Tirytory

But that's not actually true though, unless of course you're looking at some less than salubrious areas. One home vs another is not going to make you more happy, they will just come with different compromises. However if you need to sell it for whatever reason, then whether it sells or not or you get the price you want for it, that might make you happy or unhappy.

Houses don't make people happy, people do!

Jerseygirl

Great if you want to stay indoors with no fresh air. High quality German windows won't help if you want to sit outside in the garden...or have the windows open. I like to open my windows for fresh air...especially in the bedrooms. I also love to sleep with the windows open.

What bothers me is a slow property market and maybe a wish to sell within a few months...not easy if the house is in the wrong location. If houses in a certain location are priced low...there's a reason. If a house has been on the market for a long time...there's a reason.

mikelincs

If the house has been on the market for some time, then you can bet it's the railway line putting people off. You only have to watch programmes like Location, location, location to hear the comments.. oh I can hear rroad noise, rail noise, and it would mean we couldn't sit outside in summer, or have the window open. Road noise was the major reason we moved last time, siuth facing windows, great double glazing, but impossible to har yourself think during rush hour, and with it being a main road, then there as always some traffic, and it's amazing how much the police/ambulance/fire brigade sirens annoy tou at regular intervals. I, personally, would stay clear of a house like that, you may even find out that trains sound their horns regularly, or have to wait at signals with the attendant engne noise, a reason we moved from a previous apartment.

colchar

During university I lived across the street from a rail line (less than 200 yards from it) and my bedroom was at the front of the house. It bothered me for the first couple of weeks and that was it, I didn't notice the trains after that.

During grad school I lived in a townhouse that had a railway line a couple of hundred yards behind our backyard fence and it never bothered me at all.

Sally Redux

I nearly went mad when I lived on Holloway Rd with lorries thundering along it.

I am thinking about the goods trains at night, the line ran along the other side of the road we lived on before and someone on that side told me it was quite disruptive.

I think we should wait a bit, it's a cute little house and they've done it up nicely with some high-quality finishes, but the line is always going to hang over it. And it really is close, the back garden is less than 100 ft deep.

MMcD

In a word: DON'T!

theOAP

Using the previous link, I checked the Solihull station departures this afternoon around 3:00 PM. There were 10 trains departing within the following 50 minutes. Certainly not an occasional train passing by.

South of the station, towards Knowle/Dorridge along Church Hill Road, the areas are nice. Further along Widney Manor Road is very nice, and although not a positive selling point, the railway in this area is probably more acceptable due to the quality of the homes and the open countryside opposite.

North of the station, past Streetsbrook Road, and the railway maybe more of a problem.

I have the impression Sally is familiar with the area, so she should know best. Solihull, like everywhere, has changed somewhat in the last 15 years, but it's still one of the nicer areas around Birmingham.

Sally Redux

It has got busier but still seems nice.

This was an idea to be close to town at a lower price, but I think we would live to regret it.

Thanks everyone for the reality check.

Come round for a cuppa when we find the perfect place!

MMcD

And you will!
(My "witchy" power tells me so!)
Just be patient...you've only been looking for 45 seconds

Meanwhile - Good decision!

Sally Redux

Moses2013

Well I don't think you'll get fresh air in any city these days, then it has to be countryside. I don't know the area, but I'm sure it would be more annoying having students partying every night. But why buy property if you want to move in a few months anyway? I think renting would be the better option, as you normally buy a house for life.

Jerseygirl

I didn't mean sell shortly after moving in. I meant if you need to sell the property within a few months of putting it on the market. Thus my 'slow moving property market' comment.

Sally Redux

Did I mention the bloke next door was monkeying around with some kind of race car?

Jerseygirl

Did they have goats, hens and cockerels in the garden?

Sally Redux

That was the other side