House set back from main road?

[OracSays]

Finally found a house after much searching that ticks all the boxes - except one.

It's set back with a big front garden of about 70ft from a 30mph B road on the way into a sleepy seaside town. It's the sort of place you have to want to go to - it's not a big place, no big attractions, not on the way to anywhere, so mainly local traffic.

I've been there a couple of times listening to the traffic. Inside the house, it's not noticeable at all. Outside at the front, it's like a gentle whooshing, except when a motorbike or ambulance goes past. Busy (an average of three cars per minute, no queuing) times are rush hour/school run. At the weekend, there was about 1 car every three minutes.

There's plenty of room at the front of the property to put up trees to cut down the noise (none there at the moment). At the rear, the noise is very faint.

Am I crazy for considering a house on a main road? My heart says this is a lovely house in a sought-after coastal town. My head is saying the traffic noise will affect saleability in the future. Thoughts please? Head or heart?

The only thing I'd say is that judging any property for road noise is likely to be unrealistic with Covid. Lots of people still working from home, minimising travel / breaks away so it may seem far quieter than it would "normally".

I've lived on main roads for years, BTW.

First one, I was about 20m back. Coukf hear very little, apart from the 4 times in that year that someone totalled their car, as we were on a bend and just outside the 40mph zone, do a lot of vsuxhsll novas (and some of their drivers) got written off there.

Second one was unremarkable apart from the occasional thumping of large vehicles going over the speed bumps, outside.

This one is suburban and gets busy as it's near a junction. Tellingly, a similar house, right on the junction was up for sale at the same time as ours, 30k cheaper! We're still set back about 20', though and it's mostly a him, apart from times like last week, when there were road works and lots of drivers put their foot down when the lights changed.

we are set back from a 30mph A road. It's ok. busy at rush hours, and people drive faster than 30mph which is annoying and dangerous. Noise is ok. Except when our road is used as a diversion route at night, and then it's bloody awful. But it doesn't sound like your house is likely to be on a major diversion route.

I suppose it is what you are used to.
My front windows are about 4 metres from a road that sounds a fair bit busier than yours, so I'm wondering what the problem is re noise.

My 'con' in your description would be having to keep 70m of garden maintained, when it wasn't really usable space in terms of sitting / playing out or hanging washing etc.

We live on a main road with a 30 mph speed limit. It's absolutely fine - the noise doesn't bother us. We hardly notice it, apart from ambulances and boy racers. Having a front garden is lovely, and the trees help too. You never get everything in a house, go for it!!!!

I think it will be fine.

It wouldn't put most people off the front garden is massive and trees will make a huge difference

I lived on a main road into a very popular tourist spot quite a few yrs ago. Didn't notice the traffic noise. What got me was the foot traffic. I hated going into the village during Summer. I went there during the last Summer lockdown and it was bedlam! But, it was very popular and well known, so that might be different to your situation.

I grew up on a road like this, except ours was the main road through the village.

The only time you heard traffic noise was in the summer if the windows were open at the front of the house.