You’ve found the perfect home, closed escrow and just finished moving
in. As you happily fall asleep, all seems well in the world. An hour
later, you bolt up in bed to an ear splitting sound. All is no longer
well in the world.
An Unholy Racket
If you saw the movie “My Cousin Vinny”, you know what I’m talking
about. For those that haven’t, the movie centers on a lawyer, Vinny,
who comes to the south to defend his nephew against criminal charges.
Every evening, Vinny goes to sleep only to be awoken by some blasting
noisy. When house hunting, you need to make sure you don’t get
“Vinny’d.”
When you find an area or home you like, make absolutely sure you drive
the area looking for any potential noise producers. Roll down the
window, turn off the radio and just listen. You might be surprised at
what you hear.
If you run across railroad tracks, you better figure out how close they
are to your prospective home. Make sure you are near the house when a
train goes by, so you can get the full effect. While trains and plains
are obvious sources of noise, you also need to consider more subtle
situations.
Weekend vs. Week Days
Many homebuyers look at houses early on Saturday and Sundays. This
makes sense since you have to work for a living, but it can result in
some nasty surprises. The characteristics of a neighborhood on weekends
are entirely different than during week days. Make absolutely sure you
check out the property during both time periods. To guard against
“partying” neighbors, make sure you check the area during evenings as
well.
They say home ownership brings peace of mind. Check your neighborhood to make sure this cliché will apply to you!
