and the ice cream van and kids coming out of school it's a nightmare on a busy road.

totalguitar

Maisie wrote:

My friend lives next to a school and hates it. QUOTE]

I know how she feels. Where we live at present has a junior school at the end of the street and between 8.45 and 9.00 am and 2.45 and 3.15pm is a nightmare to get in and out of the street. We are unaffected as we live around the corner and rarely use the road at this time.

The college we are considering buying next to does have it's own car park and doesn't appear to have any parking problems at all. Several trips to the area before christmas revealed no forseable problems but i guess you never know. My friend bought a house with quiet neighbours in the houses opposite, until the neighbours took to pigeon fancying !