Buying a home on a main road.... Pros and Cons

[Skibadee]

Looking at home houses, admittingly in the east part of Toronto

Just wondering if anyone has ever lived on a main road,

i.e Vic Par, Warden, Birchmount, Kennedy, Midland, Markham etc


What are the pros and cons?

 

[BobBob]

Pro: cheaper
Con: louder

 

[Skibadee]

Im hoping to live in for 3-4 and then rent it out, I would think in this would help out the rentability

Do you all think this hurts the resale badly?

Do the road noises get quieter as you get used to it?

 

[TrickyRicky]

What is the discount on the property now relative to similar mid-block properties on adjacent streets? Given present market conditions this discrepency probably represents a best case scenerio. What I mean is that while general housing valuations are inflated, housing valuations on "flawed" properties in most neighbourhoods are even more skewed now after so many years of boom. This means that during soft market periods the main street house will sell at greater discount to a mid-block house than it does now. Large numbers of listings on main streets are often pre-cursers to periods of downturn in the real estate market.

Noise is one issue but there are many others like privacy, parking assessability, crime, less child friendly etc. Of course these are specific to the particular property in question. On noise, car traffic tends not to be too bad, it's trucks and in particular transit vehicles such as buses and streetcars that are your worst offenders.

 

[Skibadee]

That is a very intersting thought about buying a home on the main road.


The prices are so skewed these days

 

[tempperm]

closer to bus stops ...more frequent service on main roads...

 

[iSlutsky]

Looking at home houses, admittingly in the east part of Toronto

Just wondering if anyone has ever lived on a main road,

i.e Vic Par, Warden, Birchmount, Kennedy, Midland, Markham etc


What are the pros and cons?

Some more "cons" to add to the list:

1. ACCESS:

A further "con" is access to your parking. Is your parking lane access or main-road access?

It may seem like a small issue, however if you are living on a very busy street, and you have main-road access you may have a lot of trouble getting in and out of your driveway, as well as risking potential accidents over time.

2. PRIVACY:

Does the house have large windows looking onto the street? If so, you may want to invest in some serious window-coverings. No matter what you invest in, if you want natural light to come into your house, you are going to have to lose privacy. On a side street that is not such an issue, however the more people driving by, the more people looking in to your house. This can also be a safety concern, depending on what is in your main room overlooking the main-street. Have a big flat screen TV? If so, everyone will know and it will be an easy target for break-ins.

3. TRAFFIC:

As someone mentioned above, the noise from traffic can be a concern. My thought is that you would get used to this pretty quickly, but what about the fumes from cars and trucks? Yes, there is pollution everywhere, but directly on a busy street can not be good for your health.

Here are some "pros" to add to the list:

1. SNOW CLEARING

Main street get their snow cleared quicker than side streets. As such, you may have better access in winter storms.

 

[christiesplits]

I know someone who purchased a house on Pape Avenue, just south of the Danforth. He paid probably $100,000 less than what he would have paid for the exact same house on a neighbourhing side street. With a lush backyard garden and central air, he said you could hardly tell the difference.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

It depends on the street/block, but on some main roads, houses cost more, especially if the main road is seeing Avenues-type developments, townhouse complexes, conversions into law offices or psychic joints, etc.

 

[cdr108]

Looking at home houses, admittingly in the east part of Toronto

Just wondering if anyone has ever lived on a main road,

i.e Vic Par, Warden, Birchmount, Kennedy, Midland, Markham etc


What are the pros and cons?

ditto what most people already said;
however, how is that any different than everyone living in all the condo towers in dt ?!?!?

for the most part, the majority of them are on main roads before being built;
or eventually end up being a main road because of the plethora of towers and construction by other developers than eventually join.

ie. yonge st, bay st, bloor st, front st, spadina ave, lakeshore road, king st, bathurst st, adelaide st, jarvis st, etc, etc, etc.

 

[junctionist]

ditto what most people already said;
however, how is that any different than everyone living in all the condo towers in dt ?!?!?

for the most part, the majority of them are on main roads before being built;
or eventually end up being a main road because of the plethora of towers and construction by other developers than eventually join.

ie. yonge st, bay st, bloor st, front st, spadina ave, lakeshore road, king st, bathurst st, adelaide st, jarvis st, etc, etc, etc.

But if you buy on higher floors downtown, you're more isolated from the street so noise and pollution dissipate more, and there's potentially more privacy too depending on the built form. Also, you can buy a condo on say, Yonge, but have a unit facing a quieter sidestreet. That's the inherent versatility of high-rises.

Some of the "cons" mentioned here are fair, though not often entirely accurate. Kids can be taught safety; some kids will get hurt no matter where they live. In terms of privacy, if you have very reflective windows, most days no one will be able to see inside from a distance, while natural light will pour inside, and at night you can close the shades. This is particularly true in suburban cases where the house is set far from the road with the lawn in front, but is true in urban cases unless the window is right beside the sidewalk. Walking to stores and taking transit is a lot easier with a location like that.

Pollution would be my biggest concern in a lowrise by a busy street. Street noise isn't that much of a factor with good windows. But it's the emergency vehicle sirens which might be an issue, depending on the location.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Pollution isn't an issue but street noise definitely is...main roads often see 24/hr bus service, are used by far more delivery trucks/vans since that's where the stores are, are used by all the garbage trucks to get to the side streets, etc. More people walk on main streets which means more people yelling and laughing, especially drunk people at 2am. This depends on how far set back the house is and which direction bedrooms face.

Simple things might bug you, like being unable to turn left from your driveway due to traffic, or having nowhere for visitors to park (if the main street doesn't allow parking).

 

[iSlutsky]

But if you buy on higher floors downtown, you're more isolated from the street so noise and pollution dissipate more, and there's potentially more privacy too depending on the built form.

Not sure if I agree with you on the noise aspect. While true that not all units face the busy street, I have read numerous studies that the noise level on a low floor is the same as on a high floor, due to the way the noise-travels against the buildings.

Best way to have a quiet interior is to ensure the builder uses a good glazing system.

how is that any different than everyone living in all the condo towers in dt ?!?!?

for the most part, the majority of them are on main roads before being built;
or eventually end up being a main road because of the plethora of towers and construction by other developers than eventually join.

The major difference is the number of studies that go into planning a condo, as compared to a house on a busy street. As a simple example, with regards to my comments on access, a condominium must have traffic studies completed and have City Staff report on them. This should ensure for safe entering and exiting of the building.

 

[cdr108]

Not sure if I agree with you on the noise aspect. While true that not all units face the busy street, I have read numerous studies that the noise level on a low floor is the same as on a high floor, due to the way the noise-travels against the buildings.

Best way to have a quiet interior is to ensure the builder uses a good glazing system.





The major difference is the number of studies that go into planning a condo, as compared to a house on a busy street. As a simple example, with regards to my comments on access, a condominium must have traffic studies completed and have City Staff report on them. This should ensure for safe entering and exiting of the building.

a traffic study was done around where i live when a new sub-division of 70+ houses was proposed to be constructed, so i don't think that's exclusive to condos.

i think shadows would be more of an issue with a condo tower though.

Also, you can buy a condo on say, Yonge, but have a unit facing a quieter sidestreet. That's the inherent versatility of high-rises.

and one could buy a house that's set back from the street, more than the typical condo that's built right up to the property line.

and use a bedroom that's at the back of the house further from the street ...

 

[iSlutsky]

a traffic study was done around where i live when a new sub-division of 70+ houses was proposed to be constructed, so i don't think that's exclusive to condos.

i think shadows would be more of an issue with a condo tower though.

Agreed. Sorry, I was not clear... I was comparing purchasing a condo unit, to an existing (older) property/house. I was not referring to any new subdivisions.