To buy a house that has traffic lights outside?

[narcdad45]

Everyone I've spoken to says avoid, there is parking for 2 cars at the back, in a great area, no need to change schools, under budget and affordable.
Am I mad for considering?

Oh God, it’s not even the rush hour traffic or the idling cars.

Think about the emergency services who (quite rightly) have to set of sirens at all hours to navigate the junction safely.

I used to live on a busy junction 500m away from an ambulance and fire station...I lasted 6 months.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-65279949.html

This one has no parking at the front but the area is also lovely, tiny garden though! Have viewed but not offered, was considering an offer of £348,500 - too low? Our budget is £345-350k

I just wouldn’t buy it because it’s on a busy road, nothing to do with the traffic lights. I only registered that there is a street lamp right outside our bedroom window after we moved in which is a bit annoying! Look out for them too!

There are several things to think about. First the pollution and traffic noise. Secondly the pedestrians crossing the road and the noise from them waiting for the lights to change. The waiting area looks directly in front of the house. Also, does the crossing beep?

I couldn’t live there as it’s just too busy. I’d hate seeing and hearing so much traffic stopping and starting outside my lounge. But I guess you would get used to it.

That ones better I think, that side is closer to Broxbourne woods and it always seems much more rural that side, and that’s a lovely walk down the new river.

Our house is about ten yards from a fairly busy junction, so at rush hour there’s a constant stream of idling cars outside. It’s honestly never given me a moment’s bother; I’m really surprised at all the negative responses here. You get used to traffic noise very quickly, none of us even notice it now, and despite our bedroom being at the front it never interferes with sleep.
Unless you’re moving from somewhere very rural where you’ve been used to absolute silence outside, I wouldn’t automatically discount it.

The second one looks a lovely setting and house. Nice and calm outside. I would just hate seeing all those cars whizzing past my window at the other house.

The broxbourne house is nice. I don’t know the area or market but my gut feeling is offer lower than 348k. Maybe 335k? It’s been on a couple of months.

It’s really not just a bit of traffic though appropriateadult there is a government initiative to reduce traffic in Broxbourne because of pollution and congestion. The road is parallel to the A10 - a dual carriageway which is on junction 25 of the m25. If the A10 is blocked (nearly always) that road is a drivers next best option in to London/A406.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-49675893

We have lived in a house, not at traffic lights, but on a main road.... never again! Many things about it but volume of traffic, engine noise, car smells, lack of privacy as buses pass, difficulty in stopping outside the house or having things unloaded. For me those things mean living on a main road is a definite Nono!

Ok I've definitely discounted the first house!

Second house was originally up for £375, will arrange second viewing 👍

For the right house, traffic lights I could live with. But there is no way I'd buy that house because it's not just normal traffic lights - it's a bloody beep beep man.

No, couldn’t do it.
No matter how cheap it is..I’d hate it.

Good luck with the 2nd house. Much better.

I wouldn’t mainly because it could make it difficult to sell when you want to move.

Second house looks a better option although no floor plan so hard to see exactly how it’s laid out. Stairs out of the living room can suck the heat out but it looks as if there’s a porch so you’ve got a double door.

Next door’s flagpole would give me pause but I’m an epic snob.

Downstairs shower room could be very handy if you’ve got muddy kids/dog. And the bedrooms look a good size. Does it have a garage at the back? Looks like lockups on the map. And check the insurance re the river.

I agree with Maggie on the flagpole. That would put me off, rightly or wrongly.

I once spent a night in a hotel in Dublin by a crossing just like the one on street view for the first house and I had the worst nights sleep ever. Rumbling buses shaking past as they stopped and started, plus all the other traffic and the beep beep beeps and light shining through the gaps in the black out blinds. Argh!

I wouldn’t even consider it due to all the reasons mentioned above. I couldn’t even live on a B road personally, let alone an A road! The traffic and pollution would drive me mad.

I'd not consider the second one either with global warming it could end up underwater. Have you checked if it's ever flooded?

In my youth, I rented a flat on a busy main road. The noise didn't bother me, but it got really dirty. You could dust 10 times a day and not keep it clean.

I realise cars etc are much cleaner now in terms of emissions, but you still get lots of dust from traffic kicking up road dirt, brake linings etc.

Never again. But then I'd like to live a mile up a track in the middle of nowhere, which probably makes me a bit odd.

The second house is lovely but I’ll be very honest and say I wouldn’t consider a house that close to a river.

I said literally 10 posts up that it doesn’t and has never flooded. They are man made gravel pit lakes to take the load off the river which is in a national park used for the Olympics. It has had a lot of money spent on it in the last few years. It’s a very safe and picturesque area.

Oh OP you shouldn’t have posted links to rightmove, I’ll never get out of the wormhole of looking at random properties!
What about the £355,000, 3 bedroom terraced house, High Road, Wormley that’s advertised?
Sorry no nothing of the area! That’s been on 10 months so room to knock down the price?

Good you are looking at alternatives op and good luck !
Lights would not bother me for traffic reasons.
Beeping from any form of pedestrian crossing would drive me mad I think.
My list of things to avoid if at all possible are almost all to do with noise - houses close to
beeping crossings
School playgrounds
Restaurants, partic those with tables outside
Pubs
Recycling bins
Bottle bins
Ken livingstone (they weren’t boris) bike stations
Delivery/store yards
Recycling centres
! Have lived close to some of these and currently do but if I could have my way I’d be in middle of large field somewhere