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Original poster

Why wouldn't you research an area before you move?

191 replies

GlitterGiraffe13 · 13/04/2021 19:37

This popped up on facebook earlier.. A woman bought a house next to the A446 and is now complaining about the noise from the road..For those who aren't really familiar with the A446 it's a really busy road in Birmingham and is used as an alternative route whenever theres a crash/traffic on both the M42 and M6...

She says;
"Before we moved in we had several viewings that all took place on a Saturday morning which all meant that the road was relatively quiet. We absolutely fell in love with the house,"

There was also another article which says she didn't research the area before she moved?

We're relocating soon and we've spent ages researching the new area, good and bad locations to move to and we're going to go and stay for a few days as soon as we can to get a feel for it? Which I thought was normal behaviour?

Even if that was the only time the estate agent could do (unlikely but how else would they sell the house) why wouldn't you drive past it yourself at different times of day to get a feel for the traffic? She's moved from Kings Heath in Birmingham so it's not exactly far for her to go and scope the place out?

I feel like i've missed something here? Confused

Link:
www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/property/couple-forced-wear-earplugs-bed-20350434

OP posts:
HedgleyTheHedgehog · 14/04/2021 13:44

You be surprised how many ppl buy a house then complain about being near a school or the neighbour's trees. Both were there long before you

burritofan · 14/04/2021 15:51

I wonder how they made " situated right next to a busy dual carriageway" sound remotely appealing
Wanky estate-agent speak, we’ve all seen Rightmove ads making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear: “Conveniently situated for the morning commute, you can tumble from bed to car to zipping down the road to work without the usual hassle of getting-out-of-town traffic snarl-ups. Bedroom views across the local vista give you a morning traffic update at a glance, while popping to shopping centres or to see relatives is a breeze”

Throwntothewolves · 14/04/2021 16:33

It was a really stupid thing to do. But that's some people for you.

I'm waiting for the noise complaints from all those who've unwittingly bought 'bargain' houses under flight paths over the last year once air travel picks up again. You really do need to research the area and know what you're getting for your money

PickAChew · 14/04/2021 16:42

@3CCC

anyone else want to see the rightmove/ estate agent listing.

I wonder how they made " situated right next to a busy dual carriageway" sound remotely appealing

"convenient transport links"
DontDrinkDontSmokeWhatDoIDo · 14/04/2021 18:05

Imagine if the poor family have a trampoline in the garden - the lorry drivers will have heart attacks as the kids pop up 😱😱

muddyford · 14/04/2021 18:18

A house we were sent details for had its back garden up against the fence alongside a busy dual carriageway. It was described as not being overlooked! (Except by HGV drivers...).

EastWestWhosBest · 14/04/2021 19:14

Yes, she's foolish, yes, it was clear, but she's clearly not that switched on and has been taken advantage of.

You’ve got to have a certain level of intelligence to be able to manage to fill out the paperwork for a mortgage not to mention earning enough to buy a house for that money. I’m also assuming her husband went with her. They can both be so very dim that they don’t notice a massive bloody road.

I see that she has made a reply comment in the paper saying that yes she knew the road was there but how was she meant to know what it would be like.

Leapyleaffrog · 14/04/2021 19:16

I’m only surprised it was allowed by the highways advisor. I didn’t think you could build a new cul de sac off a busy dual carriageway like that. It’s a road accident waiting to happen. The noise etc... well there’s no words for that level of stupidity really.

Notavegan · 14/04/2021 19:22

I think her demands are fair enough. I feel sorry for her. If she's viewed during covid it could have been a different story. It shouldn't have been built abutting the road.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/04/2021 19:28

I don't think demand to lower speed is ok. I would however say that it would be very reasonable to demand speed cams there so cars aren't speeding. And developer to put up some noise/pollution defence.

Leapyleaffrog · 14/04/2021 19:31

“ I think her demands are fair enough.”

You think they should reduce a dual carriageway to 40mph to suit one household?! Who clearly could see what they were buying? Adding journey time to probably hundreds of thousands of journeys a year, for one idiot? It would be an awful lot cheaper and more efficient to just buy the house back off her than for the council to do that. They shouldn’t though. What’s next, shut down Heathrow because someone bought under the flight path? Close your children’s school because playtime is noisy for the houses next door?

SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/04/2021 19:37

What’s next, shut down Heathrow because someone bought under the flight path? Close your children’s school because playtime is noisy for the houses next door?
Ban parents driving to school because aomeon bought a house close by not realising the amount of traffic small school gets🙈

Standrewsschool · 14/04/2021 19:42

@Notavegan

I think her demands are fair enough. I feel sorry for her. If she's viewed during covid it could have been a different story. It shouldn't have been built abutting the road.
Why do you think her demands are reasonable? No one forced her to live there. She was actually going to buy a house elsewhere on the estate.

Whether developers should or shouldn’t be allowed to build houses next to a dual carriageway is a separate issue, and irrelevant to the case being discussed. She chose this house and should have done due diligence beforehand.

YoComoManzanas · 14/04/2021 19:43

Compounding the stupidity of buying a house next to a dual carriageway is then notifying the local press. In a further article where she 'hits back at trolls' she mentions they will stick it out for this year and then sell it. Good luck with that luv. Confused

GreyhoundG1rl · 14/04/2021 19:46

God, I don't know whether the casual assumption that she'll just sell it when she's had enough is to be pitied or admired 😂

torquewench · 14/04/2021 19:50

@Throwntothewolves

It was a really stupid thing to do. But that's some people for you.

I'm waiting for the noise complaints from all those who've unwittingly bought 'bargain' houses under flight paths over the last year once air travel picks up again. You really do need to research the area and know what you're getting for your money

Theres lots of complaints about noise levels on motor racing circuits from residents whose houses were built 50/60/70 years after the circuits first opened. Also, on a similar note, I was told about one woman who moved to the Isle of Man and bought a house on the road that the races are run on (for over 100 years) then complained about the road being closed every other day during the 4 practice and race weeks for the TT and the Manx Grand Prix. She was told that her house is inaccessible when the roads are closed by the agents, and the painted kerb outside her house, corner and braking marker signs wouldve also been a huge clue 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
HumunaHey · 14/04/2021 19:51

@GreyhoundG1rl

Is she claiming the vendor deliberately held viewings on a Saturday to conceal how busy the road was? What a nut job Confused
They could well have done that. It seems to be a new build so why was it only possible to view on a Saturday? I also agree with a PP that its unscrupulous to build houses so close to a busy road. There could be a fatal lorry crash smashing into her garden while peopleare there.

That being said, she is very daft to have bought the house. No matter how quite the road was at viewing times, the fact that the garden is RIGHT NEXT to such a busy, high speed road would definitely make it a no deal for me.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/04/2021 19:54

Having viewing only on certain day doesn't mean the person cannot go and see the are at different times.
We did. We came at different evenings including one when people like to have parties to check out how it is here. And during the day. Didn't do viewing of the house. Just drove here, walked around and that was it.

EastWestWhosBest · 14/04/2021 19:58

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Having viewing only on certain day doesn't mean the person cannot go and see the are at different times. We did. We came at different evenings including one when people like to have parties to check out how it is here. And during the day. Didn't do viewing of the house. Just drove here, walked around and that was it.
Especially as it’s a new build. You could park right outside without having people worrying about who you are.
GreyhoundG1rl · 14/04/2021 19:58

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Having viewing only on certain day doesn't mean the person cannot go and see the are at different times. We did. We came at different evenings including one when people like to have parties to check out how it is here. And during the day. Didn't do viewing of the house. Just drove here, walked around and that was it.
That's what's recommended to all buyers, everywhere; not just one's who've driven down a major motorway to get to their house and then noticed that it's right beside it on the other side of a flimsy fence. I don't know anyone who hasn't staked out the neighbourhood, in a manner of speaking, before buying. We certainly did. Mad not to.
SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/04/2021 20:00

Good point @EastWestWhosBest We were worried so we wouldn't look like we are looking to burglar houses😂

@GreyhoundG1rl exactly.

It's quite easy thing to do considering the amount of money one is about to spend.

HumunaHey · 14/04/2021 20:01

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Having viewing only on certain day doesn't mean the person cannot go and see the are at different times. We did. We came at different evenings including one when people like to have parties to check out how it is here. And during the day. Didn't do viewing of the house. Just drove here, walked around and that was it.
But her problem is with noise within the house from the busy road. How would viewing the area make her any more privvy to the noise that would be inside?
GreyhoundG1rl · 14/04/2021 20:03

But her problem is with noise within the house from the busy road. How would viewing the area make her any more privvy to the noise that would be inside?
Is that a serious question??

SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/04/2021 20:03

But her problem is with noise within the house from the busy road. How would viewing the area make her any more privvy to the noise that would be inside?

Logic. If it's so loud/vibraty outside, it will be similar inside.

RadioSilienced · 14/04/2021 20:04

Agree for the most part it’s daft.
However we were really criticised when we brought a new build a few minutes walk from a pub and complained about living near it.
However in our defence we’d lived in the village years and it was always a restaurant. After the new build houses it became very much a ‘fun pub’. Then after a couple of bad landlords it became a really rough pub.
Everyone said it was our fault for moving near ‘bad pub’ but it took 2 years to unpick the 20 years nice village eatery to complete shit hole.
Anyway we couldn’t change what had happened so moved on :) much happier now