Would you buy a house this close to the trainline (see pic inside)?

fiwen30

I’d take a book and park up for a few hours with the windows down, and see how you find the noise.

Competsoph

Just bought my first home, the same if not closer distance however my train line is only two tracks. Have had absolutely no issues whatsoever up to this point. The house is quiet generally so I doubt you’d notice too much. Perhaps view long enough to be there whilst trains go through to see how it feels, sounds etc

firsttimesellerldn

Depends if you’re particularly sensitive to noise and also whether trains run through the night (assuming there are bedrooms at the back). I live a similar distance from a train line - I generally don’t notice them but if you have the windows open the freight trains can be noisy! My partner is much more sensitive to the noise though. I quite like seeing the trains personally.  

Hannimal

This would not bother me or affect my decision to buy.

Davesnave

I can sleep through goods trains nearby or any regular noise, but I'd not buy the flagged house due to the aspect of the rear garden and surrounding trees.

GDB2222

Are the trains diesel or electric? If diesel, I’d be put off. There’s more noise as well as more pollution.

Scotbot

I  am sensitive to noise, bought a house near a flight path and never got used to it. As for price it is clearly near to the train line and has been for decades so that should be priced in.

oldbikebloke

fiwen30 said:

I’d take a book and park up for a few hours with the windows down, and see how you find the noise.

but the fact is human physiology means we become conditioned to background noise, so the 2 hour survey may leave you horrified, but is effectively valueless as 2 months after living there you won't even notice it. Ask anyone living near an airport.

what you do want to establish by survey is whether there is a signal/crossing/station approach in that area which requires trains to use their horn in the vicinity (unlikely given it is a major route). You may also want to be in the garden when both fast and slow trains pass as you cannot filter out absolute noise if, for example, having a BBQ conversation in your garden so frequency might matter in that case. For example when certain flights leaving Heathrow come directly over my house you simply have to wait for them to pass if in the garden 

Overall, as with all house purchases, you have a budget, you are looking at that property because it is the "best" physical building you can afford on your budget. The property is compromised by its location, hence its price, and hence you are able to look at it. Your situation is no different to that of your future buyer, some will doubtless look elsewhere, but one won't, one will buy it. 

gerkin

I would never buy a house so close to a railway line or a motorway. When it is time to sell, a lot of potential buyers will have similar thoughts and discard the property.

Why developers build so close to a busy train line I do not understand. Sometimes you wonder if that is the last piece of land in UK available to build houses.

youth_leader

I've just sold my railway station on the two track East Coast Main line, the level crossing was very close so we could hear the gate alarms plus the train hooted its warning.  We got used to it within a week of living there as the trains passed in thirty seconds at high speeds, it was just background noise eventually, we missed it when they stopped due to engineering works/snow etc.  I was surprised to be so disturbed by the trains at an Airbnb in Broadstairs where the trains went past the end of the garden slowly, do try and sit near the house and see what it's like.  You would get used to it..  Do ask about engineering works, we often had monstrous machines working on the line during the night.