Big house on busy street or small house on quiet street?

[Anonymous]

We're looking to buy a house. We saw one on a relatively busy street (main neighborhood through fare), but for the price it's quite large and we' be able to have a guest room (grandma currently has to sleep on the couch, and would be a lot more space for the kids). There is another house for sale on a more quiet street, but we'd get so much less for the price. Both in the same neighborhood, so same schools,etc.


What would you do?

[Anonymous]

My personal preference: quiet street.

I've lived on both quiet and noisy streets. Hated the noise with a passion.

[Anonymous]

Small house on quiet street, but it's a personal choice.

[Anonymous]

I normally would prefer the small house on a quiet street but the added factor of space seems to be an issue for you so I would go with the larger house- unless grandma is only staying with you short term.

[Anonymous]

We live on a busy street and our bedroom is in the front part of the house, so the street noise is maybe 20 feet away, tops. At first it was quite noticeable, but we got light/sound canceling curtains and that has really helped.

[Anonymous]

Quiet street for SURE

[Anonymous]

Is waiting for something better an option? I'm sure that both are perfectly fine houses, and agree it's a personal preference, but it sounds like you'd need to compromise either way and with the current housing market hopefully you can find a house with enough space, on a quiet street, and in your price range.

[Anonymous]

The house on the busier street may cause an issue for resale, if that is something you are thinking about along the line. I vote for smaller house on quieter street.

[Anonymous]

Small and quiet. But if you're not enthused about either, I'd keep looking.

[Anonymous]

OP...do you desperately WANT or NEED the extra space? If you are going to be expanding your family, perhaps the larger house is the better investment.

[Anonymous]

Do you have enough to fence the front yard of the busy house? How long are you planning to stay there?

[Anonymous]

We're on the corner of a relatively busy street, which is close to a Metro and a bus route, in addition to being used for crossing town by lots of commuters. After 4 years in the house, we've stopped noticing that it shakes when trucks roll by, and we use white noise machines to help us sleep. It really isn't a big deal, and we love both the house and the location.

We do regret that it doesn't have a fenced yard, but we'll simply add a fence when we do a major renovation project, hopefully next year. The only other consideration I'd offer is that we have a driveway/attached garage, but if we didn't, street parking would be a hassle for us.

[Anonymous]

I have both--a small house on a busy street.

The noise makes me CRAZY, especially in the warm weather with the windows open. You have to really crank up the TV to hear anything, and you find the noise level in the house escalating to keep up with the outside noise. HATE IT WITH A PASSION!

However, we now have a 7 month old, and all of the toys, accoutrements, etc, as well as frequently visiting relatives, and I would give my eyeteeth for an extra bedroom, playroom closet, whatever. I think my need for space far exceeds my hatred of the noise, which is saying a lot.

Either way, you are going to have a significant compromise, and I would not underestimate the potential for thinking "what were we thinking??" later. I agree with the PPs who suggested waiting a little and seeing if you can find a better overall fit.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

def small house on quiet, but then again, I HATE NOISE with a passion.

[Anonymous]

We went for the small house on the quiet street. It wasn't about the noise but the traffic. We send our 6 and 8 year olds around the block on their bikes and they generally can run around outside in a way that we might not allow on a busier street. It seemed trivial at the time but I am really happy that we got sidewalks.