Would you buy a property near a motorway?

i live near a dual carriageway also - we cant see it and there are 2 fields between us and the road, and a decent hill so that is a sound barrier as well. I thought long and hard about it when we bought our house. You can hear the traffic in the background when you are in the garden but it isnt loud and honestly , I dont even notice it now. At the back of the house I cant hear it at all. If I could see the road however, there is no way we'd have bought it. One thing though - my horses are by my house, so 2 fields away from the road. However in the 6 years we have been here, there have been 3 incidents with different neighbours horses getting on the road and in 2 out of the 3 incidents they were killed:( There is no way Id have mine next to the road.
 
I live a mile from the m5. Fields behind my house but I can't see the motorway because of the hedges. We only hear it when the wind blows from that direction. To be honest we loved the house. It was something we would never afford otherwise so we bought it. With the British weather the way it is we rarely sit in the garden and you can't hear it in the house so it was worth the compromise.
 
Live right next to the M6, the noise is constant but you just get used to it. It is a lot louder when it is raining because of the spray. On the plus side all horses are bombproof with traffic!!!
 
No I wouldn't as I like peace and quiet. We have looked at several properties that sounded great on paper but when visited where on main roads/ near motorways, Just not worth it. And I always consider selling on, as the motorway may be acceptable to you, but may make it more difficult for you to sell on if needs be in the future. One property I went to see that was a "peaceful and idyllic" setting, had the main west coast railway line at the bottom of the garden! I didn't even get out of the car.
But at the end of the day it is your choice and only you can decide what you are happy with.
 
Ive recently moved to a yard that is right next to the motorway. At first, I used to think, how the hell do they cope living here? but now I dont even notice the noise.
Good Luck, hope your offer is accepted :)
 
my dad has a house literally next to the motorway - once in the house you cant hear ths noise

but even outside the noise dosent bother me!!


traffic noise/trains etc is nice tbh i prefer it to total silence !!!


my house is in a quiet street - would rather be next to a road :o
 
We used to live nr a motorway there was a little road and a huge field between the house and you could not hear the motorway at all, the fencing was safe so i dont see why not.....
 
No, not if I could see or hear the motorway in anyway shape or form I wouldn't. Think of the hassle trying to sell it on again as well.
 
Glasd you've decided to put in an offer, and hope it all works out well. I used to ride horses kept very close to the M25, superb hacking, routes in all directions, one route involved crossing the motorway via a fairly narrow bridge. I'm now in mid suffolk bridleways few and far between, and straight "country" roads far more dangerous here. I think there's been lots af great advice about fencing/trees/hedging to reduce noise and pollution and provide a secure barrier, for everyones safety. I feel particularly strongly as friends daughter was caught up in aftermath of the horrendous A14 accident on Christmas eve :(, budget well for fence maintainence, and enjoy your land.
 
Personally no. I hated it last time (large new a road off a motorway) but not for the noise, I barely heard it, they'd put up a huge fence and given a lot of money for the inconvenience but was the constant traffic round the country lanes pulling off to check maps, rest, find petrol stations etc. I'm a country girl anyway and that was the tipping point for me, not being able to get in my driveway because some numpty had parked across it yet again.

It is a compromise though, go there in rush hour and see if you really notice it. If you buy get very good fencing up. And think about resell.
 
The house is situated at the end of a no through road so it's unlikely we would have the same problems of random cars stopping. I'm feeling quite positive and now just need my offer accepting. Will keep you posted x
 
Another issue to consider is resale. You may not be planning to sell in the near future but chances are you will at some point and it will be a lit more difficult and time consuming than a house without a major issue, regardless of price.
 
Fab news and hope it all goes smoothly for you!

I appreciate the others comments re 're-sell', but at the end of the day, if you are prepared to compromise on the noise, somone else will in the future too, especially with land being harder and harder to find.

Our house under the Gatwick flightpath did take a while to sell, with an astonishing amount of viewings, but had 3 offers in the end as the land was more important to these buyers than the noise.
 
I once rented a small cottage very close to the M4 and my horses were right next to it. I couldn't have the windows open as it was noisy. It was interesting as I had a view down a long way of it and could see traffic backing up and at a frequent standstill. I also had quite a few stranded people knocking on my door even in the middle of the night which was a bit creepy.
It was a very constant noise as the M4 was never quiet!. If the only way I could afford a nice horsey property was because of the motorway I would buy it as I think you would get used to it and good double glazing works wonders.
 
Not read the whole thread but I live very close to a motorway and moved here in the last year after having the same debates as you. It was the best decision I ever made and we love it. You can't hear the motorway in the house and it makes travelling so easy. This is a dream house for us and we would never ever have been able to afford it otherwise. Good luck with it all :)
 
Hi,

i keep my horse on livery at a yard that is next to the m6. The fields go down to the motorway. Can't say i notice any noise at all when i am there.
 
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