# Buying a house on a busy street?



## commie (Nov 20, 2011)

What is everyone's opinion on purchasing a detached house that is on a busy street in Toronto? the street is on is Avenue Rd, north of Eglinton Rd. 

The place is a corner lot, the front of the house is on a side street, however the side is on Avenue Rd. The lot is 50x107 and is totally fenced off. The driveway is on the side street, so pulling in and out is not as bad as if its on Avenue rd. 

The layout of the house inside is quite nice, and generally is pretty well kept. The asking price is significantly lower than the rest of the area.

However, my major concern is the noise from the traffic from Avenue Rd.

Would you guys be concerned with this purchase from a standpoint:
1) to live in for 5+ years (I am not as concern with this, as I think I can get used to the noise)

2) The resale value and how long it will take to sell the place when its time to sell it.

Another consideration, they have started building the crosstown subway line, and there will be a subway station at Avenue/Eglinton. It'll be a less than 10 min walk to the station.


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## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

Our road doesn't compare to Toronto, but my wife and I purchased on a busy street. Would I do it again? Maybe.

I don't like the traffic, and it is an issue with our small kids. We have to watch them like hawks. That being said, we couldn't get what we go house/location and property wise without going with a busy street.

Resale WILL be affected, that's why it's cheaper than anyhome around it.

Things to watch for: Is is so busy that it's going to be hard to get in and out of on a daily basis? Is the street going through a transformation to a more commercial/retail mix? What is the mix currently like on the street? Is it busy all hours, or just peak times?What are the speeds like on the road? Drive by a few times to get a sense. My in laws have a bus stop in front of their place. People sitting on their lawn has been a hassle for 30 years.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

I just moved out of a rental house on a very busy which my previous house i owned before that was on a very quiet street.

It drove me up a wall,had a trian very close by also and the house would vibrate,heard the constant stream of tries rattling pavement,i thought id get use to it(didnt)

I think the cons outwieght the pros-kids,resale,comfort.Its not ideal.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

I lived on a busy street. Never again. The constant traffic noise drove me nuts and all that traffic became a nuisance for me to navigate to get in and out of the place. You don't "get used to it".


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## steve41 (Apr 18, 2009)

Another consideration is whether or not the house is located close to a stop light or 4 way stop signs. Cars accelerating/rev-ing from a full stop are much more annoying than cars going by at a constant speed.


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## tobuyornottobuy (Nov 19, 2011)

*busy street*

I think the subway line is a good thing, people want to be close to transport and this will incraese value, surely,

If you aren't in a rush to sell it when the time comes, and you have sitting tennants then eventually the right buyer will come, but yes you likely wont sell for as much as a house on a no thru road!

On the other hand: You cant ever change the location, but everything else you can change, so I personally would be more inclined to by the house with a rat infestation that was in a perfect location, than the one with a beautiful layout next to the highway!

Best of luck.


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## commie (Nov 20, 2011)

Found out the sales history of this property.

2000 it sold for $430K
2007 sold for 600K

Now its listed for 699K, its in the Lawrence Park area in Toronto.

Is that a good appreciation of the housing price or that looks rather slow? any message i can take away with this information?


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

on the plus side you don't have to worry about kids playing road hockey or basketball in front of your house, and I would think thieves are less likely to target your house when it's on a busy street.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

The kley things to consider are
1) If it is below market today, it will be below market when you sell it. So it is like buying in a different neighbourhood.
2) If you will not adapt to the noise, then don't do it. Life is too short.

(We put in an offer on a home siding on Bayview north of Steeles. It was way below other homes on the street. We were outbid. Got a peacefull acreage in Cachet Estates instead. No regrets but I think we would have made more money on Bayview! But money isn't the primary factor in buying a house.)


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Are you a sound sleeper? 

When I was going to school in KW, I lived on a busy-for-Waterloo road that had a nice straightaway for people to open the throttle. You get to listen to all the dudes with fart-can exhausts (you know, the _cool_ people) at all hours of the night. Of course, you also hear the occasional _screee-e-e-e-eech--*CRUNCH!*_ when one driver gets rear-ended at a light by another who likes to multitask behind the wheel.


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## GeniusBoy27 (Jun 11, 2010)

The other thing to consider for the next 3 years is the Avenue Road sewage construction. Buying on a major road is really hard to sell, and the reality is the property values don't increase at the same rate on a major road.

Difficult to know what you can afford, because the actual neighbourhood at Avenue and Eglinton is amazing, especially with the greenbelt being there, and the restaurants and everything being available to you right there. But it will be noisy.


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