House buying - kids play in street

jah72

We are currently house hunting and are between two houses which are basically the same design and are the same price, just on different roads and with different quality of decor.

If we were buying it on the house alone, then it would be an easy decision, however I have one problem with this house, that my partner doesn't feel is a problem. The house is the last but one at the bottom of a cul-de-sac (with no houses opposite) and in the bottom of the cul-de-sac is a football goalpost and a basketball post.

I know they belong to what would be our neighbour, but chances are this is a meeting point for the kids playing on the street (I plan to ask more questions on our next viewing).

This would be the view from our living room window and I think it will upset me. Can I do anything if we did buy the house? I don't want to move in and fall out with the neighbours. Do you think that it is unreasonable to be concerned by this (any good view points to help explain my concerns to my partner would be appreciated!)?

Any comments appreciated.

Turnbull2000

Seems wholly unreasonable to me. Do you honestly expect children to stay indoors rather than play innocently on the street so as not to upset you?

Either don't move there, or fall out with the neighbours and tolerate their children for having the audacity to play in their own street.

carolt

What about buyers with kids? They'd probably see it as an advantage. Where we live, there is a small playground at the end of the street I can see from the window, and I think it's a great advantage. Not all kids are 'feral'. Some of them could be your own....

epz_2

fact is if you move into that sort of street you are going to get kids playing in the street, thats one of the points of culdesacs.

its a bit like moving near an airport and moaning about planes, if you dont want kids outside your door move to a busy street.

PasturesNew

I'd be all twitchy, wondering if their football was bashing against my car, or the cars of my visitors.

I'd worry whenever I went out/came back that I was about to run into them/run over a bike/run over toys.

They screech and shout. The sound of footballs is annoying. Can't open the windows in the summer because of this.

I'd not even be considering it after seeing what you saw. I want quiet enjoyment and a restful environment. Not shrieking kids. Having said that, I do have a hearing condition that makes certain noise pitches excruciatingly painful for me (the noise kids make is RIGHT in that spectrum) ... so I am more susceptible to outside influences and have to consider them more than others.

JF77

I live in a culdesac and my house is up for sale. My next house will be on a busier road but, with a bigger back garden. The kids annoy me as they bounce balls off my front and garage door and are becoming very cheeky. They think it is ok to run across your garden and yes kids do need to play but why don't they play outside their own house.

Turnbull2000

JF77 wrote: »

why don't they play outside their own house.

Could be a lonely play-about if you're an only child!

diesel9181

dont do it!!! we stay at the end of a cul de sac looking on to a small field where the kids congregate (with vandalism in mind) cant wait to move. and yeh i think half of them are feral!! lol suppose it depends if you can handle bikes/tractors/scooters everywhere and struggling to manouver round them all day in day out. only peace is when it rains.

SquatNow

You can repaint an entire house for under £100. Buy the one that needs redecorating. You'de probably redecorate after moving in anyway, so you may as well choose the one that needs redecorating.

shelly

I agree with the posters who say don't do it! We lived in a road for 14 years with kids playing outside. Trouble is their parents tell them to play outside any house but their own as they don't want their cars hit with footballs. Its ok for ours to be hit all day though :rolleyes: They can't talk to each other, they have to scream and shout.
I was a kid once so I know kids will be kids but personally I don't want to hear it from 8am till whenever the parents remember to call the kids in.
We moved recently to a private road with only 4/5 properties on it. The only kids down here are about 3 and maybe 7-8. They hardly play outside but when they do they are in their own garden. Suits me fine!!!
When we are lucky enough to have kids of our own they will play in the back garden and be nuisances to no-one but us!

I adore kids but when they aren't your own their is only so much ear splitting screaming and balls being kicked at your car you can take.

JF77

Turnbull2000 wrote: »

Could be a lonely play-about if you're an only child!

Well I guess what I meant was play as a group but in the front garden of one of the child's houses i.e. not mine.