What WON''T you live near?

[musey]

Date: 4/20/2009 6:22:54 PM
Author: TheBigT

Date: 4/20/2009 5:44:51 PM
Author: MC
I would never buy a home next to an apartment complex. There''s tons of traffic, noisy people all crammed in together, and people milling about. Living in a condo was bad enough even with everyone owning (except for a small percentage who rent and the HOA has a say in who rents, so there''s some control AND *criminal background checks* done on any perspective renters), but regular apartments would be a nightmare.

I guess my point was rather that it would be impossible to find a place in Manhattan and many parts of Brooklyn (the only boroughs I''ve lived in) that wasn''t near an apartment building. I don''t know about ''complexes,'' I''m not sure what distinguishes those from ''buildings.'' But the list said ''apartment building.'' I guess people are afraid of socio-economic diversity? There goes the neighborhood!

It is too nasty of me to say I wouldn''t want to live near my in-laws?

I don''t think that MC was trying to distinguish between "building" and "complex," I read it as "apartments" vs. "condos" (please correct me if I''m wrong, MC!).

To me the difference there is that (in theory) people are more respectful of public/common areas with condos because their is more of a feeling of ownership attached to it.

I don''t think it''s an issue of socio-economic diversity, it''s an issue of the psychology surrounding the conditions of your occupation of a unit. Is it someone else''s that you''re just paying to use (apartment)? Is it a building you own a piece of (condo)? Is it all yours (house)? These different situations lend themselves to different treatment of property.

And no, I''m not saying that all apartment-dwellers are inconsiderate of public space

I''m just saying that it''s easier to be that way when there is no sense of ownership - when it''s not "yours," someone else is responsible for it. If that makes sense.

 

[TravelingGal]

Well, I just came back from looking at the house - timed it for when school got out. Results?

The bell was barely discernable.

The traffic was not.

I got there a little early, so I parked right near the house for sale. Sure enough, as it got closer to the end of school, a woman in a SUV pulled up right next to the house for sale and blocked the driveway. That kind of stuff would really annoy me!

Kids loitered in front of the house too. Traffic getting out of the area was pretty bad.

So my verdict is definitely no go for a house right next to a school!!!

 

[musey]

^^ That would all annoy me, too. I can see a "perfect" house being worth it, but nothing short of that

 

[Inanna]

I consider these very undesireable:

Main thoroughfares with a lot of traffic
Railroad tracks
Commercial properties
Industrial properties
Utility structures such as waste, electrical or nuclear power plants
Noise pollution from nearby airports or freeways
Garbage, landfills and recycling
Government housing or government buildings
Wind pollution such as odors from neighboring farms or factories

Apartments would be fine if they were upper scale, and preferably didn''t allow dogs (I''ve found that apartment dwellers are less likely to clean up after their dogs than homeowners). Schools I don''t mind as long as my house isn''t RIGHT next to one.

Here''s a weird one I never thought of until experiencing it - I will never ever again live on a street lined with Ginkgo trees. They are truly beautiful trees, especially when the leaves turn bright yellow. BUT in the late fall, they start dropping hundreds and hundreds of big stinky berries (I call them stinkleberries) that literally smell like poo. Not stepping on them is nearly impossible as these berries cover every inch of street and sidewalk. It''s a nightmare digging them out of the crevices of running shoes. They''re also quite slippery.

Living on a cobblestone street is wonderful, however. No traffic!

 

[CNOS128]

Date: 4/20/2009 6:31:28 PM
Author: musey
I don''t think that MC was trying to distinguish between ''building'' and ''complex,'' I read it as ''apartments'' vs. ''condos'' (please correct me if I''m wrong, MC!).


To me the difference there is that (in theory) people are more respectful of public/common areas with condos because their is more of a feeling of ownership attached to it.


I don''t think it''s an issue of socio-economic diversity, it''s an issue of the psychology surrounding the conditions of your occupation of a unit. Is it someone else''s that you''re just paying to use (apartment)? Is it a building you own a piece of (condo)? Is it all yours (house)? These different situations lend themselves to different treatment of property.


And no, I''m not saying that all apartment-dwellers are inconsiderate of public space

I''m just saying that it''s easier to be that way when there is no sense of ownership - when it''s not ''yours,'' someone else is responsible for it. If that makes sense.

Be that as it may, my original point was that you can''t live in Manhattan without being somewhat near an apartment building. And most people wouldn''t consider that undesirable. It''s crowded and noisy everywhere in NY. So the thought of trying to avoid apartment buildings is odd.

And to some extent it does come to down to socioeconomic diversity. People who can afford to own homes are often more wealthy than those who can''t. Avoiding neighborhoods with apartment buildings automatically insulates one from certain segments of the population.

 

[Elmorton]

I grew up next to an elementary school (3-5th). The street was like a T with the elementary school where the lines intersect, and my house was a few down the base of the T. It was absolutely IDEAL. Yes, sometimes people blocked our drive, but it was a very rare occasion that anyone was home at my house (my parents were teachers too) at 3pm on a school day. When I was little, I had fun going to the playground to play "after hours" and it was great to be able to walk to school. So, I''d do that.

I''d absolutely live near a cemetery - you know that nothing will ever get built there, and it''s quiet.

Out of Tgal''s original list, I wouldn''t live near:
Main thoroughfares with a lot of traffic - though it totally depends on the house/neighborhood. We rented a house with small apartments nearby and it was actually a great neighborhood
Utility structures such as waste, electrical or nuclear power plants - seen Erin Brockovich a few too many times
Noise pollution from nearby airports or freeways - might consider, depending on how bad the noise was, though
Garbage, landfills and recycling
Government housing or government buildings - did this in college, not fun
Sports arenas
Wind pollution such as odors from neighboring farms or factories - I lived near a soy plant once (well..the whole town was "near the plant" enough to smell it) and will never, ever EVER do this again

Adding to it:
-ON a body of water. I''d love a house up a little on a bluff with water views, but I''ve seen flooding a little too closely to live where I can walk from my house to the dock, and while I love oceans, I don''t like being close to one for extended periods of time
-Next to a frat house/on a large university campus
-Near an interstate exit

We actually considered a house near a rehab facility. It was a GORGEOUS historic building (so not an eyesore at all), and it cost something like 10k for a week, so we figured it was probably safer in that neighborhood than anywhere else. Ultimately though, the house was on a massive hill that we were afraid of in terms of snow removal/ice. Oh! There''s another.

-On a road that isn''t plowed well or can''t be plowed for snow/ice etc

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 4/20/2009 6:51:23 PM
Author: TheBigT

Date: 4/20/2009 6:31:28 PM
Author: musey
I don''t think that MC was trying to distinguish between ''building'' and ''complex,'' I read it as ''apartments'' vs. ''condos'' (please correct me if I''m wrong, MC!).


To me the difference there is that (in theory) people are more respectful of public/common areas with condos because their is more of a feeling of ownership attached to it.


I don''t think it''s an issue of socio-economic diversity, it''s an issue of the psychology surrounding the conditions of your occupation of a unit. Is it someone else''s that you''re just paying to use (apartment)? Is it a building you own a piece of (condo)? Is it all yours (house)? These different situations lend themselves to different treatment of property.


And no, I''m not saying that all apartment-dwellers are inconsiderate of public space

I''m just saying that it''s easier to be that way when there is no sense of ownership - when it''s not ''yours,'' someone else is responsible for it. If that makes sense.

Be that as it may, my original point was that you can''t live in Manhattan without being somewhat near an apartment building. And most people wouldn''t consider that undesirable. It''s crowded and noisy everywhere in NY. So the thought of trying to avoid apartment buildings is odd.

And to some extent it does come to down to socioeconomic diversity. People who can afford to own homes are often more wealthy than those who can''t. Avoiding neighborhoods with apartment buildings automatically insulates one from certain segments of the population.

I think the discrepency lies in comparing Manhattan, downtown Chicago, San Francisco, etc. to the rest of the country. In New York the idea of not livng by an apartment building is preposterous, that is not the case in other places, even smaller major cities like L.A., San Diego, San Jose, etc.

 

[Elmorton]

Date: 4/20/2009 6:51:23 PM
Author: TheBigT
And to some extent it does come to down to socioeconomic diversity. People who can afford to own homes are often more wealthy than those who can't. Avoiding neighborhoods with apartment buildings automatically insulates one from certain segments of the population.

I'm not sure exactly what the point is here. Even if a poster was saying that "they don't want to live near poor people" (which from reading the posts, this clearly doesn't seem to be the case), I think most people, if they're being honest, will also say that they would rather live in areas where their neighbors make more money. I see that this has very little to do with socioeconomic prejudice but rather because when people have a limited income, they are likely going to choose to spend their income on primary needs rather than home repair/beautification.

I really don't care how much money my neighbors make (actually, I'd rather live in a box before living in a McMansion - so maybe I do care!), but I do want to be in a neighborhood where people take care of their properties. When I was looking for a house, I said over and over again that I wanted a nice neighborhood (even if my house wasn't even half as nice as the others on the block), because the majority of my time will be spent IN my house and the view from the inside is the OTHER houses in the neighborhood. Oh - and there's that little detail about how your neighbor's property affects the value of your own.

As far as living next to a rental property goes, I agree with everything that's been said and it's all due to experience living in/next to rental properties:
1) Owners may not keep it up as well due to lack of pride in dwelling
2) Landlord may be absent or non-existent if owned by corporation, thus ignoring needed repairs to property
3) A landlord is in the position to make money, so beautification often isn't a top priority
4) It's hard/impossible to have a sense of community in the neighborhood when people are constantly moving in and out, which is often the case with rental or temporary housing
5) A larger complex can pose problems for parking/shared neighborhood areas

Clearly, large metro areas where few people own are going to be different (and, I believe the OP was based on houses not condos/apts).

 

[Elmorton]

Thought of more:

-an area where there are no trees
-next to a home overrun with lawn ornaments

 

[musey]

Date: 4/20/2009 6:51:23 PM
Author: TheBigT

Date: 4/20/2009 6:31:28 PM
Author: musey
I don't think that MC was trying to distinguish between 'building' and 'complex,' I read it as 'apartments' vs. 'condos' (please correct me if I'm wrong, MC!).

To me the difference there is that (in theory) people are more respectful of public/common areas with condos because their is more of a feeling of ownership attached to it.

I don't think it's an issue of socio-economic diversity, it's an issue of the psychology surrounding the conditions of your occupation of a unit. Is it someone else's that you're just paying to use (apartment)? Is it a building you own a piece of (condo)? Is it all yours (house)? These different situations lend themselves to different treatment of property.

And no, I'm not saying that all apartment-dwellers are inconsiderate of public space

I'm just saying that it's easier to be that way when there is no sense of ownership - when it's not 'yours,' someone else is responsible for it. If that makes sense.

Be that as it may, my original point was that you can't live in Manhattan without being somewhat near an apartment building. And most people wouldn't consider that undesirable. It's crowded and noisy everywhere in NY. So the thought of trying to avoid apartment buildings is odd.

And to some extent it does come to down to socioeconomic diversity. People who can afford to own homes are often more wealthy than those who can't. Avoiding neighborhoods with apartment buildings automatically insulates one from certain segments of the population.

Alright, but that's sorta beside the point, isn't it? Manhattan is quite different from the rest of the country, as KimH pointed out. In your case, its applicable, but not in most peoples' cases. You didn't lead with "you can't live in Manhattan without being somewhat near an apartment building," you led with "As a resident of NYC, I find this kind of weird." So people were explaining the/their logic behind it, that's all.

Also, no one cited socioeconomic homogeneity at a high(er) level as a reason to remove oneself from neighborhoods with apartments. That may be a side effect (and often is, but not always as some apartment neighborhoods are quite upscale), quite obviously, but I didn't get the impression that anyone was trying to insinuate that that was a reason to avoid them. There are many logical and reasonable reasons to avoid neighborhoods with apartments, and a lot of them were already shared by myself and others.

Again, Manhattan (and other similar areas) is the exception, not the rule. No one said that YOU need to avoid apartment neighborhoods when shopping for YOUR home in YOUR area, people just shared that THEY would like to avoid apartment neighborhoods while shopping for THEIR home in THEIR area for X/Y/Z reasons. There's no reason to take offense to that, in my opinion (again, as an apartment dweller in a major city).

 

[snlee]

No to everything on the list except cemeteries. I don''t mind living near it (like a mile of so from it) as long as I don''t have a view of it. I don''t want to live next to it either.

 

[Haven]

Oooh El, I definitely agree about not being able to live in an area without any trees.

DH and I looked in a brand new development but it seemed so bare to us because it only had those shorter, freshly planted trees. I grew up in a heavily wooded area, and I really need that.

I would also not want to live near a strip mall. We looked at a great house, but it backed up to a strip mall, it was impossible to feel serene sitting in that backyard.

This discussion is interesting, because it really speaks to what individuals want in a house. I wanted a haven from the world, where I can feel safe and creative and relaxed. Before we were married, DH lived way up in a high rise on Lake Shore Drive, and he loved the bustle of the city and the view of the lake. We still have that condo, but I wouldn''t want to live there full time. I need some serious down time in the evenings.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 4/20/2009 3:30:45 PM
Author:TravelingGal

Locations are considered undesirable if they are near:

Main thoroughfares with a lot of traffic
Railroad tracks
Commercial properties
Industrial properties
Apartment buildings
Utility structures such as waste, electrical or nuclear power plants
Cemeteries
Noise pollution from nearby airports or freeways
Garbage, landfills and recycling
Schools
Government housing or government buildings
Sports arenas
Wind pollution such as odors from neighboring farms or factories

I would not want to be on a main street (dangerous for kids and pets) but not mind being off of one. Probably not industrial properties b/c of pollution. Utility structures are an eye sore and garbage/landfills can stink. We used to live a few miles from one and when the wind shifted...ick! Would not want to be across the street from anything other than another home (or neighboring) but don't mind if a school, commercial, apartments, etc are a few blocks away.

I would want a nice size lot (where you can't pass your neighbor a cup of sugar via your kitchen windows), check the sex offender sites for sure (obviously have no control over who moves in next), somewhere in a good school system, and nice kept lawns (run if they aren't).

 

[musey]

Date: 4/20/2009 6:51:23 PM
Author: TheBigT
And to some extent it does come to down to socioeconomic diversity. People who can afford to own homes are often more wealthy than those who can't. Avoiding neighborhoods with apartment buildings automatically insulates one from certain segments of the population.

As a side note, I think that this applies to any neighborhood choice. I would venture to guess that the majority of people would like to live in a "nice" (clean, safe, etc.) neighborhood. Even just one of those aspects, "safe," automatically "insulates" people from certain segments of the population, right? Namely people who engage in violent behavior - otherwise the neighborhood wouldn't be "safe." Of course, there are no guarantees, there's always the random surprise yuppie who's actually a drug dealer who also runs a prostitution ring

I do get what you're saying, I just think that people shouldn't necessarily be faulted for wanting to live in a certain type of neighborhood, no matter what negative implications one could draw from that choice. I know that safety in our neighborhood was a top priority, and we are surrounded by people of a certain base socioeconomic "level" as a side effect of that.

 

[PaulaW]

I would not want to live next to any of the things on your list except for the cemetaries... they don''t bother me. I would like to add that we wouldn''t buy a home near high tension wires either. We looked at a great home that was right next to those wires and I swear I could hear a faint hum. I have no idea whether they are directly related to cancer or whatever, but I wasn''t taking chances.

 

[CNOS128]

I don''t have time to respond fully right now -- but I certainly never faulted anyone for wanting to live in a certain place, Musey. All I said was that choosing to live away from apartments is insulating. Many people, including many people I know, choose diversity over "safety" or "quiet." I didn''t say one position was correct; just that I find it odd that someone would choose not to live near apartment buildings.

I understand all the upkeep/beautification/sense of community issues that people have mentioned. It''s simply been a different experience where I have lived.

 

[musey]

 

[anchor31]

My in-laws.

 

[Kaleigh]

How about living near houses that are occupied by college students? Had a friend that lived near some of those houses, it was a night mare.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 4/20/2009 3:42:00 PM
Author: princesss
I was actually about to say that cemeteries are great neighbours! BF lived in an apartment that looked into a cemetery, and his parents live directly behind one. No crazy parties. Very quiet. Really, fairly ideal. Other than being, you know, dead.

OMG Princess LOL - that''s funny!

For me, anything that would make a lot of noise (includes schools, train tracks, etc...) or, more important, anything that might not be safe - I work in a really unsafe area of the city where I live, and it makes such a huge difference to me to have a safe, clean neighborhood to come home to at night. I know no neighborhood is perfectly safe, but having things be as safe as possible (without sacrificing an urban setting) is really important to me.

 

[iheartscience]

Since I''m on the house hunt I''ve thought about this a lot! Not all of your original list apply because of the areas I''m looking in, but some do.

I wouldn''t buy a house near:
Main thoroughfares with a lot of traffic
Apartment buildings (if they''re bigger buildings-I live in one now, and everyone definitely uses all the available parking, and it can get very COLLEGE! around here even though most people in the area are older than that.)
Schools
Government housing or government buildings

I also wouldn''t live near:
Dilapidated/boarded up properties-there was one behind my apartment building and squatters were living in it...I did not like that! It was torn down recently and it feels much safer now.

I wouldn''t mind overlooking a cemetery at all-my sister''s ex-boyfriend lived in the caretaker''s house of a gorgeous old cemetery and it was awesome! Super quiet and great views. Railroad tracks wouldn''t bother me either.

 

[oobiecoo]

Date: 4/20/2009 9:57:28 PM
Author: Kaleigh
How about living near houses that are occupied by college students? Had a friend that lived near some of those houses, it was a night mare.

DH and myself are really good neighbors but I guess we aren''t the *typical* college students. The younger, partying ones are a real pain though!!!

 

[monarch64]

Trains. Did that in college and the noise, dust, etc. was awful. Never again.

 

[CNOS128]

Date: 4/20/2009 7:26:11 PM
Author: musey
Alright, but that''s sorta beside the point, isn''t it? Manhattan is quite different from the rest of the country, as KimH pointed out. In your case, its applicable, but not in most peoples'' cases. You didn''t lead with ''you can''t live in Manhattan without being somewhat near an apartment building,'' you led with ''As a resident of NYC, I find this kind of weird.'' So people were explaining the/their logic behind it, that''s all.


Also, no one cited socioeconomic homogeneity at a high(er) level as a reason to remove oneself from neighborhoods with apartments. That may be a side effect (and often is, but not always as some apartment neighborhoods are quite upscale), quite obviously, but I didn''t get the impression that anyone was trying to insinuate that that was a reason to avoid them. There are many logical and reasonable reasons to avoid neighborhoods with apartments, and a lot of them were already shared by myself and others.


Again, Manhattan (and other similar areas) is the exception, not the rule. No one said that YOU need to avoid apartment neighborhoods when shopping for YOUR home in YOUR area, people just shared that THEY would like to avoid apartment neighborhoods while shopping for THEIR home in THEIR area for X/Y/Z reasons. There''s no reason to take offense to that, in my opinion (again, as an apartment dweller in a major city).

In fact, it''s not beside the point -- it''s the whole point. My point was that coming from NY, that criterion seems strange and almost inconceivable. I understand that people were explaining their logic behind it, and I understand their logic. Certainly there are reasonable reasons to avoid apartments in some cities, but my point was that because I have lived in NY for so long, that''s strange and a bit amusing to me. And given the reasonable reasons you and others have given for wanting to avoid apartments, it seems you wouldn''t be trying to avoid the upscale apartment buildings, anyhow. But if people want to avoid apartment building that''s up to them; I never said it was wrong -- just that it was weird to me.

I''m perfectly aware that Manhattan is the exception rather than the rule, that was the entire reason I made the first comment that I did. I never believed that people were telling me what to avoid while looking for my apartment, nor did I indicate that. And nor did I take offense to anything that was said (except I do think your use of the eye-rolling emoticon and excessive use of italicized words is a little disrespectful). You seem to think I''m personalizing things that I''m simply not personalizing. All I was stating was my opinion that as someone from NY, it seems particularly odd that someone would strive to avoid apartment buildings.

And after that, the thought struck me that in avoiding apartment buildings, people are avoiding the lower socioeconomic groups. I never said that was wrong. I never told you or anyone else they needed to be as socially liberal as the people I know. Nor did I even say that I wouldn''t do the same thing. I avoid living and even going to certain places on the upper east side so I can limit my contact with certain excessively wealthy people. I''m okay with that, and I know it insulates me.

There''s also a vast difference between avoiding violence and avoiding certain socioeconomic groups. I think your argument is a little intellectually dishonest, because safety is pretty universally seen is a normative value.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I think this is a good thread - and timely for me because DH and I are saving for a house right now.

If we don''t end up building and have to buy then these are on my no way list:

1. Schools/Universities - too much traffic, noise and kids around. A few blocks away from an elementary/middle/high school would be okay, but I would not want to live near a university.

2. Landfills/recycling - too stinky.

3. Railroad tracks - did that growing up and the noise was annoying and the trains would get stuck sometimes. Also, the conductor sometimes would blare the horn at 3am for at least 15 minutes

4. Apartment complexes/Condos - Around here these are ususally exclusively for renters. DH and have done the apartment thing before and never again. Way too much noise, disrespect for common areas, crime and, yes, too many "poor" people. DH and I are not rich my any means, but just because you don''t make a lot of $$ and rent doesn''t mean you have to act like white trash.

5. Any home that''s in a neighborhood with an HOA. I feel that when we buy a house that it''s OURS and that we have the right to do whatever we want (obviously within reason). My BIL and SIL have a nice home in a newer neighborhood and the HOA rules are insane. I couln''t live like that.

6. Industrial/Commercial properties - They lower home values in this area.

7. Strip malls/convenience stores/restaurants/bars - NO WAY! The last house DH and I rented (the one that got sold out from under us by family) had a restaurant next door. It was okay until they put a bar in. A lot of traffic and noise at all hours of the night and also during the day, surprisingly. We were moved out before they finished the outdoor smoking patio.

8. Most farms. Too sinky for me.

9. Really busy roads.

10. Utility structures. Unsightly in my opinion.

I''m sure that there''s more. I''m pickier than I thought

 

[MsP]

I''m going to have to disagree with most of these... granted, these have to be taken on a case by case scenario because there can be vast differences in these sections.

Main thoroughfares with a lot of traffic... can mean better access to the transportation network, tiny roads will likely become overcrowded with time and will become traffic nightmares. Larger roads gain more attention with maintenance, expansion, and things like snow removal and pot hole repair.
Railroad tracks... if a regional or commuter rail and I can hop on at a station that''s within walking distance of my house, sign me up! Yes there might be safety concerns, but I don''t see that they''re too great.
Commercial properties... depends on how they''re maintained. A nice business park can be a well behaved neighbor.
Industrial properties... depends on how they''re maintained. These days, regulations are pretty tight and if they''re enforced, industrial properties shouldn''t be out of control. That being said, I probably wouldn''t live next to something that smells or has inherent noise pollution.
Cemeteries... quiet, clean... fine with me
Schools...only a traffic concern if the roads weren''t well designed. Can be a nice source of recreational facilities though... I once ran at a local high schools track and used their indoor pool---all within walking distance.
Government housing or government buildings... government housing, I understand... why government buildings?
Sports arenas... once again, a design issue. If properly designed, traffic shouldn''t be a big concern. Plus, having access to all those activities might outweigh the possible traffic headaches.

I think I''m just in the vast minority that I dislike the traditional American suburb. I want mixed use, I want multi-modal transportation options, and I don''t want to have to get in my car and drive to the local strip mall to do even the smallest thing. I want more of a sense of a community which is rarely found in suburbs these days. People are so stretched between their areas of living, work, school, play etc that they can''t get connected into any one area that much. There were many mentions of children, and I hope to raise my children in an urban setting. Just think of all the activities and cultural opportunities... haha... I''m still trying to convince SO of this as he grew up in rural small town America.

Good luck on your hunt, but I wouldn''t write a house off simply because it has one of these things. I would still consider it and look further into the details.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

ThebigT - You seem to be taking the apartment comment far too personally. I've never been to NYC, but am aware that many there who live in apartments and my guess is that they're situated and designed differently than many of the ones around where I live. When I said apartments, I was talking about *complexes*. . .those are a group of buildings clustered together surrounded by a large parking lot and having over 100 units. Rental management companies rent them for cheap (say a 2 bedroom goes for $700-900) and any old person who can fork over the money, can move in (usually most have 1st months' free). As DivaDiamond said, often with those, comes noise and crime.

Oh, and FWIW, we live near an elementary school and I'm happy with this. Everyone has their idea of the "perfect" enviroment for their home and family and for me it's great. We do live down a different street, so the parking issue doesn't impact us. . .I can hear the kids at recess, but that's about it. No bells! Also, I know/recognize many of the parents from around here, so I love that sense of security. We can also play at the school playground, which is an added perk. If I didn't have kids, I wouldn't want to live by a school!

 

[Allisonfaye]

Date: 4/20/2009 3:30:45 PM
Author:TravelingGal
So as some of you know, I''ve been casually househunting. One came up that looked great, but was next to a school.

I thought maybe it wouldn''t be so bad, but my main concern was the traffic in the morning. Well, it wasn''t an elementary school....it was a MIDDLE school! I went on the school''s website and that school bell rings TWENTY TWO times a day at least! Needless to say, er....no. Not going to do that.

I found this list of undesirable locations. Would you consider living next to any of these? Just a question for fun. Because apparently there is a buyer out there for every home...

Locations are considered undesirable if they are near:

Main thoroughfares with a lot of traffic
Railroad tracks
Commercial properties
Industrial properties
Apartment buildings
Utility structures such as waste, electrical or nuclear power plants
Cemeteries
Noise pollution from nearby airports or freeways
Garbage, landfills and recycling
Schools
Government housing or government buildings
Sports arenas
Wind pollution such as odors from neighboring farms or factories


I would say no to them all myself, but found on my searches that a lot of people don''t have an issue with cemeteries. Interesting.

What else do you consider a bad location?

Main thoroughfares with a lot of traffic - No
Railroad tracks - No
Commercial properties - Depends, in the city, I would consider this. Not in the suburbs.
Industrial properties - No
Apartment buildings - In the city, yes, suburbs, no
Utility structures such as waste, electrical or nuclear power plants - No
Cemeteries - no
Noise pollution from nearby airports or freeways - no
Garbage, landfills and recycling -no
Schools - maybe
Government housing or government buildings - depends
Sports arenas - no
Wind pollution such as odors from neighboring farms or factories - no

I think part of the answer depends on whether you rent or own. I would be much more selective about where I purchase than rent. For a while, I rented an apartment that was practically under the runway of LAX. I have lived near apartments in the city. I have lived near traffic streets in the city. Many of my nos would only be nos in the suburbs.

 

[purrfectpear]

HOA rules have their place. Just ask anyone living in Los Angeles who has a neighbor that painted their house pepto bismol pink, or purple.

 

[beau13]

Train tracks!!
Huge power plant, with wires and towers...with a big "high voltage" sign posted!

Other than that..I''m easy!!