Pros & cons of buying a house facing main road

Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 0 votes

Hello,

We came across a property for sale that has green space in front of the home but facing a main road in front (11800 South near Herriman High School) as in the attached picture below. Is it ok to buy the property given that the road is too close to the home? I would like to know the pros and cons of buying such a property like the vehicle noise, pollution, etc., Thank you!

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Pat L.

Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes

We made fun of a friend years ago that bought a run down home on a main road. After several years of student housing drama/damages Burger King bought it & the one on the corner for 3x their initial investment.

We have a main road here everyone insists they'd never buy on, BUT every home on it sells quickly, some for over $400k, but the majority have a circular driveway so you're NOT backing out onto 60+mph traffic.

In fact we did a new-build on that same road, set it back 200 ft, huge driveway, but built it with 2x6 construction. Traffic noise inside was minimal, except for the 2am train that passes through EVERY NIGHT with incessant horns <1 mile away.

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Alan Walker
Real Estate Agent · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2016 · 214 posts · 154 votes
6y
In my experience as a realtor, it can hurt resale if the house is on a very busy street. The speed limit also matters, people are less worried if the speed limit is 25 than 45). Is there ample backyard or fenced off space in the back? If you can offer a safe place for the kids to play and the street isn't crazy busy, it can still sometimes work. People are most concerned about kids and pets getting into the busy street.
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Nick Clark
OP
Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 0 votes
6y
Thanks Alan. If you look at the attached image, the property is not right in front of the road. The property is set a little back from the road as in the picture. But I assume you can still hear the noise from the vehicles on the road from your front porch or the backyard. We are still debating if we need to consider this or just let it go.
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Travis Magaluk
Member since 2019 · 2 posts · 0 votes
6y
I bet it depends on the build of the house as well. Depending on the type of insulation in the walls, the noise can be dramatically reduced. My parents live on a very busy street (speed limit 25), but because they put spray foam insulation in the walls, the noise is barely noticable. The house is also right next to the road. I would recommend scheduling a visit at a busy time of day for that road and seeing what it is like during the walkthrough.
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Pat L.
Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
We made fun of a friend years ago that bought a run down home on a main road. After several years of student housing drama/damages Burger King bought it & the one on the corner for 3x their initial investment.
We have a main road here everyone insists they'd never buy on, BUT every home on it sells quickly, some for over $400k, but the majority have a circular driveway so you're NOT backing out onto 60+mph traffic.
In fact we did a new-build on that same road, set it back 200 ft, huge driveway, but built it with 2x6 construction. Traffic noise inside was minimal, except for the 2am train that passes through EVERY NIGHT with incessant horns <1 mile away.
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Steve Theobald
Real Estate Broker · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2015 · 145 posts · 150 votes
6y
You didn't specifically mention the exit strategy, so here goes:
1) As an investment for a rental, 100% all in if the numbers look good.

2) As a flip, even with the set-back you have just eliminated about 30% of the potential buyers because they have kids under 8 years old.

3) As a personal residence, with a big set-back like that-- go for it.

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