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Original poster

Perfect house but…..

24 replies

Caitlin991 · 20/06/2023 20:38

We’ve found an (almost) perfect house, but it’s ~300m away from the HS2 line.

Would you buy it?

we’re no where near the stations (in fact to use the Birmingham station it would actually take longer to get to London 🙄) so I know there won’t be any positive impact on the property value in that respect.

OP posts:
bibbityboppityboo · 20/06/2023 20:43

Honestly no. I wouldn't buy anything so close to a rail line, but that's just personal preference.

Is it 300m from an overground bit or an underground bit?

Original poster
Caitlin991 · 20/06/2023 20:48

Overground.
I actually grew up with a train line at the bottom of my garden, so I don’t mind train noise as such, but obviously HS2 will be much much faster & more frequent (apparently..can’t see that many people wanting to use it though)

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Season0fTheWitch · 20/06/2023 21:06

No, I'd rather regret not buying it than regret buying it and potentially having a loud house that won't sell again. There will be other perfect houses!

bibbityboppityboo · 20/06/2023 21:10

Hmm 300m from an overground high speed railway would definitely put me off. Although I'm NW based so sceptical about the actual use of it like you've said, can't imagine it being overrun!

Its tough but it's not really a perfect house if it comes with a "but". Unless you're planning on staying their for life and not being bothered about future resale at all?

Original poster
Caitlin991 · 20/06/2023 21:29

Season0fTheWitch · 20/06/2023 21:06

No, I'd rather regret not buying it than regret buying it and potentially having a loud house that won't sell again. There will be other perfect houses!

That’s actually a really good way of looking at it! Thank you :)

OP posts:
Original poster
Caitlin991 · 20/06/2023 21:32

bibbityboppityboo · 20/06/2023 21:10

Hmm 300m from an overground high speed railway would definitely put me off. Although I'm NW based so sceptical about the actual use of it like you've said, can't imagine it being overrun!

Its tough but it's not really a perfect house if it comes with a "but". Unless you're planning on staying their for life and not being bothered about future resale at all?

You’re right, if the house were somewhere else it would be perfect, if it weren’t near HS2 we would be jumping at the chance of buying it!
We probably could stay forever, assuming our circumstances don’t change. It’s difficult!

OP posts:
seven201 · 20/06/2023 22:30

300m Is quite a long way away though. I have no idea what you'd be able to hear from that distance. I wouldn't have thought much, but I'm probably wrong!

LeakyLoftHatch · 20/06/2023 22:35

The issue for the next few years is more about construction. Hugely disruptive and noisy, probably more so than the finished line.

Sundaefraise · 20/06/2023 22:39

i think it would depend where. If it was in Middleton where they are putting a depot as well as the trainline then no, waterorton, which already has some busy roads and is well connected I probably would.

NisekoWhistler · 20/06/2023 22:50

If you live near a highspeeed railway line it's actually best to live closer to the line.
It's come and it goes fast if you live near it. If you live 300 or so metres away, you hear it coming, hear it going past, going away.
Doesn't sound sensible but trust me, I've life literally on the rail side of the london Scotland main line and 300 metres away.

ODFOx · 20/06/2023 23:09

For me it would depend what's between the house and the line. If it will be filled with houses; no issue for me. If it's my house, then an empty field, then the line, then no, unless I could buy the field and plant an orchard.

Itslookinglikeabeautifulday · 20/06/2023 23:23

Yes. Ours is easily within 300m of the HS1 line. It's different to the "ordinary" rail line as there's no clankety clank, just a whooosh as the train goes by. I couldn't tell you how many run each day as I simply don't notice them. Been here years. (Used to live quite near a town's railway station so was fine with moving here.)

GettingStuffed · 21/06/2023 00:05

My childhood home is about 150m from railway line. We never noticed trains unless they were diverting 125s on the line. I wouldn't let proximity to a railway put me off, but I would if it was backing on to it

Probationnotontarget · 21/06/2023 00:09

We lived near a railway line and you stop noticing them after a while.

If you love the house and it wasn’t near the line you probably couldn’t afford it ,

echt · 21/06/2023 00:31

Is the house uphill from the line? If so, the sound will funnel up and be louder.

Snugglemonkey · 21/06/2023 00:41

Caitlin991 · 20/06/2023 20:48

Overground.
I actually grew up with a train line at the bottom of my garden, so I don’t mind train noise as such, but obviously HS2 will be much much faster & more frequent (apparently..can’t see that many people wanting to use it though)

I would definitely want to use it but would be v nimby about it. I would never luce close to it.

atthebottomofthehill · 21/06/2023 00:53

If you're planning to stay in the house a long time and the noise of trains doesn't bother you then yes I would buy it. You'll be getting a perfect house much cheaper than normal.

If you're planning to sell up in a few years then probably wouldn't bother.

Monty27 · 21/06/2023 02:42

I live on the doorstep of an overground station. It's not noisy. It's electric. There's never a bit of bother, apart from people parking across my drive occasionally to pick up from the station but it's not really a surprise as I'm almost at the exit gate.
Not bothering me so far as they don't stay long and there's no noise 🌷

friskybivalves · 21/06/2023 16:13

I grew up with a train line at the bottom of the garden. Loved them and never noticed the noise. You do get used to them. 300m is a fair distance. Is the price commensurately lower than it would otherwise be?

WildFlowerBees · 21/06/2023 16:24

It's not your perfect house though. Your perfect house doesn't have a train line 300m away.

VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji · 21/06/2023 16:36

is it part of the line that’s basically done?

the constructions been brutal and hs2 ltd have been back and forth to court for over stepping the mark. They’ve broken promises time and time again.
there’s also the environmental impact on wildlife, E.g they are expected to wipe out the localised populations of barn owls along the route.
not just that but there’s been strange substances appearing near to the tunnels and they’ve been causing flooding and over using water from lakes and streams which may impact you if you had and wanted to enjoy water near your home.
to mitigate the flooding they’ve caused they’ve been using 24hr tankers to suck the water away.

it’s almost like a bit of joined up thinking would solve those two issues together.

they are also trashing the roads along the route with councils having to take them to court to repair the pot holes.

thatsn0tmyname · 21/06/2023 16:40

I quite like the sound of trains and would rather live near a railway than under a flight path or next to a motorway. I would need convincing that the train wouldn't sound it's horn near me, though.

BlueMongoose · 21/06/2023 21:09

It'll be electric, so quieter and no fumes. And high-speed trains run at bigger separations, so you won't get many per hour compared to other lines. I've lived close to the West Coast Main Line where it was 4 tracks (far more trains per hour) including diesels, and it was no problem. I rarely noticed it, just occasionally if I was awake at night and the wind was from that way, and even when I did, it was just a quiet noise, I rather liked it. But the M6, far further away to the east, was intrusive at times when the wind was from that direction (fortunately not often).
I also lived closer to the M6 and to the east of it. Prevailing winds being from the West, it was pretty lousy to be near to, even though there were gardens, a grass area, and a large field and embankment between, if it was windy you had to shout to be heard in the garden.
I suspect even the average suburban road would be noisier than HS2.

Original poster
Caitlin991 · 22/06/2023 07:42

Thanks for the replies everyone!
They’ve not helped us make a decision, but it’s interesting to see what effect it could have on a resale should we choose to buy it and then sell.
our cash buyer has pulled out anyway, so looks unlikely we’ll be getting that house, or moving at all until everything has settled down.

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