Should You Steer Clear of the Railroad Tracks?
Do you know where your kids are?
Are you wondering if the tracks will make a difference in the value of the home?
In a word, yes. Railroad tracks can have an impact on value – because the tracks can impact the desirability of the property. It depends on how much the tracks actually impact the property.
You may have already noticed that homes really near tracks where the tracks aren’t commuter rails, are less likely to be higher-end homes. You may have also noticed the little neighborhood in Round Rock West (just a little north of central Austin, Texas) with homes that front right on to the tracks. The houses there look a little shabbier than the ones on the other side of McNeil (buffered by big walls). That area is called Chisholm Valley West, and prices are generally lower than for the homes in the rest of Round Rock West.
5 Negative Things That Impact Homes Near Rail Road Tracks
Some of the key ways that tracks negatively impact property are:
- Tracks right over the fence, with freight trains clattering by. Trains make for noisy neighbors. If you’re selling your home, you will have a smaller pool of interesting buyers compared to homes farther away from the tracks. Unless, of course, your home is really really well priced for the area.
- Tracks that delay traffic entering and leaving the area. Some neighborhoods have tracks that have to be crossed to get out of the area and onto major commute roads.
Sometime trains are scheduled to go by during commute hours and can back traffic up in both directions.
- Tracks without fencing to keep children and pets off the tracks. Some tracks are separated from areas of housing by walls or fencing. Good walls can buffer some of the noise. Good walls and fencing can keep kids and animals off the tracks.
Some rail road tracks, however, run right in front of houses without any barriers for access at all. Families with kids or pets or both may want to live a little farther away from the tracks.
- Trains can generate additional grit and dust that settles into homes. If you’ve lived in a home that collects a LOT of dust, you may recognize some of the culprits: nearby busy roads, gravel plants . . . anything really that stirs up the dust into the air where it can then settle somewhere else.
- Commuter rail tracks without station access. Some tracks carry only commuter trains. If a neighborhood near the commuter tracks doesn’t have convenient station access, then the tracks are primarily benefiting other areas.
One Benefit of Living Near the Tracks
Not all train tracks are a bad thing.
In some areas, homes near the commuter rail provide convenient access to the local station, for trains to and from the city. This can enable families to get by with one car – if the commuter can walk to the station or the home is near enough to easily drop someone off.
Should You Buy Near the Tracks
It depends on the house – and whether or not the tradeoffs are worth it to you.
Sometimes you can find a house for less that has great access to stuff you need – work and shopping, because of the tracks.
Other times, the closeness of the tracks, like right over the back fence, might not be as appealing.
Only you can decide, but keep in mind that when you a home near the tracks, it might not be as appealing to other people when it is time to sell.
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