Buying house on main road or side street

sonub4ualt

Hello all,

We are currently in chain and looking for properties to move in, our house is currently SSTC. 

We thought we were lucky to have our offer accepted on a detached property in cul de sac in a much sought after location. But after home buyers survey it had a lot of issues, so had to pull out. 

We had viewings on 2 properties today which are in the location we are searching (mainly for school catchment)

Property 1: £440000 Located on a busy road (30-zone)

3-Bed Semi detached 2 receptions, 1 bathroom upstairs, W/C downstairs, driveway for 4 Cars, decent garden, also has planning permission for 1 additional bedroom. school primary 0.1 mile and secondary 0.3. Garage and Garden was not shown by the agent, due to other viewings ( as per agent)

Property 2: £450000
4 Bed detached inside street, 1 reception, driveway for 2 cars and space for 1 more if greenery removed, smaller triangular garden can fit 1 SUV and grass enough to fit a small shed, upstairs 1 shower room, 1 ensuite in master bedroom and a W/C downstairs, New Modular kitchen. School primary 0.2 miles and secondary 0.5. 

Flags: Both properties buyers pulled out and properties are re-listed.

Both are chain free, which house should we prefer property on busy main road or property with smaller garden, as we have 3 kids aged 9, 7, and 2.

Appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks
Kumar

lookstraightahead

I rented on a main road and the house shook when lorries went past. Had to use white noise, couldn't have the windows open at night, and the front door got really dirty. Glad I didn't own it.

i would live in a shed in a quiet area rather than a mansion on a main road.

hope that helps 😂

comeandgo

If you do not know which house to go for you have not found the house for you.  Let them both go.

onylon

Is does the main road have any junctions or crossings near the house? These have a big impact on the noise levels.

I'm used to road noise so would probably go for the bigger house.

comeandgo said:

If you do not know which house to go for you have not found the house for you.  Let them both go.

There are always compromises when you buy a house. If you wait for the perfect home then you will never move. 

sonub4ualt

onylon said:

Is does the main road have any junctions or crossings near the house? These have a big impact on the noise levels.

I'm used to road noise so would probably go for the bigger house.

comeandgo said:

If you do not know which house to go for you have not found the house for you.  Let them both go.

There are always compromises when you buy a house. If you wait for the perfect home then you will never move. 

There is a mini roundabout at about 100 yards from the house on main road

sonub4ualt

FYI….the detached property tends to be a corner plot with bigger driveway and less garden space

comeandgo

onylon said:

Is does the main road have any junctions or crossings near the house? These have a big impact on the noise levels.

I'm used to road noise so would probably go for the bigger house.

comeandgo said:

If you do not know which house to go for you have not found the house for you.  Let them both go.

There are always compromises when you buy a house. If you wait for the perfect home then you will never move. 

Well I’ve managed it in the moves I’ve made.  You are spending a lot of money, at least get something you love.

youth_leader

I think the pollution and air quality will be worse on the main road.  I lived on a main road as a child and hated it, the house shook when the bus went past.

hazyjo

Would not buy on a main road, especially if you're trying to get several kids out of a car. 

If you want/have a cat or dog, that would 100% rule it out for me.

Keep looking 🙂

phoebe1989seb

We once bought a stunning (externally - internally it was a project 🙄) three-storey thatched house on a rural A-road with a 30mph limit.

It, too, shook every time heavy traffic drove by.

Quiet side streets for us now!

Lavendyr

It's really hard to know what to say without knowing what your priorities are. If you need a bigger garden, then the first one sounds promising, but if you value peace and quiet then the second one sounds better. Personally I'm a fan of a detached house but the garden doesn't sound like a family garden to me so question mark there. But if you have 3 kids how long is a 3 bed going to last you - they may well want their own rooms in time, are you considering this as a lifetime home or a mid-term home? Also worthwhile knowing what amenities are nearby - e.g. is there a park near that you could take the kids to so they can run around etc? And how tied to that secondary school are you - i.e. how important is the catchment? So many questions!