Thanks to the popularity of Google Maps and other aerial and satellite views, some buyers will check out the location online beforehand and \u201cdecide they won\u2019t even go look at it in person because it\u2019s backing up to a road,\u201d said Thomas.<\/p>\n
No wonder our experts say that to sell a house with road noise, it\u2019s vital both to price your home right\u2014and highlight other features that could win over buyers concerned about hearing hums of engines instead of songbirds and cicadas.<\/p>\n Noise is among the most significant location factors<\/a> that affects the value of residential property, along with view and school quality, according to Collateral Analytics, a company based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that develops real estate analytic products.<\/p>\n One reason it ranks so high is because noise isn\u2019t just simply bothersome. It\u2019s become a public health issue, \u201cthe new secondhand-smoke<\/a>,\u201d according to The Washington Post<\/i>. In fact, the state of Texas is experimenting with \u201cquiet concrete<\/a>\u201d on two stretches of highway, dropping the sound to a level equivalent to a 70 percent reduction in traffic.<\/p>\n That said, even if it seems like you can hear your neighbor\u2019s muffler<\/a> daily, your street might not be as noisy as you think.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) maps noise levels of transportation nationwide<\/a>. An overview of the interactive map notes that more than 97% of the nation\u2019s population has the potential to be exposed to noise from interstate highways and aviation at levels below 50 decibels\u2014roughly the noise level of a humming refrigerator.<\/p>\n (For additional reference, 50 to 69 decibels is as loud as conversational speech. A vacuum cleaner has a noise level at about 70 to 79 decibels.)<\/p>\n Studies show that consistent noise levels of 55 decibels or more<\/a> can cause hypertension, sleep disturbances, and other health issues. But according to the BTS, less than one-tenth of a percent of the population could potentially experience highway and aviation noise levels of 80 decibels or more, roughly equivalent to the volume of a garbage disposal.<\/p>\n To buyers, however, some road situations are worse than others<\/a>. A high-traffic road certainly has the perception of being noisy, as well as being difficult to get in and out of the driveway, according to U.S. News World Report. <\/i>Being near a traffic light implies hearing vehicles idle; a home next to an on-ramp or within sight of a highway might seem convenient for commuters but also loud.<\/p>\n In a neighborhood, a corner spot\u2014considered a premium location in the 1950s and 1960s\u2014now isn\u2019t as desirable because of the typical configuration of the yard, U.S. News <\/i>says.<\/p>\n As far as noise, a cul-de-sac<\/a> is the best location because it has only one entrance and exit.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re backing to a subdivision road, a road that runs through the neighborhood, that\u2019s not nearly as bad,\u201d said Thomas, who has one client whose house is adjacent to a housing community entrance and backs up to a four-lane major artery.<\/p>\n Noise can affect home value if the noise is significant, but it\u2019s hard to gauge by how much because of different property values around the country.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re in Beverly Hills, I can tell you it has a definite impact,\u201d said Mike Ford<\/a>, a member of the American Guild of Appraisers<\/a> and a general certified real estate appraiser serving greater metropolitan Los Angeles since 1986.<\/p>\n He likened the noise level about a block from the freeway as \u201cthe Gran Prix at Monaco.\u201d Sellers in that location could have a home valued 10%-20% less than others several blocks away, he said.<\/p>\n Yet that difference in price also is related to the land\u2019s overall value. Collateral Analytics studied the relationship between median home prices and noise levels in the San Diego, California, metro market for 2016 and 2017. \u201cHigher noise generally implies lower values,\u201d the company said, noting that the noise in this area is high but the land also has high value<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere might not be any impact,\u201d Ford said, adding that if the market doesn\u2019t recognize a benefit from adjusting the value, there typically is no adjustment.<\/p>\n Depending on market conditions and the type of roadway involved, Thomas said he\u2019s adjusted pricing from 1%-10%.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people in Colorado love outdoor living just because it\u2019s so beautiful and the weather is so fair most of the time. We love our backyard; we love our patios,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way Denver is laid out, there are minimal roads for maximum housing. So when your house backs up to a road, even if it\u2019s a minor road, people really don\u2019t like it, and we find that the pricing of the houses has to compensate for that.\u201d<\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, noise isn\u2019t the only factor that appraisers and agents weigh in terms of setting a reasonable selling price. A view of open space, a creek, woodlands, mountains, or other scenery adjusts a price upward. Power lines, water tanks, or even a view of your neighbor\u2019s house towering over your yard tends to adjusts it downward.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you see and hear when you look out your back window?\u201d Thomas said. \u201cI just actually listed a house yesterday, for example, that in this neighborhood where the houses, other than the interior lots, either back to a little bit of open space, to a road, to power lines or to a water tank. And in this situation, the water tank is the least objectionable.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomas said he looks for houses that are comparable in terms of interiors, then compares those with lots that abut open space and those near roads. \u201cI\u2019ll see what type of a price difference within about a quarter-mile radius would be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n When the market has more sellers than buyers, a price reduction makes more sense than investing in features or modifications that mitigate noise, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cA price reduction in this market makes more sense than going out and buying a bunch of trees and planting them in the backyard. Because in order for the trees to make any difference, you\u2019d have to buy 12- and 15-foot trees, which are pretty expensive, $2-3 thousand dollars for the right tree. Replacing windows or anything like that is going to be another high-dollar item.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not ready to put your home on the market just yet\u2014or you\u2019re wondering how to mitigate road noise before you sell\u2014there are several options. A multi-faceted approach<\/a>, such as using structures such as walls and berms and vegetation such as shrubs and trees, is more effective than a single tactic.<\/p>\n The residential landscapers at the website LandscapingNetwork.com, a leading educational source in the landscaping industry that sprouted from a site founded in 1999, take this a step farther, recommending a balance of methods<\/a> that:<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s National Agroforestry Center notes that the width of a noise buffer<\/a> as well as its distance from the center of the nearest traffic lane makes it effective.<\/p>\n A buffer that\u2019s 100-feet wide and 12-feet high can reduce noise from a road above 40 miles an hour of about 10 to 15 decibels if within 50 to 80 feet of the center of the nearest traffic lane.<\/p>\n In general, the closer your barrier is located to the source of the sound, the more effective it will be. To absorb sound, choose broadleaf evergreens<\/a> with rougher bark, many branches, and thick, fleshy leaves, landscapers say.<\/p>\n The Georgia Forestry Commission recommends<\/a> shrubs such as dwarf wax myrtle<\/a> (3 to 5 feet high) and trees such as wax myrtle (10 to 20 feet high), sweetbay magnolia<\/a> (about 15 to 25 feet high), American holly (20 to 40 feet high), Arizona cypress (about 30 to 40 feet high) , and Virginia pine (about 40 to 60 feet high).<\/p>\n A stone wall along the proper line, even at two to three feet tall, affects noise coming from tires, according to This Old House.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n A barrier fence<\/a>, such as a solid stockade or board fence, or a masonry wall (stone, brick, or stucco-covered concrete) block sound best. \u201cAs a general rule, the more solid the fence or wall, the quieter it will be, because sound waves are reflected by dense objects,\u201d the website says.<\/p>\n A five- or six-foot masonry wall reflects sound back toward the source. Add a clinging vine such as Boston ivy or creeping fig to cushion or refract sound as well. Attractive partitions<\/a> in your yard made from material such as corrugated metal or fiberglass are more flexible but will deflect sound, landscapers say.<\/p>\n Installing a bamboo fence<\/a> or growing bamboo also will bounce noise back toward the road and away from your home because of its height, according to the home-decorating website Hunker, based in Santa Monica, California. Try the Backyard X-Scapes 6×16-foot natural jumbo reed bamboo fencing panel<\/a> at Home Depot for $69.95.<\/p>\n A fountain<\/a> is one water feature widely used to create \u201cwhite noise,\u201d i.e., noise that masks unappealing sound. Landscapers recommend finding one that splashes loud enough over rush hour but also dials down to a more subtle level when the surrounding noise is quieter.<\/p>\n Try the Garden Treasures 34.6-inch metal tiered outdoor fountain<\/a> at Lowe\u2019s, which includes an auto shutoff pump, for $169. The Bluworld Water Garden<\/a> 48-inch fiberglass wall outdoor fountain, which can be wall-mounted or free-standing, combines the deflection of fiberglass with a white-noise water feature. Also at Lowe\u2019s for $395.<\/p>\n Along with creating a backyard oasis<\/a>, you also can reassure buyers nervous about road noise that they won\u2019t hear anything indoors because how well your home is insulated.<\/p>\n Triple-pane windows<\/a>, which seal two layers of gas within a frame, provide good sound reduction as well as insulation in colder climates. The construction makes for \u201ca very thick, heavy, and expensive sash,\u201d notes This Old House.<\/i> Lowe\u2019s sells double-hung windows with triple panes<\/a> ranging from $300 to about $550.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget about the exterior doors<\/a>. HGTV personality Don Vandervort<\/a> (The Fix<\/i>) says on his website HomeTips that doors typically are a wall\u2019s thinnest barrier. A solid-core exterior door will block sound better than a hollow-core door, which has a drum-like construction. Adding rubber or vinyl bulb door weather-stripping and a door-bottom weather-stripping sweep will seal out any noise that might seep around the edges.<\/p>\n Lastly, talk to your agent about how to best market your house\u2019s location to the road. Thomas said he often doesn\u2019t mention it because he wants buyers to view the house as a whole. \u201cThere may be features about the house that they fall in love with that are higher on the priority list than the road noise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But in some areas, being close to shopping and leisure sites, such as a golf course or park, could be a selling point, Ford added. \u201cWhether it\u2019s a negative depends on whether it\u2019s more convenient to walk to a commercial shopping center than it is to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n Header Image Source: (Derek Thomson\/ Unsplash)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Don\u2019t despair, you can sell a house even if noise is a deterrent. Get started with any of these noise mitigation ideas and worst case, look at your price. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":11154,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[320,233],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-add-value","category-preparing-to-sell"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/how-to-sell-a-house-with-road-noise-highway.jpg\")
<\/a>How much noise is too much?<\/h2>\n
Road noise vs. noisy roads<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/how-to-sell-a-house-with-road-noise-house.jpg\")
<\/a>How does noise affect home value?<\/h2>\n
Setting a price\u2014and expectations<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/how-to-sell-a-house-with-road-noise-fountain.jpg\")
<\/a>Turning down the volume<\/h2>\n
\n
\nExample solution: Planting thick trees<\/a><\/li>\n
\nSolution: Building a partition<\/a><\/li>\n
\nSolution: Apply plant coatings of outdoor surfaces<\/a><\/li>\n
\nSolution: Fountains that create splashing sounds\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nShrubbery and trees<\/h3>\n
Fencing and walls<\/h3>\n
Water features<\/h3>\n
Triple-paned windows and solid-core doors<\/h3>\n
Talk to your agent to get more noise mitigation ideas<\/h3>\n