House on Train Tracks

Sounds like WAY to much work and WAY too many drawbacks for it ever to be a "dream house."
Just my opinion.
I'd keep looking.
Good luck!

I think you'd get used to the train sounds. I grew up about a block away from train tracks, and now as an adult feel like I have almost always lived where I could hear the trains. It's a comfort to me now.

The house sounds lovely and even with the changes you want to make sounds like it's worth it.

We looked at a fabulous house for $1.2 million (in Glenview) that backed to a train. We didn't buy it because the train bothered my husband. It did not bother me and there are plenty of expensive homes that back to train tracks. It's a personal preference issue. We ended up with a house with vaulted ceiling and you can't really dust for cobwebs but you also don't see them because it is so high.

There will be pros and cons to every single house you look at. You need to figure out as a family what is most important to you, what you can change, and what you can live with. Location is the one thing that you just can't change so that's the most important thing to think about.

As far as renovations please get a contractor in to look at the place before you put in a bid. The walls you think aren't structural may be or they may have utilities that will need to be relocated which can bounce up renovation costs a lot.

"It is the same house I mentioned last week. Also, the house is reasonably priced because it does not have a true open floor plan." Since this seems to be your "dream house" regardless of all the pitfalls you have listed in the previous post and this one, do you really have the money in hand to buy any house?

Going over the moon over a house and living in it are two different things. If you "have" to make so many changes to an existing house you should think about one that has all the things you want already and is in "ready to move in" condition. We sometimes say we will do x, y, and z but life gets in the way and they don't get done and then you are stuck in your house without getting the dream house.

Continue to look for the house. Living next to rail tracks is okay but if you don't have do then why do it? The cost or list price of the home is probably lower so that it will sell and the owner can get something else. Also, when purchasing a house you have to think that you will be in that house for 40 to 50 years. So buy the best you can without the least amount of headache.

Both partners much agree to the house. If it means building one, then that is what you do. Do you both have a floor plan in mind that can be built? Does it have space for hubby, you and your kids for separate projects that you all like to do alone and together?

Perhaps you both need to take a break from house hunting and really think what you really want. This IS a big investment. If you guys are not happy with it now it could cause marital strife and other issues.

the other S.

PS Is there a reason you have to "rush" into this house buying thing? It kind of sounds like you are trying convince yourself that THIS is the house when it is not.

Is this the house that your husband loved, but you didn't from your last post? If I recall, you had some really good reasons to NOT want this house. How did your husband convince you otherwise? It seems like the bedrooms are STILL small, the laundry is STILL an issue, there is STILL a loft in one of the bedrooms, the kitchen would STILL need a major overhaul someday. And now it backs to train tracks, too? I'm curious as to how it "has everything we want".

Like others have said, you really need to weigh the pros and cons specifically for your family. Personally, I love a fixer-upper, I love remodeling and have done MAJOR whole house remodels with our last two homes, just finished our most recent one a few months ago. So I look for location, "bones" of the house, can I change this house to fit my needs, and schools when looking for homes. But what we think and say really should have no bearing on your decision. But, ultimately, it's your family and you need to do what's best for you. Good luck - house hunting can be fun, but also can be one of the MOST stressful things!

This property is not in a "commuter suburb". That's why the "price is right". The property you are considering would not be on my radar due to the railroad tracks. Summers are miserable around railroad tracks. I don't know about you but my windows are open all summer. You will not be able to enjoy this lovely lot and if you have summer parties, your guests will be annoyed.

Why would you buy a house that you have so many things to do to make it yours? The things you are changing are not simple cosmetic changes such as paint, carpet, etc. You are talking some major remodeling. Are you ready for the cost of that remodeling?

Is this the house you talked about last week?

When house shopping, you don't make major allowances in order to get into the house. It sounds like you don't care for it... layout, location.

Real estate is location, location, location and there is no way I can visualize a good location backing up to train tracks.

We're in the Dallas area where housing and the economy is booming. We never had the drop that many areas had. If I were shopping to build another home, the layout would be perfect in my mind from the get go. I would not make a purchase with remodeling in mind nor would I make a purchase that close to train tracks. Are you ready for your windows to rattle every time the train comes through?

My vote is to keep looking.

We just bought a home in june right ON the RR tracks (about 500 feet away). I was worried that things would literally fly OFF the walls, and that the noise would take getting used to.

It is great! Because we are in town, the horn only 'blows' at crossings, and we are far enough away that it doesn't bother us. The kids are not bothered by it, and the dog has gotten used to it.

The house is a 1923 craftsman home...and while the owners had done some renovations...it remains a classic 'fixer upper'...and we got it for a song (was foreclosed on...and was empty for a long time).

A new tin roof is going on...and next will be siding and windows (still has mostly original windows).

I love it...and hardly notice the trains going by. And nothing in the house rattles or flies off the walls! lol They are freight trains though, and I am sure because we are in town...they are going more slowly.

Best of luck...whatever you decide!

Ugh, train tracks. I grew up in a house about two blocks from railroad tracks and train yard (freight trains not passenger). All year long you could hear the trains, whistles, crashes from the train cars connecting. In the summer it was especially bad when you had windows open. My mom always complained about the dust/dirt that blew into our house in the summertime too. Of course I got used to the noise over the 12 years I lived there, but it was always noticeable when I would go back to visit my parents.

Then I lived in an apartment where the tracks were across the parking lot and behind a row of garages. It was also about a 1/4 mile from a crossing. Again freight trains. Horrible mistake! Whistles in the middle of the night would make me sit straight up in bed with my heart pounding. My husband and I were dating long distance at the time and the first time he visited me I thought he was going to have a heart attack when the whistle blew in the middle of the night. Pictures on the wall would vibrate to the point of almost falling off the wall. I never slept with windows open because it was so loud. If I was on the phone when a train went by conversation had to stop because it was so loud. If a train had ever derailed, my car would have been toast and my apartment building could have easily been hit. I lived there for a year and couldn't wait to move out.

I worked in an office for a year that was right next to tracks too. In addition to the noise it was a huge pain if you needed to leave and a train was going by. There times of the day when we knew that if we had to be somewhere and didn't leave by a certain time we would be late because of the trains. That sometimes meant leaving 1/2 hour before you really needed to.

Aside from the noise, dirt, and time inconveniences, there can be other issues that come with tracks. There was often graffiti and trash around our building. There were some homeless who lived in their cars near the tracks. There were some shady looking characters who hung out by the tracks. I hated being at the office after dark without someone else there with me.

Personally, I don't think I would ever choose to live near train tracks again. Try to find a hotel that is right next to railroad tracks and spend a night there. It will give you a good taste of what every night will be like in a house near the tracks.

My takeaway from your post? There is a reason this house is so reasonably priced - it backs up to train tracks. If you ever move, which sounds like a real possibility with your husband's job, you're going to take a bath in resale value. Unless it was perfect from the start, I would keep looking.

PS. Have you asked Queen of the Castle for advice? I remember her going through a similar home search not so long ago.

Please, please, please, keep looking. Why would you sell your own house's problems just to buy another house's problems? You WILL find the right house if you just keep looking!

Unless you really LIKE the remodeling fix-it-up situations (remodeling projects can cause divorce for a lot of people) - I'd pass on this.
Being near a train isn't always a plus.
While it makes commuting into work easy - it can also make it easy for thieves to commute to your neighborhood and make an easy get away.
A few problems is one thing - the problems you are listing seem like a whole slew of problems - too many.
Keep looking.

Another house with a built in loft bed? Is that a "thing" down there?

We used to live in a very rural area of Idaho, the road ran between our home (quite set back from the road, at least half an acre) and the train tracks.

You ALWAYS knew when the train was coming. As a kid, I grew used to it, but we were only there for 9 months or so. But it is ALWAYS there, whistle blowing in our ears, rumbling along. It's only charming for so long. I'd keep looking. Many houses can be changed as necessary, but you can't remove train tracks.

When I was younger and single, I lived in a house about 2 blocks from railroad tracks. The train was on no set timetable, so it would roll through at all times of day. The train never blew its horn coming by, so it was no big deal. However, if I had kids, and the house was near an intersection where the train had to blow, it would be a deal breaker. I can't imagine the angst I would feel knowing I just got the baby to sleep, and then here comes the train. Ack! You do get used to the rumbling and I never even noticed it after a while.
The house we live in how is the first house we have lived in that I don't hear a train. And honestly, I miss it. Sounds crazy, but there was always something comforting to me about the train going by.
To answer your other question-if the house has everything you want, go with it. Improvements can always be made down the road. That was the case with our current house- custom built, huge yard, gorgeous area, open floor plan, a pantry (yay!), etc. Our kitchen is smaller, but open with a skylight, so I don't mind it as much. Small kitchens have never bothered me as long as I have room for all my stuff and has a pantry! Our home needs some touch-ups and we want to build on to it later (which the floor plan and property lines accommodate for). However, small bedrooms and such are something that you'll have to live with in the immediate future, and aren't as easy to remedy. If you think it's really going to impede your life in a negative way, then you may want to reconsider. :(

I'm not sure what you love about it. Having small bedrooms, a loft bed and a small kitchen that needed to be remodeled at some point in the future would be deal breakers for me.

Do you ever watch the HGTV show Property Brothers? They take a buyer out and buy a house much less than what they can actually afford. They then remodel it to make it the couple's "dream home". If I were buying an existing home (not new construction) I would make sure I could do most of the remodeling things upfront like painting, flooring, kitchen remodel etc.

I would never buy on the train tracks - looked at a house years ago on the tracks - so glad we didn't buy. Keep looking - if it doesn't feel right in your gut- there is something out there for you. You can never move the train tracks for when you resell. That is why the price is right. How long have they had it on the market? Keep looking - find the right location and the right kitchen

We just bought a rental home in Naperville that is in walking distance to the downtown Metra/Amtrak station, close to the unincorporated areas off Plank Rd. Yes, you can hear the train, but it isn't a huge deal. I lived in the city for a year during college and the first few nights were incredibly noisy, but after a while the sound becomes like white noise.

That being said, I would think about how the train noise might impact your enjoyment of the outdoors, especially in the early evening when the trains are at peak activity.

With the unincorporated nature, will you have access to libraries? My babysitter lives in an unincorporated area of Westmont and they don't get library cards. (Not that a library card is worth the thousands of dollars in cost savings).

You might want to get a feel for how much it costs to bring city water/sewer to the property, as you can expect that much less when you go to sell the house down the line. There's some wonderful homes that we looked at, but I couldn't see paying an extra tens of thousands to bring the utilities.

ETA: I did ask a similar question before: http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/3702815206880247809

ETA2: Overall, how much are you factoring resale value into the equation in your house search? I think answering that will help you decide whether or not being unincorporated and on a RR line is worth it.

I grew up in Chicago - great place. I am guessing that a main reason the price is "right" is b/c it backs to a train. Convenient, maybe, but not good for resale. Remember the first and most important rule of real estate... LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION... I'd keep looking....

It's likely reasonably priced bc all the issues you have with it other people will have too... Not just the open floor plan. I hate open floor plans too. The train tracks and tiny bedrooms are likely more of a factor. Septic too. So those will impact resale but that's ok bc you obviously are paying less to begin with. I think the train tracks are a totally personal thing. Somehow those types of noises dont' bother me but would drive my husband insane. So you have to know yourselves. Why not put the washer/dryer in the basement? That's what my family did as a kid bc we made the large laundry room into a sun room to a new deck etc and no one ever found it a big deal to go downstairs... I would never use up space in a house for laundry unless the space was not an issue. When you're young, going up and down stairs a few extra times is good for you. When you're older, kids will be grown and there's not so much laundry so you won't even go down every day. Or is the garage big enough? People around us moved theirs into the garage for more space in the house and it seems fine. I don't get caring about a laundry room... I guess bc I don't fold in there. I do that in the FR watching TV so who cares where I throw dirty clothes into the washer, switch them to the dryer and then take them out?... I'm only in there a few minutes. Re: the bedrooms, I remember your last post and not sure how big our kids' bedrooms are but I think one is about that size. It's very common around us. If there's a good sized closet, it can be outfitted so you don't need a dresser. Then you can get a bed (twin) on a platform with drawers so that's more storage space. Then there should easily be room for a desk and bookcase. What more does a kid really need? If that's not possible, no way would I want lofts. A matter of personal taste too but making them is huge pain, a kid needs to throw up in the middle of the night and they have to get all the way down, they can never just "flop" on their bed with friends etc. So that would be my sticking point. I'd also say vaulted ceilings of course are horrible for heating... So your heating bill will be higher. Other thought - if the lot is big, can you someday add on another bedroom and make 2 bedrooms into one to make it bigger?

I live across the street from an old fashioned trolley station. Most of the year, the trolley runs giving rides to locals and tourists. There's one trolley about every 15 minutes. I know this is different from a real train, but it is noisy. I've realized that most of the time now, I don't even hear it! It becomes background noise, just like traffic if you are close to a freeway, or airplanes if you are in a flight path (which I also am). Are you "on the tracks" or a mile away? That's not clear from your post. A mile from tracks would be acceptable to me. If they were in my backyard, I would be concerned for my children, and the noise.

You have to decide what is impt to you and what you can live with or with out.

We are stuck in a condo in countryside, but the schools are great and it is a nice community. I see that one person metnioned a library card, Our town does not have a library either, I went to the smallest librarry around (hodgkins) and got a card from them, they are in the SLS system and we can go anywhere now.

My place we have now, jumped at me. It said.. this is your place. We have looked at houses and .. it is not an easy job, either too pricy, or not quite enough space, or this or that.. I think you will feel the right place in your bones.

Good luck.

being super-close to a train-track is certainly something to give you pause. i'd worry more about kids playing on it (if they're small) than anything.
we live about a mile from the tracks, which is perfect. we get to hear the horn from just the right distance, so it's delightful and not intrusive.
there's a big community of trophy houses clustered right around the junction (sigh- built on some of the best farmland in the country.) the owners kvetch sometimes about how the train noise lowers their property values- like someone forced them to build there.
but! it's a big BUT! once you've been there for a couple of months, you will barely notice it any more. it'll be like the wind, or a truck going by when you live close to a road. we know a couple of the folks right next to the tracks, and if you ask them about it, they have to pause for a second or two to think about it. 'train noise? oh yeah. we hated it when we first moved in. don't pay any attention to it any more.'
the kitchen would bug me more, but as you say, you can remodel that.
khairete
S.

The practical side of me says that you cannot create room in a home where there is none. So if the kitchen is little and you want to expand, be sure there's actually usable room to expand. And if the bathroom is going to be a laundry room, does that leave you enough bathroom space?

I had my boys in bunk beds at age 6. Kids are good climbers. Just be sure that the guard rails are well secured.

Grew up in Maryland right near the Amtrak and CSX tracks, I don't remember it being a major issue other than a yearly visit to our elementary school by officials to warn us of the dangers of playing on the rails. In high school, a particular train was my backup alarm clock!