Would you buy a family home on a busy road

[SilverDoublet]

I'm wondering would most people buy a family semi d on a busy road, in a location that is expensive but close to the city, driveway for several cars at the front, but constant traffic doing 30 - 40mph, sometimes backed up in front of the house? My friend thinks it's undesirable but I think the house looks lovely and would be great.

if the house was perfect in every way I would . A lot of people will say no way but most houses live by noise of some sort , traffic , trains , planes etc etc

No, the noise wouldn’t bother me but the air quality would.

No, because it would be hard to sell.

Personally no, because I imagine it would be noisy and a pain to get out of (& maybe into if the driver behind you is an idiot). It obviously works for some people though.

It sounds like it will affect you leaving your driveway every time you go somewhere, so for that reason I would not buy it. I would find it very stressful to pretty much always have to enter busy traffic each time I went out and be worried about people parking too close to my driveway for comfort etc.

Personal preference but not for our pick when it came to getting family home. Eventually got the right one not on a road and kids and pets all happy

I live on a busy road but the house is set quite far back and there are fields behind and to one side. You can hear the noise (not inside the house and not much behind the house) but you get used to it. I’d rather not be on the road- but we couldn’t afford this house in a quiet location so it’s a compromise we were prepared to make

We very nearly did, it was quite set back from the road with a large driveway and gates so not right on the road and secure. We decided against it when we found out 500 houses were being built across the road however and I glad we did as it’s now gridlocked at peak times due to construction traffic and additional cars from the estate

Is it a proper A road? There's one like that near me with huge houses but when I'm sitting outside them in gridlock I'm always thankful I don't live in one of them. Is there a danger to your children if they were to run out? Could you have the front windows open on a hot day or would it be too noisy? What are the air quality implications of living on a busy road? 3-4 cars is ok but what if you had a party? How regularly is it backed up? Can you turn both ways out of the drive or would you have to use the nearest roundabout to turnaround, and how much time would that add to your journeys? And would your kids' friends find it easy to come over if that's the case or will other parents not want the hassle?

Thing is OP, people obviously do buy these houses and live in them very happily. Finding a house is often about working out what you can compromise on. The same house would cost more if on a side road.

As long as you’re prepared to put up with the road noise and the traffic I’d say go for it. If the house is perfect and in budget why not? Traditionally people would say a busy roads not ideal for kids but honestly I don’t ever see kids playing out in the street anymore so I wouldn’t worry about that side of things too much.

I wouldn’t buy it as I wouldn’t like such a busy road for my pets or children, as well as the noise etc. So yes I think a busy road does limit your buyers but presumably the house is priced to reflect a limited market and for some people it might mean they can have somewhere they couldn’t otherwise afford. I doubt it will be that easy to sell either.

We did. The moving traffic noise isn't an issue at all, it's when the traffic queues. Sometimes it takes ages to get off the drive and people are too impatient to let you reverse park when returning home, so I have to drive in and reverse out. Also, in the warmer months, some drivers will have their car radios blaring with windows down. Traffic creates a lot of dust, even if you have back windows open rather than front. Our problems are made worse by having a bus stop directly outside. I'd never buy on a main road again. Would much prefer a side street.

Absolutely not. I stayed with a friend one in a house like that for a week and the traffic noise drove me mad. We sat in the garden once on a hot day and my skin felt covered in grit by the end of the day.

Never….you would regret it

No.
Had a house like this. It was the thumping music in the stationary cars that did it for me.
Never again!

Never in a million years. Noise, air pollution, danger to family/pets from idiots on the road.

I live behind houses on a marginally busy main road, keep rear windows slightly ajar at nighttime for freshness and notice the pollution from car emissions which was noticeably absent during Covid. Would I buy a house on a main road? No as my neighbours must be more prone to it than I am.

No I really wouldn’t. I would rather have a much smaller house in a quiet road. An uglier house in a quiet road. I would give up loads of other things first. But that’s me I hate noise and pollution

Nope. We found the "perfect " house until my mum mentioned who we'd be constantly keeping our toddlers away from the gate/road.

With hindsight, even though the house was beautiful, I'm reallt glad we bought on a cul de sac in the end

We found the perfect house when we were looking to move back in 2019. But it was located on a busy dual carriageway A road. In the end, we decided that was a deal breaker given I am very noise sensitive, so we didn't go for it.

I used to feel slight regret when I drove past it. But in my heart of hearts I know the noise would have annoyed the hell out of me!

As a uni student, I rented a couple of rooms in houses on main roads including busy dual carriageways. My bedroom was always at the back and being younger, the sound never bothered me that much. However, now with my own family, its a no-no.

Never. I wouldn’t be bothered about the noise, I lived near a train line and you really do stop hearing the noise after a bit.

For me it’s the safety thing, both for kids and for pets.

I bought one. Ours is set back off the road a bit, so has a small front garden and a large hedge in front of the garden so you can't see the cars from the living room and you can't really hear them either. It's never been a danger for kids. We have an indoor cat.
We also have no private parking but can find a space.
It was a compromise, it got us a 5 bed house at a good price with a lovely garden and view out the back. It's ideal for bus routes and access to shops etc. I don't regret it.

We live on a pretty busy road ( not an A road) like you its a fairly desirable area in a capital city( not London) with good schools and transport links. If we could have we’d have bought a big house in a quiet road but this is what we could afford and compared to many people we are very fortunate with our garden ( at the back so noise is fine) and three bedrooms even if the house is a bit quirky. I’ve actually found noise and dust has improved over the 20 years we’ve been here with electric cars and people wfh more ( or maybe I’m just used to it) I think there are pros and cons to everything. I’d rather this than a house in the countryside and a long commute to work
edit : and our cat never goes near the road he plays out in the gardens behind us .

Not in a million years. It’s my one red line when buying a house.