Would you buy a house that overlooks a suburban bus station?

[Anonymous]

SFH ~$600K in a development that is about 40 ft higher elevation overlooking 80 acres zoned for a parking lot for a suburban version of Park n Ride (not Metro).

Would you buy the house? If the parking lot were flat? How about if it was a parking garage? I'm trying to gauge whether people see this as primarily a negative or a positive. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Negative for sure, but I'd have to see, hear, and smell it to see how negative it may be.

[Anonymous]

No. It's not just the bus traffic but the transient people traffic that would probably come along with it.

[Anonymous]

Well, bummer. I appreciate the honest feedback though. I really did like the house but I really think I need a house that will have location going FOR it, not against it.

[Anonymous]

It's not an absolute negative. But you should be able to buy it for less than other houses not near the park and ride. And you should expect to sell it for less. But the diesel exhaust fumes and dirt can be a real issue. It's far better to live above than below, of course.

[Anonymous]

It's a negative. Guaranteed an identical house across the street without the view would go for more.

[Anonymous]

it is a negative, but not a huge one. I would have thought it would knock 5-8 percent off the price.

[Anonymous]

My sister lived in a house that backed up to a truck stop (long story) and she and my niece both developed asthma due to the fumes. So, my vote would be to look for a different house!

[Anonymous]

Update! Just found out that this is not a bus station, it will be the last stop on the Dulles Metro line in Ashburn,VA.

Does that change anything for the better? I know when we moved here, any home within 1 mi of a Metro station was an automatic $20-50K increase in price.

[Anonymous]

Yes. That should increase the property value. Just make sure you can't hear the train from the house.

[Anonymous]

Yes-- proximity to Metro is a huge plus, especially out there where most development isn't walking distance from stations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. That should increase the property value. Just make sure you can't hear the train from the house.

How on earth would OP make sure she can't hear the train when it probably won't be built until 2016?!

Yes, being walking distance to the metro will definitely increase the value of your house. Maybe it won't be as good as if it was walkable (different lot in the same neighborhood), but didn't have the view. But it should be better than if it wasn't walkable at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. That should increase the property value. Just make sure you can't hear the train from the house.

How on earth would OP make sure she can't hear the train when it probably won't be built until 2016?!

Yes, being walking distance to the metro will definitely increase the value of your house. Maybe it won't be as good as if it was walkable (different lot in the same neighborhood), but didn't have the view. But it should be better than if it wasn't walkable at all.

Figure out the decibel level and take into account geography and environmental factors. That and making sure the house is well insulated against outside noise.

[Anonymous]

It would be a positive. However, you might want to check out the EIS for the project and also talk to the LC planning office to get their take on the types of development projects they expect to see between your house and the metro site.

http://www.dullesmetro.com/pdfs/FEIS_V/02/Route%20772.pdf

Chapter 5.

[Anonymous]

I think it would increase the value of that neighborhood vs other ones in the area. But honestly, I still don't want to be overlooking a metro station. Would prefer to be across the street, out of view.