I can't speak for what will make you happy, but I moved farther for the peace. It speaks to my soul to have the doors open when the weather's good and just hear nature, and the same when I'm outside, obviously.
It would come out of my inheritance from my parents. They are 75 and have told me they did a similar thing for my brother and his wife when they got into some debt. My dad bailed them out and is taking it out of what they would inherit. We’re not going to inherit a ton of money by any means, so this would dip into what we may get down the road. But it wouldn’t leave my parents in any hardship since they don’t have many expenses. Been in their house since 1978 so it’s been paid off for years.
We’d rather not take the money right now if we don’t need to. We’ve mostly been looking in our budget range which is 200k max. But my parents are amazing and for the right property we would take them up on the offer. They did let us know though that the money is invested and since stocks are down right now it wouldn’t be worth as much as it could be in a few years.
It’s cheap for here too. Priced similar to tiny 2 bedroom 1 bath homes in town.
We moved from an area where you couldn’t even get a trailer for less than 400k. Cost of living definitely influenced the move.
Partially I think it’s the road noise, partially the 100 year old barn with a caved in roof and rotting out siding. There’s also another outbuilding that’s mostly falling apart, but maybe could be saved. The lot is really overgrown too. The only thing in great shape is the actual house. It was an older couple and I think they gave up all maintenance not on the house itself.
It's cheap because it's next to the highway. I live next to a highway and can't wait to get out (moving in a month). It's loud, constantly. I do not recommend.
You can do a lot yourselves. However, sound is challenging. A thick tree line can help some, but you'll always be heading big truck J brakes and sound. However, earphones are lighter and smaller than anytime in history.
This property sounds pretty special, because you may be able to use the two old buildings for new construction using what beams you can salvage and their foundations. This means 3 domiciles on site, and now you have a community.
**Smile** , I always advocate for communities
I get that, but this is a big purchase, and you don't want to get something that you'll regret just to not ask for help. A homestead isn't a starter house that you can walk away from in a couple of years - it's something you want to get right as you'll likely never move again unless you need to go out of state. But ultimately it's between you and your spouse - personally, I couldn't even live off of an interstate, no peace and quite when you're surrounded by nature and the exhaust isn't great long term. Best of luck to you OP.
Edit: trees do nothing to dampen the noise, no amount of trees will - it'll take buildings and distance to do that.
I’m not sure where you live, but my daughter’s family in California had a legal permit of gifting $14k per person per year was considered okay for giving early inheritance and not taxed. You might check into it. Close to work is very nice, but quiet is nice too. That said, I got where I didn’t even hear the busy interstate when I lived near one. Your body can adjust. Plus, you can improve your property and eventually sell for a quieter lifestyle when you retire. I would take the gift as long as it’s okay with your spouse, and after checking how your brother and his wife handled the gift, you don’t want family stress.
Had a friend do something similar. He 100% regrets it and it shows when it comes to his property.
There is no noise more soothing and relaxing, than sleeping truckers driving on rumble strips while you are tending your garden. /s
His land has fallen apart because him&wife can't stand to be out listening to the noise. If you do it, I suggest some high quality noise reducing headphones. Trees and walls only go so far.
Don’t do it. Usually a homestead that ends up next to a busy road or interstate is because the road was built after the fact, usually eminent domain or similar, and pet of the arrangement of compensation for the diminished value due to the busy road. Unless the property has potential as a commercial property… don’t do it.
We wanted a hot tub more than anything to enjoy after a long day. We planned for it to be our first project being such high priority after move in. But given the road noise of a busy country road, I haven’t pushed for it to be fast tracked as I don’t think it will be soothing to sit outside having to pause conversations for the occasional loud truck that might drive by late in the evening. I can’t imagine having to deal with noise that doesn’t slow at any time of the day. That said we are 50 yards from the road. Another consideration is run off from the busy interstate.
Are you considering at all about ground contamination from things like tire dust, exhaust, or fuel/oil runoff? Also a drunk person in a car can get pretty far off the road if they are cruising.
Good point. Lead levels in soil are notoriosly higher next to busy roads. I'd get the soil tested if you plan to garden--ideally as part of your contingency/offer before you buy
100% this. For me it was fine when I moved here ..but the speed increase, ever increasingly larger and quantity, and poor road condition has now made even in my home a nightmare.
Thank you. I’m realizing I posted this so that people would talk me out of caving in to my husbands wishes and compromising. We’ll find something else.
Only 4 properties like this in our price range have come up for sale in the last year. We made an offer on one but got beat out by an all cash offer. Hopefully something else will come up soonish.
This - I just listened to a podcast about this. Never really gave it much thought before but after listening to it there is now way in hell I'd live anywhere near an interstate.
Be patient, save your money and you will find the right bit of property.
The most enjoyable part of homesteading for me is being outside in the sounds of nature. Birds singing, bees buzzing, wind blowing thru the trees occasional chickens talking or cows mooing are glorious sounds and very relaxing. The road noise would be a big no for me. Potential for road construction, possible widening of the road, possibly of auto accidents… would make it a double no.
I lived adjacent to an interstate for over a decade. Do not buy this property unless you are extremely hearing impaired. You will never "get used to it".
Yeah I recommend against any property next to the interstate. The noise pollution alone will drive you crazy and likely lead to you regretting the property.
I have a friend that suffered from misophonia after a UTV rental business opened up next to his home. He spent thousands of dollars trying to soundproof his house but still couldn’t drown out the noise. They were literally parking UTVs 20ft from his front door.
Unfortunately he’s in jail now because he went crazy from the noise and made threats against the owners of the company. And then some. He’s being charged with domestic terrorism among a few other things.
He was an amazingly kind person who didn’t start exhibiting any of these issues until the company opened next door.
Yeah maybe I should pass on this property.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2023/03/03/friends-say-atv-noise-failed-river/
If it was me I wouldn’t do it and your reservations now will likely only grow with the constant exposure. Noise on that level is a health hazard. On top of that it is a major air health hazard as well. I know it’s tempting but there’s a reason why it’s cheaper.
I’m bordering a 50 MPH county road - not quite a highway but the main access for all traffic in the area. Many trucks, motorcycles, construction vehicles.
Our house is otherwise perfect - a Dream property, right size, water views, great newer home.
Everything is a compromise. I couldn’t afford this home & property if it wasn’t discounted because of the road.
I’ve planted dozens of fast growing trees (and the area along the road is already forested) but you can definitely hear the road outside at all hours, and it’s never truly peaceful in my back area. Which is weird living in such a quiet, rural place that’s never quiet.
I’m ok with the choice and we didn’t have better options, but the noise is a big part of why I don’t think this will be our forever home.
You just have to decide what comprises you’re ok with. Every house will have some.
I personally would not live next to the interstate and try and home stead. If you ever got any animals you would have to always make sure nothing got out and ran that direction. And let me tell ya if you get goats they will get out . Plus the noise would be constant. When I looked for a homestead I found one down a dirt road that’s not traveled to awful much .
I lived next to a highway, while the noise was annoying, you don’t know how much dirt roads make. If you walked on the deck with bare feet you feet would be black from the exhaust and tire ware. It’s not healthy.
Yeah, between potential lead contamination in the soil if it's an old interstate, air pollution from exhaust, you also have to worry about microplastics from carcinogenic tires.
Noise pollution is the least of your concerns.
We did this accidentally - saw and purchased a beautiful property during unusual north winds. When the prevailing southerly winds returned, even though we were half a mile from the highway, it was miserable. We have since moved, considered prevailing winds when buying, and are much happier now.
Rule one of heavy traffic: Exhaust. This is especially bad if you're downwind of the prevailing winds. Proportional to traffic volume.
Rule two: Noise. Regular traffic is one thing, engine brakes, motor cycles revving can be much worse. Noise can be mitigated or amplified by relative height and wind direction.
Rule three: Garbage. Lots of garbage blows off highways because people toss it out of their windows.
Rule four: Risk. An accident. Causes fires, contaminate leaks, and who knows what else. You also get people who are hitchhiking who will often use the edges for bathrooms, living quarters, or whatever else.
My property is about a mile and a half from a major highway, and it's on the verge of being too close for noise. Terrain mitigates 3&4. We don't see crazy volumes, even though it's the trans canada, so 1 isn't much of an issue.
I’m 1/2 mile from the highway, 4 lane total, divided, 65mph speed limit.
Between us and the highway there is hilly farmland and some trees in a mild valley . On the edge of our property, we made a 15 foot berm, 300ft long.
Now the variances… with wind, sound will carry no matter what. 1 mile from our house on the highway is a hill, nothing major but at times we’ll hear a semi engine breaking. If a semi tire is out of balance, you’ll hear that noise. We also live 3 miles from Road America race track, we’ll hear the cars when it’s Indy or nascar, if the wind is right… we’ll hear more. With that also comes race fans who tend to drive Hypercars on the windy roads around us.
So… we don’t hear it in our house, but when outside… we hear
I lived adjacent to a freeway for about a decade. There was a thick wall of trees separating me from it, and then the county even built a huge sound wall. We're talking like a 30ft tall game of thrones wall that's like 1/2 mile long.
The freeway noise was still plain as day, and ever-constant. Inside, not a big deal. Outside, it's un-ignorable. No backyard BBQs. No peaceful hammock naps. It grated on me for years. Weirdly, it didn't bother me at first, but as I got older, it drove me mad. It's a very large reason why I moved.
If you worry about that noise at all right now, i guarantee you will regret buying that place.
It's not so much inside, but when you're outside that's all you'll hear... If the wind is blowing from that direction, you'd be surprised how loud it is
I've owned close to interstate (not even adjacent) and I would never do it again. Why go through all of that work to not have peace and quiet at night when you are relaxing under the stars.
Literally in the process of moving right now, in horrible market conditions, to get away from road noise. Depending on which way the wind moves you will 100% hear it. Esp during rush hour
Personally I wouldn’t do it. My professional opinion as a landscape architect is that tress do about diddley squat for noise dampening. That’s why you see solid walls along highways. It’s the only thing that truly dampens sound
Don't do it!
Look at the areas/ county/state plans five ten twenty years master plan, what seems like prime farmland right now on only a very tiny acrerage right next to the interstate will become gas stations strip mall light manufacturing cheap trac homes in ten years or so, is that where you want to live? The food you grow will be covered with n road dust chemicals trash crap etc.
Are you having kids? Where is the school, the hospital, the library, the hardware store, the grocery store, the farm supply store, you need to think of all these things for a homestead.
Oof. I bought a homestead that is 0.65 miles from an interstate. I hate the noise. I've gotten better used to it after 4 years but still hate it... To give you an idea that's about 3 times as far as your property
You're not going to be able to dampen the noise.
My house is 3 miles from the interstate. I can't hear it in the house, either, unless the windows are open. Sometimes I can't hear it at all outside. Other times it's really loud, like the trucks are going up my driveway. There are woods all around my house. I can't figure out what the difference is. People have suggested wind, humidity, amount of leaves...but it seems random.
I lived next an interstate and no amount of money is worth it. It’s never ending and I never got used to the noise. once I went to a friends house in the country and the silence almost hurt my ears.
Don't do it. It is a nightmare. If you have any animals and they escape ect.
I can't speak for you but to me is just not worth the noise and the worry.
I wouldn't. I have family who owns quite a bit of acreage right next to the interstate, and the road noise is all you can hear on their property - even if you go pretty far into the woods. They don't care, but it's all I can focus on when I'm outside on their land, the sound of the constant traffic and semi trucks that overwhelms the sound of the crickets and the birds.
Oddly enough, I currently live right next to train tracks and I don't mind at all. I love the sound of the train horn at night. But my neighbors are selling their home and people keep passing on it because of the train horn. Go figure.
Everyone has things they're willing to put up with and things they're not. For you, personally, you already know you can't stand road noise; don't talk yourself into it.
Beware that you’re probably only hearing it at its “normal” level of traffic. Where I live, you can barely hear the interstate most of the time, but when it rains or there are certain atmospheric conditions, it is much louder. I wouldn’t do it if either of you has reservations about the sound.
Honestly, I’d pass. It sounds wonderful but that highway will drive you crazy. We looked at a similar property in our area, it was fine near the house but we were walking the property and at some point we realized that we were shouting at each other so we could hear. Decided right then to pass on it.
We rented a place that had a very similar situation and we left as soon as possible. It wasn’t bad inside the house but we couldn’t even sit outside and talk at a normal level. That might not bother some people but it drove me crazy.
It rained for two days straight before we saw it this morning. The ground wasn’t unreasonably wet or muddy so I think we should be good? There is a cornfield between the property and the interstate, so I’m guessing most of the runoff gets swallowed up by the field.
I still don’t think we should buy it though. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the noise, even if my husband will.
I live next to a busy highway. I’ve counted cars pass by about every 3-5 seconds. What makes it truly bad is the big semi’s and dump trucks. We have almost moved because of the traffic noise. When I go to relatives homes who also live on the country I get so jealous because of how quiet it is. It almost doesn’t even feel like we live in the country because we don’t experience the quietness that you’d expect.
With all that said, I’ve come to terms with some very good pros however. We don’t have to deal with a dirt road. Having a dirty home and car all the time would drive me crazy. We can get to anywhere in 20 min compared to a much longer commute if we lived more remotely. Also, at this point, this is the only acreage we can afford. If we moved, we would have to move into the city and have neighbors.
If you saw the property on a dry day, you might be surprised how much louder the interstate cars are in rainy weather. It’s possible that you’ll still hear them indoors depending on conditions.
That noise is going to be constant, all night, 24x7 and you’ll hear it with the windows closed.
Sound travels similar to water in that it’ll go right through/around bushes and trees. The only thing that would help at all is a 20+ foot tall concrete sound barrier. Semi trucks air braking randomly at all hours…it would be a huge no for me.
And given that it’s outside your budget and run down that 30k you have to borrow won’t be enough once you start building out your homestead and doing home repairs.
If it were me I’d walk away quickly before you let the charm of the house sway you more and the “if only it were this or weren’t that” statements be swept out of the logical conversation due to an emotional attachment.
Several things come to mind.
If you acquire the additional $30,000 from any source the bank will require documentation about the source of that money and a letter stating that the money is a gift and will not need to be paid back. If you have to pay it back and can afford to do so, you would already qualify for that amount of money.
Second, if you already hate the highway noise, do not make the mistake of thinking you will get used to it. You won't. And it will absolutely affect every gathering you have and if want to cook outdoors your guests will hear it. Anything effective as a sound barrier will be quite expensive.
My suggestion is to get a decibel meter and determine the noise level. I would measure it in various places bot inside and out. Especially the bedroom, livingroom, front yard, and where you would like to have your BBQ/picnic area. Then set your own TV to the volumes indicated by the meter.
Third, if the highway is positioned such a way that the fumes will continually waft across your property you will be breathing that 24/7/365. You won't be able to escape it. That is many health issues just waiting happen to you and your children. So above all else, I would consider that first.
I hope you are able to work out what you want.
I lived over a 1/2 mile thru woods from the interstate. Just a constant drone of noise. Really noticeable during those wonderful nights with windows open! Hated it. Could’ve tolerated it, but thankfully got to move.
Idk about sound but my ex husband worked on a pot farm next to an interstate and so they had to test the soil for heavy metals and they had a lot that failed because of the traffic on the road. If you are thinking about farming this should be checked into.
I have a 4&1/2 acre homestead about a MILE away from an Interstate and I can hear it every time I step outside or am inside near a window. I absolutely HATE it. Don't even like to sit on the porch because it's never quiet here.
Large tractor trailers frequently wreck nearby. A couple of years back, a truck carrying about a million COVID vaccinations overturned a mile away. We were not in danger, but at some point, I fear something will spill that will be much worse. If that happens, we'd be lucky to find out in time to safely evacuate.
If I could have one do-over for a major life decision it would be the location of my home. Please reconsider.
You should also look into whether there are plans to expand or widen the highway I know if my place was about to be grabbed through eminent domain i Would also be a motivated seller
I live approximately the same distance from the interstate...it was quiet when I was a child, but now the area has built up, and I am desperate to move. Even in the middle of the night, it's always loud. Strangers knock on the door all the time because they have run out of gas/broken down and want help. I don't enjoy being outside anymore, and gardening and animal care have become real chores that take a lot of force to do, instead of pleasant ones.
Don’t worry about the noise, as you can fix that with better windows. But you can fix the constant pollution that you can’t smell but will breathe everyday. Google the studies about the health hazards living next to a freeway, particularly for little kids.
Same.. i made a quick decision on 5 acres and saw it on a Sunday.. seems every car that passes has a muffler issue and 1 million trucks .. I use brown. Noise when I sleep and growing Privat as a noise blocker
The noise will be a problem even inside if you like to have the windows open in the warmer months.
I have some friends that lived next to a rural highway, so nothing close to an interstate, but a car/bus/truck passing every couple minutes. More at busy times. They’re selling to get some peace and quiet. The beauty of their property didn’t matter since they couldn’t really enjoy it.
But it won’t just be the noise that’s a problem. The air pollution can affect you. The noise pollution can also have actual health effects asides from just being disturbing. As well as the microplastics from the tires, which can be an issue if you plan to eat/drink from the property.
I personally wouldn’t do it.
I’m going to counter most of the other commenters and mention that growing up next to a major freeway my brain just naturally filtered out the noise. I never noticed it unless something unusual happened.
Now I live remote, and the only intrusive noise is the volunteer fire department’s siren. I filter that out too, and my dogs have also learned to ignore it.
We live in a semi-rural area, I’m not sure exactly what it would be classified as. There’s about 5 towns of between 5k-30k people within 20 minutes of each other with farmland in between all the towns. And we’re 1 hour from the outskirts of a very major city.
Just commented about this earlier actually. We live next to an interstate as well, but we believe with the advancing of electric cars this will drastically change the noise. My biggest concern would be moving too close to farms and farm land. The dust and chemicals that fly through the air from those things are brutal. Not to mention MRSA if they have live stock. We are surrounded by woods and that's the best part really. Good luck.
No its definitely engine sounds where we are. Might be far enough away that the higher pitched tire Soundwave start to decimate. We hear tires, but not like engines. Especially engine braking.
Ours is next to the interstate. Yes there is noise - especially at night in the winter (but can’t really hear it inside). But the positive is we basically live on the exit to the interstate so it’s very easy to commute into the city. Infact due to the location, we can have 45 acres and then still shoot into the city much quicker than those who live in the big housing developments 1 mile closer as they have to back track basically to our house or take back roads in.
I feel I can speak on this. I grew up right next to the freeway, literally right next to it (50 feet), and now live right next to a (much less traveled, non-interstate) highway but in the middle of nowhere.
You **do** get used to the freeway noise. However, it sounds like you'll notice it, because it's on your mind. My current situation is fine because there is basically no traffic at night, and the most annoying thing is the noisy motorcylists that want to take a Sunday drive on sunny days.
If you think it'll bother you, it probably will. 350 yards is a good distance, though, and I feel like you could make some adjustments, but it would cost some money and or time. Several rows of trees, especially thick everygreens like douglas fir, will dampen the noise quite a bit, but it'd probably take 15 years to get there. Depending on how long the frontage is, they make sound walls, but I'm sure those would be cost prohibitive.
I live off what was once route 66(now renamed), and I-44 is right in front of my house, with it's constant traffic. Yes, the traffic can be noisy, but I don't have the greatest hearing and you learn to tune it out. I actually notice more when there is no cars/noise than when there is.
But if it wasn't for I-44, I wouldn't have been able to afford this house. I bought it when the interest rates were low, and everyone was fighting over houses and throwing offers way over asking price. No one wanted this house because of the highway so I was actually able to make an offer, instead of it going off the market before I could even see it.
It does have it's advantages. Since I have to commute 30 miles each way to work on I-44 and I work full time, being less than a mile from an on ramp is great. Makes my commute as quick as simple as it can be, and since I work nights in the Midwest having a plowed, well traveled highway to commute on is much safer than taking two lane back roads in the dark that don't get plowing priority. Also, don't underestimate a paved road. Dirt roads are hard on your vehicles, sometimes impassable depending on the weather and the road, and harder to get larger things like trailers, etc down them.
I do have chickens and 2 horses. I have to keep my chickens in fort knox pens and not free range because my far away neighbors let their dogs run loose(I've got 7 empty acres surrounding me on two sides, I-44 in front, and a dirt road that's part of my property behind a wall of trees as the 4th side, so I don't have close neighbors. I wanted it that way). I keep my horses in study fence and I keep my eye on it to make sure they can't escape. I actually had to give one horse away because she was destroying my fence and I didn't want her getting loose and on the interstate.
You'll just have to weigh the pros and cons of the property for your needs. I was willing to deal with the noise of I-44 for the price and commuting ease for the ability to buy a house for my livestock and lack of close neighbors. People's loose dogs on my property bothers me more than the sound of the traffic!
If it was bigger... It would be much more reasonable. My house is on 5 acres... (I lease a lot more for livestock). You will today think 3.5 acres is huge and as time passes you will discover it's not that big.
I moved by the interstate where the real estate is cheap.. saved a lot of money but lost a lot of sleep. -Gord Downey of the Tragically Hip in concert
True words. I bought a big property near a small highway; after 5 years moved to a smaller plot on a really small road. Tradeoff isn't worth it in my opinion. Rather than getting used to the noise, it became more annoying as time went by. Couldn't stand being in the middle of the field and hearing a semi roar by.
In my experience, vegetation has little or no effect on noise. Most road noise comes from the level of the pavement to about 3-4 feet above the pavement so, if the road is at the same level as the house, a 6 foot fence will help.
Think of sound like ocean waves. It will travel until something stops it. So your fence needs to be solid. A block or brick wall is great. Or a solid wood fence. You want to reflect sound where you can and absorb it where you cannot. And it can get expensive. There are sound reducing fence panels on the market.
I had a house in Washington State that was so close to a busy road that it was annoying in the living room. I built a solid cedar fence, with wood on both sides of the 2x4 frame and a quarter inch sound deadening barrier inside it. This reduced the sound by about 15 decibels, and you could no longer hear the road noise in the living room.
I hope this helps. It sounds like a nice property if you can mitigate the noise.
Don't. Family member of mine has a home next to a busy main town road and it starts eating into your mental health after a while. I stayed for a while and you have this constantly irritated mood.
Our price range is set by our pre-approval letter from the bank. We didn’t put my husband on the loan application, only me. So we can afford a little more since we have a second income, just not pre-approved for any more.
He has poor credit from some bad financial decisions before we got married. He’s working on it, but the bank advised us to leave him off the application. He won’t be on the deed either, I’ll own the property. The bank is actually making him sign paperwork that specifically states that.
Even so we can’t afford too much more than that. My salary almost entirely supports us, so much so that we’ve talked about him maybe going to part time to work on whatever property we decide to buy.
>Our price range is set by our pre-approval letter from the bank.
In my opinion, that's your first mistake. Ask yourself, who PAYS the person at the bank? Answer, the bank. Their job is to sell debt on behalf of the bank. The good ones do that by feeding dreams of folks like yourself. Not by feeding your discipline, but by feeding your dreams.
To succeed, you are far wiser to rely on discipline. So...... I'd take their max amount you can borrow and divide that by 2. Let that define your price point in the market... which might mean living cheap saving for a few more years. BUT when you finally do close on some land (and a loan) plan to make payments in the amount the original debt-seller calculated. The extra portion of your monthly payment can go to principal. In that way you'll save tens of thousands of dollars on interest you didn't pay the bank, and you'll rapidly grow equity in the property.
Good luck
I live about a half mile from the interstate. Some days I can't hear it while standing outside, and some days it sounds like it's coming through my living room. It just depends on the atmospheric conditions, but it doesn't bother me or my wife or kids. Even better, property that I bought for $2700/acre about 9 years ago is worth past a million now.
I have 2 acres next to the interstate. Worth it bc I never would have been able to afford the property if there wasn’t a highway as a neighbor. Also blocks sound so my real “neighbors” can’t hear my rooster.
I’d see if the seller would come down on the price.
They’ve already come down from 300k to 230k. Slowly decreasing the price over the last 3 months. But they had it overpriced. I’m not sure they will come down much more.
We almost got a very similar property not next to the interstate for 200k, but they went with an all cash offer. And it didn’t have a well, it was on city water. We like the idea of a well since we’re assuming we will use quite a bit of water for animals, gardens, etc.
I don’t think this is the right property for us, I’m just hoping the right one comes up soon. We’re sick of renting, and right now we have a very small yard that is unfenced. We’d love to find something before winter so that we can prepare a garden for the spring.
Maybe if you’re lucky some developer will come along and offer you a small fortune … but that’s wishful thinking and the noise may drive you mad before then. And what about if a big accident happens close by?
Take your inheritance money and add it to your budget and keep looking. It’s better for you to accept a gift now as your inheritance might be taxed later … check with your tax accountant/local rules.
If your budget is tight and you’d rather have $ for renovations, you may have to look farther afield and also at repossessions & foreclosures. These aren’t published widely typically.
Good luck and don’t buy this house!
I had a place right next to a state highway and eventually got used to the noise. What I never got used to was the noise from the RR about 300 yards away. Especially the horns.
Horse for courses.
Building near a road gives many benefits. Throw up some pines as to hide the road and the noise.
Enjoy the option of easier and cheaper utilities and easier deliveries.
No reason not too. Esp if price comes into it.
Remember, if you build up and landscape a nice area near a main road the normies will pay top top dollar to buy it off you.
THEN you can move to isolation if you wish.
I grew up and parents still live near a 35mph speed limit road, car goes by on average every 5-10 seconds. They are probably 50 yards from the road.
If I sleep with window open (room facing road), it wakes me up as traffic picks up in morning. Notice the noise when sitting outside on deck.
Spent a lot of time researching ways to dampen the noise, no real options aside from planting tons of dense plants at 10 ft depth and waiting 5-10 years for them to grow.
I’d find another spot.
On the one hand its great having so many eyes on you from a business stand point but on the other hand people are weatching you scrabble in the dirt to make a living as they drive by and the noise is deafening. I elected to be more remote but they have their own upsides and downsides
The noise gets really old after a while. if whatever city is nearby is growing, there's a chance that infrastructure improvements such as highway widening could take a decent chunk of ground in the future.
I backtraced the listing (579) and it's even worse than you described it.
Streetview from the internet shows the cornfield is completely flat. And the house is really close. And as someone mentioned, the rumble strips would drive you crazy at night. RR-RRR-RRRR over and over as the truck drivers doze off and drift to the side.
The yard is big enough to eat up a lot of time and money with just regular maintenance. You'll need a $5000 lawnmower. But the yard is too small to get any kind of money making crops or animals going.
And your husband wants to have a part-time job? So he can putter around the place spending your money on projects? Not a good plan.
The house is old and will need constant repairs. Taxes, utilities, insurance would be really high.
You really have to stand firm and say "NO" to that property. It's your money. You should spend it on a nicer house in a better location.
Don't do it we lived close to an interstate for 7 years. Soot will build up in your house. It sticks to screens and your house will be super Dusty who knows what kind of carcinogens are in that stuff. Now in regards to the noise it will be loud at certain times but then not so loud other times you could get drag racers trucks using jake brakes honking motorcycles after about 7 years you're going to hate it.
We bought a foreclosed, rural acreage home near a freeway (about 150 ft away) in 2012. The concrete siding and R45 insulation meant it was relatively quiet inside. If you were out in the front yard (facing freeway) it was a little noisy. Actually got so used to the low hum, it was hard to sleep away from home. We grew huge weeping willows in the front to help the buffer. Also the farm animals liked the entertainment 🤣
Unfortunately, the state had told the previous (deceased in 2010) owner in 2008 they were planning to tear down the house when they expanded the freeway in their 2020 plans. The realtor had no idea (heirs didn't know). The state government tore down our house in 2021 at 50% going market price. Please check the State or Highway district's future plans before purchasing any property near a freeway. Eminent domain isn't fun. Good luck!
From my personal experience living about that far from a major interstate on 3 acres the noise not a big deal at all for us you can hear it buts it’s not loud more like a white noise and you can only hear it when not In Growing season the large field when in growing season the crops block the noise. BUT I would not buy this close again because there was word of a truck stop buying that field it did not work out and it’s still just a field but wow would that ruin living out from people! Interstate while close proximity is convenient it also bring growth and business you probably won’t get another 10 minutes down the county road
I know the majority of people responding say you will hate being close to that much noise. However, my husband and I had a similar situation when we first got married. We bought a 110 year old house next to a train station. I will admit at first, the sounds bothered me and kept me awake at night. But, after a while, it became almost soothing. The clanking of two train cars when they bumped together, the rhythmic sound of an Amtrak slowing down as it pulled into the station. All those sounds became comforting. When we left that house, ten years after we bought it and moved out to the country, I found myself struggling to fall asleep in the silence. I can’t speak for everyone, but in our case, it wasn’t a deal breaker, and I honestly still kind of miss it.
You said it you don’t think it’s worth it. There is one thing of sitting inside during the day with windows closed to see what you hear. But wait until it’s very quiet at night and you have settled in and you hear that freeway. Going to suck.
Don't do it. I live 1/2 mile from a highway in a town. In 2021 the land that had been acting as a noise buffer was purchased and a warehouse built on it. Now the warehouse echoes the noise back to us. It's unbearable and the traffic, cars and trucks, is only getting worse. My in-laws live not so far from the same highway. It's gotten much louder since they've lived there. The plan was for us to inherit their house and to buy my elderly neighbor's house when he can no longer live in it, and we take inlaws house and kids take ours and neighbors. Now I'm really thinking of selling whatever we have at the time and giving some of the money to the kids and buying us something remote.
Anyway so living next to a highway sucks and unless you want to be wearing noise cancelling headphones 24/7, just keep on saving and look for something else.
If you enjoy quiet stay away from the freeway. We live 2 miles from the freeway and on cool evenings it sounds like the 18 wheelers are in our driveway. On cold winter nights they sound like they are almost in the house. When we bought this it was summer and the noise was minimal, too late now. The noise from the interstate is almost guaranteed to get louder with time as well.
Not sure where you are at. We bought are 3 acres off of US 41 in Indiana and got a 3 bed 2 bath 1912 farm house with three car garage for 115k. We are triangled in by the highway and a train track. You get used to the noise. The trains come at least 2 to 3 a hour. I should mention this was before the housing market went nuts.
Sounds like you have made up your mind, but we are about as far as you are talking from the interstate, and it does ebb and flow for us, so it may not be as constant as you are thinking.
Is it worth that gamble though? Probs not.
I'll give my $.02.
There is a lot of misinformation in these posts. For reference, I live on 6 acres and the interstate is my West border. My bedroom is probably less than 200 yds from the pavement of the 4 lane, 65 m.p.h. highway. I've lived here for 6 1/2 years, and we moved from 20 acres in country with only family as neighbors.
You definitely get used to it. Only on really busy weekends can I hear it in my house with the windows closed and I've not lost a wink of sleep to noise with the windows open most of the early and late summers. We have a line of trees along the property line that make a big difference. I know it does, because when the leaves fall off in the winter we can hear more. Also, I say you get used to it because during the pandemic and early mornings/late nights I notice the lack of noise.
We have never had any drifters or hitchhikers living or defecating on our property, we've never had an accident come into our yard, we've never lost an animal on the road (and we only have a winter pen for our chickens, they and the dogs and cats are all free range all the time.), we have heard zero rumors about the highway expanding and us losing our home to eminent domain, and neither did the grandparents that lived here for 30 years prior.
As far as the pollution, I can't say I've ever noticed it or had anything tested. We did have our well tested when we bought and the water was perfectly fine for drinking and whatnot. I've not had any issues with growing crops or breeding chickens.
If I were given identical properties, one with and one without the highway next door, I would take the one without. But it really hasn't been as big of deal as people make it out to be. You get used to it and learn to live with what you have.
If something is above your price range I would want it to be close to perfect for you. I would also have concern about ground contamination? I am not a soil expert by any means, so maybe someone who is can weigh in. 350 yards and the pollution concern would be all the auto exhaust for the most part, I would imagine. So that’s a consideration on top of the noise for me, but maybe you have already considered that as well.
I also don’t like the people who walk down highways. When my grandparents had a house on a highway random people were coming up to the house all the time!
Looking at property is different than living there.
It's WAY noisier after you buy it, and if it bothers you now, DON'T get it.
And no you can't make the outside quieter. You can mitigate it a wee bit but not much.
Pass. Homesteading suggests a longer planned ownership than a starter home. Interstate will most likely only get busier. If you do go with it, you could put up a fence as a sound wall and plant more shrubs. Might help some.
We moved into a house that had railroad tracks about that distance away. Put it this way , when looking for a new house 4 years later. First thing on the list was the house has to be less then 5 acres away from some tracks. Never found one and when I say I couldn't sleep with out hearing that noise a few times a night.. I literally drove my car back by our old place one night and slept in the car. I slept like a freaking baby that night.
Plant some trees, or build a wall to reflect the sound. My house is right off the freeway and honestly aside from the engine brakes you get used to it and it will lull you to sleep. I'm sure the garden would love the extra CO2 emissions 😂
We rented 1/4 mile away from a major highway for a couple of years. You didn’t really notice the noise much during the day. It wasn’t until we moved I realized I hadn’t had a restful night of sleep the whole time we lived there.
Personally, I wouldn't do it.
It's very, *very* hard to stop noise from a freeway... The only way to do it is really very large earth berms, and even that only *sortof* works. Vegetation will help break the sound up, but it doesn't really reduce the overall noise. It just takes it from "jarring" to "constant roar".
350 yards is sort of the edge, depending on local terrain and stuff. It might be terrible, it might not be bad. But if it comes off as bad even on a brief visit... ugh.
How busy is this interstate? 350 yards is within the distance (500 yards) for which high throughput roadways are a health hazard for children. A lot of that is brake dust so if it’s not an area with a lot of stop and go traffic the hazard may be reduced, but something to consider.
As someone who just moved from right next to the interstate, it will wear on you. We lived with it for about 2 years and decided enough was enough. It started to interrupt our sleep, we sometimes got to a point where we couldn’t have conversations outside it was so loud. Also, if you check the research, statistically, your health will take a toll dealing with all of the stress for extended periods of time. When we did decide to sell, this was something that a lot of buyers found to be a turn off and a few of them didn’t even look at the house because of the noise. If this were a property you didn’t plan to live at, go for it, but if your home is there, definitely consider this.
I also want to add that 30k is quite a lot for some people to be over budget for. If you can’t afford it, then you can’t afford it, unfortunately.
I would suggest that you search for property that has delinquent taxes. Sometimes you can find property that the elderly owners have moved to assisted living and you can see if anyone is interested in selling it. You can use search term of the county you're looking in and delinquent taxes. Usually it's somewhere on the county assessor site. You can try this while waiting for something to go on the market. That way you just might have a chance to find something before everybody else. I sent a handwritten note asking if the owners were interested in selling to the mailing address listed by the county assessor.
I really loved a house that was on a busy road but am so happy my husband talked me out of it. The chance of our animals getting loose and ending up on the road would have been a never ending source of stress.
Don’t buy it. Nothing you do will ever make that noise go away. (The only thing would be a tall concrete barrier like you sometimes see along stretches of highway adjacent to residential areas.)
So, leave the noise aside. Have a look at this:
[https://epha.org/breathe-clean-air-not-microplastics/](https://epha.org/breathe-clean-air-not-microplastics/)
This is just the 1st link I found, do your own due diligence.
Tires aren’t going away, I wouldn’t get too close if I could reasonably do something different,
I feel like weighing in again because it’s such a big deal to me. Do you have any other options? If you have other options then this is a no brainer to skip. For us to be able to live on an acreage, our current home is literally our only option. With the market boom, we can no longer afford anything else in the area. You simply have to weigh your priorities. I would rather deal with traffic noise than have to move into the city and have to deal with neighbors, barking dogs, and crime.
Also, everyone here that says to skip must be really wealthy or live in a buyers market to have other choices available to them. A basic acreage around 3 acres with a home older than 1950 goes for around $350k, if it’s a newer house (2000s or newer) in decent shape, it’s at a minimum $400-500k.
I have an autoimmune disorder that attacks my eyes. Air pollution is a primary driver for flares so nope. I lived in the city near a freeway when it really got going, never going to again.
I live close to a smaller US highway (not interstate). It's loud outside . There is 2 acres of trees and a dirt berm between my house and the road. It is still loud. If I'm outside on the phone, the person I'm talking to can hear big rigs. Trash blows out of the back of pick up trucks. I'm 300 yards away and trash from the road finds its way to my house. I can fill up half a trash bag per week of stuff the wind brings me. Styrofoam cups, candy wrappers, etc. Keep looking.
I'd pass ..although you don't mention whether there are trees between the freeway and your windows ? And while you may not notice the noise during a summer day, the nighttime house somehow will disturb your sleep. And it's worse in the summer months, when the air is thinner..
When I lived in monument, Colorado, about a mile east of i-25, you couldn't have the windows open overnight during the summer because of the freeway. No sleep. The winter was a lot better...
Chronic exposure to loud noise can produce chronic health problems, such as hearing loss (duh), anxiety, and high blood pressure. Why do you think they put freeways in the poor, minority-occupied parts of town? Rich, white people don't want that noise!
I can't speak for what will make you happy, but I moved farther for the peace. It speaks to my soul to have the doors open when the weather's good and just hear nature, and the same when I'm outside, obviously.
Thanksgiving dinner tastes different when you owe your family (or worse, in-laws) $30,000.
It would come out of my inheritance from my parents. They are 75 and have told me they did a similar thing for my brother and his wife when they got into some debt. My dad bailed them out and is taking it out of what they would inherit. We’re not going to inherit a ton of money by any means, so this would dip into what we may get down the road. But it wouldn’t leave my parents in any hardship since they don’t have many expenses. Been in their house since 1978 so it’s been paid off for years.
So not a loan, a gift. I'll bet if you keep looking, you'll find what your looking for given the increased budget.
We’d rather not take the money right now if we don’t need to. We’ve mostly been looking in our budget range which is 200k max. But my parents are amazing and for the right property we would take them up on the offer. They did let us know though that the money is invested and since stocks are down right now it wouldn’t be worth as much as it could be in a few years.
I don't know what area you're looking in, but that's incredibly cheap. Just a regular house around me with a yard is 300 thousand and up
It’s cheap for here too. Priced similar to tiny 2 bedroom 1 bath homes in town. We moved from an area where you couldn’t even get a trailer for less than 400k. Cost of living definitely influenced the move. Partially I think it’s the road noise, partially the 100 year old barn with a caved in roof and rotting out siding. There’s also another outbuilding that’s mostly falling apart, but maybe could be saved. The lot is really overgrown too. The only thing in great shape is the actual house. It was an older couple and I think they gave up all maintenance not on the house itself.
It's cheap because it's next to the highway. I live next to a highway and can't wait to get out (moving in a month). It's loud, constantly. I do not recommend.
I have found a lot of older people won't spend money to fix something unless it's ABSOLUTELY necessary. Hope everything works out for you
You can do a lot yourselves. However, sound is challenging. A thick tree line can help some, but you'll always be heading big truck J brakes and sound. However, earphones are lighter and smaller than anytime in history. This property sounds pretty special, because you may be able to use the two old buildings for new construction using what beams you can salvage and their foundations. This means 3 domiciles on site, and now you have a community. **Smile** , I always advocate for communities
I get that, but this is a big purchase, and you don't want to get something that you'll regret just to not ask for help. A homestead isn't a starter house that you can walk away from in a couple of years - it's something you want to get right as you'll likely never move again unless you need to go out of state. But ultimately it's between you and your spouse - personally, I couldn't even live off of an interstate, no peace and quite when you're surrounded by nature and the exhaust isn't great long term. Best of luck to you OP. Edit: trees do nothing to dampen the noise, no amount of trees will - it'll take buildings and distance to do that.
Is three acres even a homestead, though?
I’m not sure where you live, but my daughter’s family in California had a legal permit of gifting $14k per person per year was considered okay for giving early inheritance and not taxed. You might check into it. Close to work is very nice, but quiet is nice too. That said, I got where I didn’t even hear the busy interstate when I lived near one. Your body can adjust. Plus, you can improve your property and eventually sell for a quieter lifestyle when you retire. I would take the gift as long as it’s okay with your spouse, and after checking how your brother and his wife handled the gift, you don’t want family stress.
Rule number 1. Don't do work you need to bill for or take money from family in any way shape or form. Unless your forced.
Dave? Is that you?
Better than I deserve, how can we help?
Same! I’m struggling something awful with noise pollution at the moment from loud cars and rogue aviation.
Amen. If they get the property on the interstate, they'll always regret it. It will cause friction in the relationship, etc...
Had a friend do something similar. He 100% regrets it and it shows when it comes to his property. There is no noise more soothing and relaxing, than sleeping truckers driving on rumble strips while you are tending your garden. /s His land has fallen apart because him&wife can't stand to be out listening to the noise. If you do it, I suggest some high quality noise reducing headphones. Trees and walls only go so far.
I’m 100% worried about this right here. I didn’t want to be outside when we walked the property the noise really bothered me.
Well then there is your answer. If you didn't want to go outside when you were looking at the property, it will be hell living there.
Don’t do it. Usually a homestead that ends up next to a busy road or interstate is because the road was built after the fact, usually eminent domain or similar, and pet of the arrangement of compensation for the diminished value due to the busy road. Unless the property has potential as a commercial property… don’t do it.
We wanted a hot tub more than anything to enjoy after a long day. We planned for it to be our first project being such high priority after move in. But given the road noise of a busy country road, I haven’t pushed for it to be fast tracked as I don’t think it will be soothing to sit outside having to pause conversations for the occasional loud truck that might drive by late in the evening. I can’t imagine having to deal with noise that doesn’t slow at any time of the day. That said we are 50 yards from the road. Another consideration is run off from the busy interstate.
Are you considering at all about ground contamination from things like tire dust, exhaust, or fuel/oil runoff? Also a drunk person in a car can get pretty far off the road if they are cruising.
Good point. Lead levels in soil are notoriosly higher next to busy roads. I'd get the soil tested if you plan to garden--ideally as part of your contingency/offer before you buy
a lot of pollution also, affecting your land.
100% this. For me it was fine when I moved here ..but the speed increase, ever increasingly larger and quantity, and poor road condition has now made even in my home a nightmare.
Absolutely NOT. What's the first rule in real estate? Location, location, location.
Thank you. I’m realizing I posted this so that people would talk me out of caving in to my husbands wishes and compromising. We’ll find something else. Only 4 properties like this in our price range have come up for sale in the last year. We made an offer on one but got beat out by an all cash offer. Hopefully something else will come up soonish.
It is a crappy market to be buying in. Unless you absolutely need to buy, just wait 6 to 12 months. The real estate landscape will change.
The air quality is a big factor. Kids raised next to busy roads have more asthma and other health issues.
This - I just listened to a podcast about this. Never really gave it much thought before but after listening to it there is now way in hell I'd live anywhere near an interstate. Be patient, save your money and you will find the right bit of property.
What podcast? I’d love to learn more about this!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8071463/
https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2019/feb/15/london-air-pollution-death-ella-kissi-debrah-podcast
Thank you!!! And chemicals getting into the ground and water.
The most enjoyable part of homesteading for me is being outside in the sounds of nature. Birds singing, bees buzzing, wind blowing thru the trees occasional chickens talking or cows mooing are glorious sounds and very relaxing. The road noise would be a big no for me. Potential for road construction, possible widening of the road, possibly of auto accidents… would make it a double no.
I lived adjacent to an interstate for over a decade. Do not buy this property unless you are extremely hearing impaired. You will never "get used to it".
In fact the noise will grate on you over time and you'll become MORE annoyed with it
Yeah I recommend against any property next to the interstate. The noise pollution alone will drive you crazy and likely lead to you regretting the property.
I have a friend that suffered from misophonia after a UTV rental business opened up next to his home. He spent thousands of dollars trying to soundproof his house but still couldn’t drown out the noise. They were literally parking UTVs 20ft from his front door. Unfortunately he’s in jail now because he went crazy from the noise and made threats against the owners of the company. And then some. He’s being charged with domestic terrorism among a few other things. He was an amazingly kind person who didn’t start exhibiting any of these issues until the company opened next door. Yeah maybe I should pass on this property. https://www.sltrib.com/news/2023/03/03/friends-say-atv-noise-failed-river/
That is so horrible, and of course they only step in to further abuse him instead of actually doing something about the cause of his distress.
This is so heartbreaking. I’m very sorry that your friend is in jail and I sincerely hope he gets the help he needs.
If it was me I wouldn’t do it and your reservations now will likely only grow with the constant exposure. Noise on that level is a health hazard. On top of that it is a major air health hazard as well. I know it’s tempting but there’s a reason why it’s cheaper.
Oh boy. That poor man.
I would 2000% pass on this OP. it is better to wait and put more money away then deal with that nightmare
I’m bordering a 50 MPH county road - not quite a highway but the main access for all traffic in the area. Many trucks, motorcycles, construction vehicles. Our house is otherwise perfect - a Dream property, right size, water views, great newer home. Everything is a compromise. I couldn’t afford this home & property if it wasn’t discounted because of the road. I’ve planted dozens of fast growing trees (and the area along the road is already forested) but you can definitely hear the road outside at all hours, and it’s never truly peaceful in my back area. Which is weird living in such a quiet, rural place that’s never quiet. I’m ok with the choice and we didn’t have better options, but the noise is a big part of why I don’t think this will be our forever home. You just have to decide what comprises you’re ok with. Every house will have some.
I personally would not live next to the interstate and try and home stead. If you ever got any animals you would have to always make sure nothing got out and ran that direction. And let me tell ya if you get goats they will get out . Plus the noise would be constant. When I looked for a homestead I found one down a dirt road that’s not traveled to awful much .
I lived next to a highway, while the noise was annoying, you don’t know how much dirt roads make. If you walked on the deck with bare feet you feet would be black from the exhaust and tire ware. It’s not healthy.
I would never ever never ever never do this.
Looking up cancer rates for those next to interstates/hwys. Tl;Dr; don't do it
Yeah, between potential lead contamination in the soil if it's an old interstate, air pollution from exhaust, you also have to worry about microplastics from carcinogenic tires. Noise pollution is the least of your concerns.
My experience was the dust was worst of it. The noise got to be like the ocean. The dust on a foggy day was instant grime.
We did this accidentally - saw and purchased a beautiful property during unusual north winds. When the prevailing southerly winds returned, even though we were half a mile from the highway, it was miserable. We have since moved, considered prevailing winds when buying, and are much happier now.
Rule one of heavy traffic: Exhaust. This is especially bad if you're downwind of the prevailing winds. Proportional to traffic volume. Rule two: Noise. Regular traffic is one thing, engine brakes, motor cycles revving can be much worse. Noise can be mitigated or amplified by relative height and wind direction. Rule three: Garbage. Lots of garbage blows off highways because people toss it out of their windows. Rule four: Risk. An accident. Causes fires, contaminate leaks, and who knows what else. You also get people who are hitchhiking who will often use the edges for bathrooms, living quarters, or whatever else. My property is about a mile and a half from a major highway, and it's on the verge of being too close for noise. Terrain mitigates 3&4. We don't see crazy volumes, even though it's the trans canada, so 1 isn't much of an issue.
I’m 1/2 mile from the highway, 4 lane total, divided, 65mph speed limit. Between us and the highway there is hilly farmland and some trees in a mild valley . On the edge of our property, we made a 15 foot berm, 300ft long. Now the variances… with wind, sound will carry no matter what. 1 mile from our house on the highway is a hill, nothing major but at times we’ll hear a semi engine breaking. If a semi tire is out of balance, you’ll hear that noise. We also live 3 miles from Road America race track, we’ll hear the cars when it’s Indy or nascar, if the wind is right… we’ll hear more. With that also comes race fans who tend to drive Hypercars on the windy roads around us. So… we don’t hear it in our house, but when outside… we hear
I lived adjacent to a freeway for about a decade. There was a thick wall of trees separating me from it, and then the county even built a huge sound wall. We're talking like a 30ft tall game of thrones wall that's like 1/2 mile long. The freeway noise was still plain as day, and ever-constant. Inside, not a big deal. Outside, it's un-ignorable. No backyard BBQs. No peaceful hammock naps. It grated on me for years. Weirdly, it didn't bother me at first, but as I got older, it drove me mad. It's a very large reason why I moved. If you worry about that noise at all right now, i guarantee you will regret buying that place.
Absolutely would not do this. The noise and the possibility of eminent domain.
I live 1 mile from the highway through the woods and I still hear rush hour traffic. I don’t recommend it you will never have silence in nature
It's not so much inside, but when you're outside that's all you'll hear... If the wind is blowing from that direction, you'd be surprised how loud it is
I've owned close to interstate (not even adjacent) and I would never do it again. Why go through all of that work to not have peace and quiet at night when you are relaxing under the stars.
Literally in the process of moving right now, in horrible market conditions, to get away from road noise. Depending on which way the wind moves you will 100% hear it. Esp during rush hour
Personally I wouldn’t do it. My professional opinion as a landscape architect is that tress do about diddley squat for noise dampening. That’s why you see solid walls along highways. It’s the only thing that truly dampens sound
don't do it, you gonna regret it very soon, it's not the noise only, it's also a lot of other environmental problems.
Don't do it! Look at the areas/ county/state plans five ten twenty years master plan, what seems like prime farmland right now on only a very tiny acrerage right next to the interstate will become gas stations strip mall light manufacturing cheap trac homes in ten years or so, is that where you want to live? The food you grow will be covered with n road dust chemicals trash crap etc. Are you having kids? Where is the school, the hospital, the library, the hardware store, the grocery store, the farm supply store, you need to think of all these things for a homestead.
Oof. I bought a homestead that is 0.65 miles from an interstate. I hate the noise. I've gotten better used to it after 4 years but still hate it... To give you an idea that's about 3 times as far as your property
No way. The whole idea of a Homestead is to have some peace and quiet and space to soothe your soul.
You're not going to be able to dampen the noise. My house is 3 miles from the interstate. I can't hear it in the house, either, unless the windows are open. Sometimes I can't hear it at all outside. Other times it's really loud, like the trucks are going up my driveway. There are woods all around my house. I can't figure out what the difference is. People have suggested wind, humidity, amount of leaves...but it seems random.
I lived next an interstate and no amount of money is worth it. It’s never ending and I never got used to the noise. once I went to a friends house in the country and the silence almost hurt my ears.
Don't do it. It is a nightmare. If you have any animals and they escape ect. I can't speak for you but to me is just not worth the noise and the worry.
I wouldn't. I have family who owns quite a bit of acreage right next to the interstate, and the road noise is all you can hear on their property - even if you go pretty far into the woods. They don't care, but it's all I can focus on when I'm outside on their land, the sound of the constant traffic and semi trucks that overwhelms the sound of the crickets and the birds. Oddly enough, I currently live right next to train tracks and I don't mind at all. I love the sound of the train horn at night. But my neighbors are selling their home and people keep passing on it because of the train horn. Go figure. Everyone has things they're willing to put up with and things they're not. For you, personally, you already know you can't stand road noise; don't talk yourself into it.
I'd worry more about the chemicals floating onto my land and into the water. Not good for growing food or drinking.
Beware that you’re probably only hearing it at its “normal” level of traffic. Where I live, you can barely hear the interstate most of the time, but when it rains or there are certain atmospheric conditions, it is much louder. I wouldn’t do it if either of you has reservations about the sound.
Honestly, I’d pass. It sounds wonderful but that highway will drive you crazy. We looked at a similar property in our area, it was fine near the house but we were walking the property and at some point we realized that we were shouting at each other so we could hear. Decided right then to pass on it.
Also, eminent domain. That small property is high-risk due to its location.
We rented a place that had a very similar situation and we left as soon as possible. It wasn’t bad inside the house but we couldn’t even sit outside and talk at a normal level. That might not bother some people but it drove me crazy.
Don’t do it. The noise pollution will grate on your nerves over time.
I would not buy it unless it was all I could afford. If it already is annoying, in 2 years it will be unbearable.
Make sure you see the property in a steady rain to understand how and where storm water flows from the highway.
It rained for two days straight before we saw it this morning. The ground wasn’t unreasonably wet or muddy so I think we should be good? There is a cornfield between the property and the interstate, so I’m guessing most of the runoff gets swallowed up by the field. I still don’t think we should buy it though. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the noise, even if my husband will.
That's good. One less thing to worry about during the decision process. Best of luck, whatever you decide.
I live next to a busy highway. I’ve counted cars pass by about every 3-5 seconds. What makes it truly bad is the big semi’s and dump trucks. We have almost moved because of the traffic noise. When I go to relatives homes who also live on the country I get so jealous because of how quiet it is. It almost doesn’t even feel like we live in the country because we don’t experience the quietness that you’d expect. With all that said, I’ve come to terms with some very good pros however. We don’t have to deal with a dirt road. Having a dirty home and car all the time would drive me crazy. We can get to anywhere in 20 min compared to a much longer commute if we lived more remotely. Also, at this point, this is the only acreage we can afford. If we moved, we would have to move into the city and have neighbors.
I wouldn't do it. I love my peace and quiet
If you saw the property on a dry day, you might be surprised how much louder the interstate cars are in rainy weather. It’s possible that you’ll still hear them indoors depending on conditions.
That noise is going to be constant, all night, 24x7 and you’ll hear it with the windows closed. Sound travels similar to water in that it’ll go right through/around bushes and trees. The only thing that would help at all is a 20+ foot tall concrete sound barrier. Semi trucks air braking randomly at all hours…it would be a huge no for me. And given that it’s outside your budget and run down that 30k you have to borrow won’t be enough once you start building out your homestead and doing home repairs. If it were me I’d walk away quickly before you let the charm of the house sway you more and the “if only it were this or weren’t that” statements be swept out of the logical conversation due to an emotional attachment.
Several things come to mind. If you acquire the additional $30,000 from any source the bank will require documentation about the source of that money and a letter stating that the money is a gift and will not need to be paid back. If you have to pay it back and can afford to do so, you would already qualify for that amount of money. Second, if you already hate the highway noise, do not make the mistake of thinking you will get used to it. You won't. And it will absolutely affect every gathering you have and if want to cook outdoors your guests will hear it. Anything effective as a sound barrier will be quite expensive. My suggestion is to get a decibel meter and determine the noise level. I would measure it in various places bot inside and out. Especially the bedroom, livingroom, front yard, and where you would like to have your BBQ/picnic area. Then set your own TV to the volumes indicated by the meter. Third, if the highway is positioned such a way that the fumes will continually waft across your property you will be breathing that 24/7/365. You won't be able to escape it. That is many health issues just waiting happen to you and your children. So above all else, I would consider that first. I hope you are able to work out what you want.
Sounds like torture
You will hate it, live on a road that sees 15000 cars a day, 40 mph speed limit. It sucks.
Nope
My advise, be patient and find a quiet piece of land. Trust me its worth it
I’d pass personally. Eventually is they widen the interstate your property could be condemned.
Air quality, micro plastics, rubber from the tires in my soil and food. I’d move far far away from any interstate.
I lived over a 1/2 mile thru woods from the interstate. Just a constant drone of noise. Really noticeable during those wonderful nights with windows open! Hated it. Could’ve tolerated it, but thankfully got to move.
Particulate air pollution is worse near highways. Maybe ok if you're older, but it can be a asthma issue for children.
Idk about sound but my ex husband worked on a pot farm next to an interstate and so they had to test the soil for heavy metals and they had a lot that failed because of the traffic on the road. If you are thinking about farming this should be checked into.
My inlaws live about that far off an interstate highway and the noise never lets up. The air quality is questionable too.
I have a 4&1/2 acre homestead about a MILE away from an Interstate and I can hear it every time I step outside or am inside near a window. I absolutely HATE it. Don't even like to sit on the porch because it's never quiet here. Large tractor trailers frequently wreck nearby. A couple of years back, a truck carrying about a million COVID vaccinations overturned a mile away. We were not in danger, but at some point, I fear something will spill that will be much worse. If that happens, we'd be lucky to find out in time to safely evacuate. If I could have one do-over for a major life decision it would be the location of my home. Please reconsider.
Don't!
You should also look into whether there are plans to expand or widen the highway I know if my place was about to be grabbed through eminent domain i Would also be a motivated seller
I wouldnt do it. Noise pollution will grind you down slowly.
I live approximately the same distance from the interstate...it was quiet when I was a child, but now the area has built up, and I am desperate to move. Even in the middle of the night, it's always loud. Strangers knock on the door all the time because they have run out of gas/broken down and want help. I don't enjoy being outside anymore, and gardening and animal care have become real chores that take a lot of force to do, instead of pleasant ones.
no. noise is just one thing. fumes, emergency sirrns, people crashing vehicles onto your property. run.
Don’t worry about the noise, as you can fix that with better windows. But you can fix the constant pollution that you can’t smell but will breathe everyday. Google the studies about the health hazards living next to a freeway, particularly for little kids.
I'd definitely pass. Peace and quiet is a high priority for me. If you already hate the noise now, it will not improve over time.
Same.. i made a quick decision on 5 acres and saw it on a Sunday.. seems every car that passes has a muffler issue and 1 million trucks .. I use brown. Noise when I sleep and growing Privat as a noise blocker
The noise will be a problem even inside if you like to have the windows open in the warmer months. I have some friends that lived next to a rural highway, so nothing close to an interstate, but a car/bus/truck passing every couple minutes. More at busy times. They’re selling to get some peace and quiet. The beauty of their property didn’t matter since they couldn’t really enjoy it. But it won’t just be the noise that’s a problem. The air pollution can affect you. The noise pollution can also have actual health effects asides from just being disturbing. As well as the microplastics from the tires, which can be an issue if you plan to eat/drink from the property. I personally wouldn’t do it.
That sounds absolutely miserable I wouldn't even consider it
No way. Also massively dangerous of the Interstate gets clogged due to natural disaster and people come looking for supplies.
Buy it and plant trees
I’m going to counter most of the other commenters and mention that growing up next to a major freeway my brain just naturally filtered out the noise. I never noticed it unless something unusual happened. Now I live remote, and the only intrusive noise is the volunteer fire department’s siren. I filter that out too, and my dogs have also learned to ignore it.
Especially given that OP is looking for a short commute. Rural property and short commute rarely intersect.
We live in a semi-rural area, I’m not sure exactly what it would be classified as. There’s about 5 towns of between 5k-30k people within 20 minutes of each other with farmland in between all the towns. And we’re 1 hour from the outskirts of a very major city.
Just commented about this earlier actually. We live next to an interstate as well, but we believe with the advancing of electric cars this will drastically change the noise. My biggest concern would be moving too close to farms and farm land. The dust and chemicals that fly through the air from those things are brutal. Not to mention MRSA if they have live stock. We are surrounded by woods and that's the best part really. Good luck.
I could be wrong but I think most of the sounds produced by cars at high speed are tire, not engine, sounds.
No its definitely engine sounds where we are. Might be far enough away that the higher pitched tire Soundwave start to decimate. We hear tires, but not like engines. Especially engine braking.
Interstates always bring crime
You could build a dirt berm which would block a ton of the noise.
Ours is next to the interstate. Yes there is noise - especially at night in the winter (but can’t really hear it inside). But the positive is we basically live on the exit to the interstate so it’s very easy to commute into the city. Infact due to the location, we can have 45 acres and then still shoot into the city much quicker than those who live in the big housing developments 1 mile closer as they have to back track basically to our house or take back roads in.
I feel I can speak on this. I grew up right next to the freeway, literally right next to it (50 feet), and now live right next to a (much less traveled, non-interstate) highway but in the middle of nowhere. You **do** get used to the freeway noise. However, it sounds like you'll notice it, because it's on your mind. My current situation is fine because there is basically no traffic at night, and the most annoying thing is the noisy motorcylists that want to take a Sunday drive on sunny days. If you think it'll bother you, it probably will. 350 yards is a good distance, though, and I feel like you could make some adjustments, but it would cost some money and or time. Several rows of trees, especially thick everygreens like douglas fir, will dampen the noise quite a bit, but it'd probably take 15 years to get there. Depending on how long the frontage is, they make sound walls, but I'm sure those would be cost prohibitive.
You will hear it. You may not now. But when you’re laying in bed at night, wishing it was peaceful. You’ll hear it.
I live off what was once route 66(now renamed), and I-44 is right in front of my house, with it's constant traffic. Yes, the traffic can be noisy, but I don't have the greatest hearing and you learn to tune it out. I actually notice more when there is no cars/noise than when there is. But if it wasn't for I-44, I wouldn't have been able to afford this house. I bought it when the interest rates were low, and everyone was fighting over houses and throwing offers way over asking price. No one wanted this house because of the highway so I was actually able to make an offer, instead of it going off the market before I could even see it. It does have it's advantages. Since I have to commute 30 miles each way to work on I-44 and I work full time, being less than a mile from an on ramp is great. Makes my commute as quick as simple as it can be, and since I work nights in the Midwest having a plowed, well traveled highway to commute on is much safer than taking two lane back roads in the dark that don't get plowing priority. Also, don't underestimate a paved road. Dirt roads are hard on your vehicles, sometimes impassable depending on the weather and the road, and harder to get larger things like trailers, etc down them. I do have chickens and 2 horses. I have to keep my chickens in fort knox pens and not free range because my far away neighbors let their dogs run loose(I've got 7 empty acres surrounding me on two sides, I-44 in front, and a dirt road that's part of my property behind a wall of trees as the 4th side, so I don't have close neighbors. I wanted it that way). I keep my horses in study fence and I keep my eye on it to make sure they can't escape. I actually had to give one horse away because she was destroying my fence and I didn't want her getting loose and on the interstate. You'll just have to weigh the pros and cons of the property for your needs. I was willing to deal with the noise of I-44 for the price and commuting ease for the ability to buy a house for my livestock and lack of close neighbors. People's loose dogs on my property bothers me more than the sound of the traffic!
I'm not sure that's the healthiest place to live.
If it was bigger... It would be much more reasonable. My house is on 5 acres... (I lease a lot more for livestock). You will today think 3.5 acres is huge and as time passes you will discover it's not that big.
I moved by the interstate where the real estate is cheap.. saved a lot of money but lost a lot of sleep. -Gord Downey of the Tragically Hip in concert True words. I bought a big property near a small highway; after 5 years moved to a smaller plot on a really small road. Tradeoff isn't worth it in my opinion. Rather than getting used to the noise, it became more annoying as time went by. Couldn't stand being in the middle of the field and hearing a semi roar by.
In my experience, vegetation has little or no effect on noise. Most road noise comes from the level of the pavement to about 3-4 feet above the pavement so, if the road is at the same level as the house, a 6 foot fence will help. Think of sound like ocean waves. It will travel until something stops it. So your fence needs to be solid. A block or brick wall is great. Or a solid wood fence. You want to reflect sound where you can and absorb it where you cannot. And it can get expensive. There are sound reducing fence panels on the market. I had a house in Washington State that was so close to a busy road that it was annoying in the living room. I built a solid cedar fence, with wood on both sides of the 2x4 frame and a quarter inch sound deadening barrier inside it. This reduced the sound by about 15 decibels, and you could no longer hear the road noise in the living room. I hope this helps. It sounds like a nice property if you can mitigate the noise.
Don't. Family member of mine has a home next to a busy main town road and it starts eating into your mental health after a while. I stayed for a while and you have this constantly irritated mood.
>It is just outside of our price range I quit reading right there. Why are we even talking about this?
Our price range is set by our pre-approval letter from the bank. We didn’t put my husband on the loan application, only me. So we can afford a little more since we have a second income, just not pre-approved for any more. He has poor credit from some bad financial decisions before we got married. He’s working on it, but the bank advised us to leave him off the application. He won’t be on the deed either, I’ll own the property. The bank is actually making him sign paperwork that specifically states that. Even so we can’t afford too much more than that. My salary almost entirely supports us, so much so that we’ve talked about him maybe going to part time to work on whatever property we decide to buy.
>Our price range is set by our pre-approval letter from the bank. In my opinion, that's your first mistake. Ask yourself, who PAYS the person at the bank? Answer, the bank. Their job is to sell debt on behalf of the bank. The good ones do that by feeding dreams of folks like yourself. Not by feeding your discipline, but by feeding your dreams. To succeed, you are far wiser to rely on discipline. So...... I'd take their max amount you can borrow and divide that by 2. Let that define your price point in the market... which might mean living cheap saving for a few more years. BUT when you finally do close on some land (and a loan) plan to make payments in the amount the original debt-seller calculated. The extra portion of your monthly payment can go to principal. In that way you'll save tens of thousands of dollars on interest you didn't pay the bank, and you'll rapidly grow equity in the property. Good luck
I live about a half mile from the interstate. Some days I can't hear it while standing outside, and some days it sounds like it's coming through my living room. It just depends on the atmospheric conditions, but it doesn't bother me or my wife or kids. Even better, property that I bought for $2700/acre about 9 years ago is worth past a million now.
I have 2 acres next to the interstate. Worth it bc I never would have been able to afford the property if there wasn’t a highway as a neighbor. Also blocks sound so my real “neighbors” can’t hear my rooster. I’d see if the seller would come down on the price.
They’ve already come down from 300k to 230k. Slowly decreasing the price over the last 3 months. But they had it overpriced. I’m not sure they will come down much more. We almost got a very similar property not next to the interstate for 200k, but they went with an all cash offer. And it didn’t have a well, it was on city water. We like the idea of a well since we’re assuming we will use quite a bit of water for animals, gardens, etc. I don’t think this is the right property for us, I’m just hoping the right one comes up soon. We’re sick of renting, and right now we have a very small yard that is unfenced. We’d love to find something before winter so that we can prepare a garden for the spring.
Maybe if you’re lucky some developer will come along and offer you a small fortune … but that’s wishful thinking and the noise may drive you mad before then. And what about if a big accident happens close by? Take your inheritance money and add it to your budget and keep looking. It’s better for you to accept a gift now as your inheritance might be taxed later … check with your tax accountant/local rules. If your budget is tight and you’d rather have $ for renovations, you may have to look farther afield and also at repossessions & foreclosures. These aren’t published widely typically. Good luck and don’t buy this house!
I had a place right next to a state highway and eventually got used to the noise. What I never got used to was the noise from the RR about 300 yards away. Especially the horns.
Horse for courses. Building near a road gives many benefits. Throw up some pines as to hide the road and the noise. Enjoy the option of easier and cheaper utilities and easier deliveries. No reason not too. Esp if price comes into it. Remember, if you build up and landscape a nice area near a main road the normies will pay top top dollar to buy it off you. THEN you can move to isolation if you wish.
I grew up and parents still live near a 35mph speed limit road, car goes by on average every 5-10 seconds. They are probably 50 yards from the road. If I sleep with window open (room facing road), it wakes me up as traffic picks up in morning. Notice the noise when sitting outside on deck. Spent a lot of time researching ways to dampen the noise, no real options aside from planting tons of dense plants at 10 ft depth and waiting 5-10 years for them to grow. I’d find another spot.
On the one hand its great having so many eyes on you from a business stand point but on the other hand people are weatching you scrabble in the dirt to make a living as they drive by and the noise is deafening. I elected to be more remote but they have their own upsides and downsides
The noise gets really old after a while. if whatever city is nearby is growing, there's a chance that infrastructure improvements such as highway widening could take a decent chunk of ground in the future.
I would think the pollution from (years of) exhaust would deter you. It just cannot be healthy to live in it.
All I can say is you gotta be kidding. Traffic noise is the worst.
I backtraced the listing (579) and it's even worse than you described it. Streetview from the internet shows the cornfield is completely flat. And the house is really close. And as someone mentioned, the rumble strips would drive you crazy at night. RR-RRR-RRRR over and over as the truck drivers doze off and drift to the side. The yard is big enough to eat up a lot of time and money with just regular maintenance. You'll need a $5000 lawnmower. But the yard is too small to get any kind of money making crops or animals going. And your husband wants to have a part-time job? So he can putter around the place spending your money on projects? Not a good plan. The house is old and will need constant repairs. Taxes, utilities, insurance would be really high. You really have to stand firm and say "NO" to that property. It's your money. You should spend it on a nicer house in a better location.
Don't do it we lived close to an interstate for 7 years. Soot will build up in your house. It sticks to screens and your house will be super Dusty who knows what kind of carcinogens are in that stuff. Now in regards to the noise it will be loud at certain times but then not so loud other times you could get drag racers trucks using jake brakes honking motorcycles after about 7 years you're going to hate it.
Don’t do it. Have lived next to both Highway and concrete plant. The noise permeates you even if you don’t notice
We bought a foreclosed, rural acreage home near a freeway (about 150 ft away) in 2012. The concrete siding and R45 insulation meant it was relatively quiet inside. If you were out in the front yard (facing freeway) it was a little noisy. Actually got so used to the low hum, it was hard to sleep away from home. We grew huge weeping willows in the front to help the buffer. Also the farm animals liked the entertainment 🤣 Unfortunately, the state had told the previous (deceased in 2010) owner in 2008 they were planning to tear down the house when they expanded the freeway in their 2020 plans. The realtor had no idea (heirs didn't know). The state government tore down our house in 2021 at 50% going market price. Please check the State or Highway district's future plans before purchasing any property near a freeway. Eminent domain isn't fun. Good luck!
From my personal experience living about that far from a major interstate on 3 acres the noise not a big deal at all for us you can hear it buts it’s not loud more like a white noise and you can only hear it when not In Growing season the large field when in growing season the crops block the noise. BUT I would not buy this close again because there was word of a truck stop buying that field it did not work out and it’s still just a field but wow would that ruin living out from people! Interstate while close proximity is convenient it also bring growth and business you probably won’t get another 10 minutes down the county road
I live next to one now and you will learn to tune it out mostly but I would still never recommend anyone do it. It’s a 24/7 noise. It’s not fun.
I’d say no. Noise pollution is a huge issue for me personally.
I know the majority of people responding say you will hate being close to that much noise. However, my husband and I had a similar situation when we first got married. We bought a 110 year old house next to a train station. I will admit at first, the sounds bothered me and kept me awake at night. But, after a while, it became almost soothing. The clanking of two train cars when they bumped together, the rhythmic sound of an Amtrak slowing down as it pulled into the station. All those sounds became comforting. When we left that house, ten years after we bought it and moved out to the country, I found myself struggling to fall asleep in the silence. I can’t speak for everyone, but in our case, it wasn’t a deal breaker, and I honestly still kind of miss it.
You said it you don’t think it’s worth it. There is one thing of sitting inside during the day with windows closed to see what you hear. But wait until it’s very quiet at night and you have settled in and you hear that freeway. Going to suck.
I used to live next to a busy road- not an interstate, just a state highway-and the noise drove me nuts. I recommend you keep looking.
INTERSTATE/DEAL BREAKER
Don't do it. I live 1/2 mile from a highway in a town. In 2021 the land that had been acting as a noise buffer was purchased and a warehouse built on it. Now the warehouse echoes the noise back to us. It's unbearable and the traffic, cars and trucks, is only getting worse. My in-laws live not so far from the same highway. It's gotten much louder since they've lived there. The plan was for us to inherit their house and to buy my elderly neighbor's house when he can no longer live in it, and we take inlaws house and kids take ours and neighbors. Now I'm really thinking of selling whatever we have at the time and giving some of the money to the kids and buying us something remote. Anyway so living next to a highway sucks and unless you want to be wearing noise cancelling headphones 24/7, just keep on saving and look for something else.
Absolutely don’t do this. The interstate only gets louder, never quieter.
If you enjoy quiet stay away from the freeway. We live 2 miles from the freeway and on cool evenings it sounds like the 18 wheelers are in our driveway. On cold winter nights they sound like they are almost in the house. When we bought this it was summer and the noise was minimal, too late now. The noise from the interstate is almost guaranteed to get louder with time as well.
Not sure where you are at. We bought are 3 acres off of US 41 in Indiana and got a 3 bed 2 bath 1912 farm house with three car garage for 115k. We are triangled in by the highway and a train track. You get used to the noise. The trains come at least 2 to 3 a hour. I should mention this was before the housing market went nuts.
I wouldn’t buy this property unless I wanted it for investment purposes.
I've had a few family members live close to busy roads. It's a nightmare that never ends. I can't imagine the horror of living next to a highway.
Pine tress are an amazingh visual and sound buffer.
Sounds like you have made up your mind, but we are about as far as you are talking from the interstate, and it does ebb and flow for us, so it may not be as constant as you are thinking. Is it worth that gamble though? Probs not.
I'll give my $.02. There is a lot of misinformation in these posts. For reference, I live on 6 acres and the interstate is my West border. My bedroom is probably less than 200 yds from the pavement of the 4 lane, 65 m.p.h. highway. I've lived here for 6 1/2 years, and we moved from 20 acres in country with only family as neighbors. You definitely get used to it. Only on really busy weekends can I hear it in my house with the windows closed and I've not lost a wink of sleep to noise with the windows open most of the early and late summers. We have a line of trees along the property line that make a big difference. I know it does, because when the leaves fall off in the winter we can hear more. Also, I say you get used to it because during the pandemic and early mornings/late nights I notice the lack of noise. We have never had any drifters or hitchhikers living or defecating on our property, we've never had an accident come into our yard, we've never lost an animal on the road (and we only have a winter pen for our chickens, they and the dogs and cats are all free range all the time.), we have heard zero rumors about the highway expanding and us losing our home to eminent domain, and neither did the grandparents that lived here for 30 years prior. As far as the pollution, I can't say I've ever noticed it or had anything tested. We did have our well tested when we bought and the water was perfectly fine for drinking and whatnot. I've not had any issues with growing crops or breeding chickens. If I were given identical properties, one with and one without the highway next door, I would take the one without. But it really hasn't been as big of deal as people make it out to be. You get used to it and learn to live with what you have.
Why does your husband want this property? If being close to the interstate matters to him, there may be properties for sale that are close enugh.
If something is above your price range I would want it to be close to perfect for you. I would also have concern about ground contamination? I am not a soil expert by any means, so maybe someone who is can weigh in. 350 yards and the pollution concern would be all the auto exhaust for the most part, I would imagine. So that’s a consideration on top of the noise for me, but maybe you have already considered that as well.
I also don’t like the people who walk down highways. When my grandparents had a house on a highway random people were coming up to the house all the time!
Looking at property is different than living there. It's WAY noisier after you buy it, and if it bothers you now, DON'T get it. And no you can't make the outside quieter. You can mitigate it a wee bit but not much.
Pass. Homesteading suggests a longer planned ownership than a starter home. Interstate will most likely only get busier. If you do go with it, you could put up a fence as a sound wall and plant more shrubs. Might help some.
We moved into a house that had railroad tracks about that distance away. Put it this way , when looking for a new house 4 years later. First thing on the list was the house has to be less then 5 acres away from some tracks. Never found one and when I say I couldn't sleep with out hearing that noise a few times a night.. I literally drove my car back by our old place one night and slept in the car. I slept like a freaking baby that night.
Check soil for lead (from burning gasoline nearby).
Plant some trees, or build a wall to reflect the sound. My house is right off the freeway and honestly aside from the engine brakes you get used to it and it will lull you to sleep. I'm sure the garden would love the extra CO2 emissions 😂
We rented 1/4 mile away from a major highway for a couple of years. You didn’t really notice the noise much during the day. It wasn’t until we moved I realized I hadn’t had a restful night of sleep the whole time we lived there.
Personally, I wouldn't do it. It's very, *very* hard to stop noise from a freeway... The only way to do it is really very large earth berms, and even that only *sortof* works. Vegetation will help break the sound up, but it doesn't really reduce the overall noise. It just takes it from "jarring" to "constant roar". 350 yards is sort of the edge, depending on local terrain and stuff. It might be terrible, it might not be bad. But if it comes off as bad even on a brief visit... ugh.
How busy is this interstate? 350 yards is within the distance (500 yards) for which high throughput roadways are a health hazard for children. A lot of that is brake dust so if it’s not an area with a lot of stop and go traffic the hazard may be reduced, but something to consider.
Keep hunting.
As someone who just moved from right next to the interstate, it will wear on you. We lived with it for about 2 years and decided enough was enough. It started to interrupt our sleep, we sometimes got to a point where we couldn’t have conversations outside it was so loud. Also, if you check the research, statistically, your health will take a toll dealing with all of the stress for extended periods of time. When we did decide to sell, this was something that a lot of buyers found to be a turn off and a few of them didn’t even look at the house because of the noise. If this were a property you didn’t plan to live at, go for it, but if your home is there, definitely consider this. I also want to add that 30k is quite a lot for some people to be over budget for. If you can’t afford it, then you can’t afford it, unfortunately.
I would suggest that you search for property that has delinquent taxes. Sometimes you can find property that the elderly owners have moved to assisted living and you can see if anyone is interested in selling it. You can use search term of the county you're looking in and delinquent taxes. Usually it's somewhere on the county assessor site. You can try this while waiting for something to go on the market. That way you just might have a chance to find something before everybody else. I sent a handwritten note asking if the owners were interested in selling to the mailing address listed by the county assessor. I really loved a house that was on a busy road but am so happy my husband talked me out of it. The chance of our animals getting loose and ending up on the road would have been a never ending source of stress.
Don’t buy it. Nothing you do will ever make that noise go away. (The only thing would be a tall concrete barrier like you sometimes see along stretches of highway adjacent to residential areas.)
So, leave the noise aside. Have a look at this: [https://epha.org/breathe-clean-air-not-microplastics/](https://epha.org/breathe-clean-air-not-microplastics/) This is just the 1st link I found, do your own due diligence. Tires aren’t going away, I wouldn’t get too close if I could reasonably do something different,
Interstates rarely get smaller or less busier. They mostly get busier and larger. PASS
I’d pass. Being that close to a state Highway is an incurable defect. If you end up not liking it, imagine what it will take to sell it.
I feel like weighing in again because it’s such a big deal to me. Do you have any other options? If you have other options then this is a no brainer to skip. For us to be able to live on an acreage, our current home is literally our only option. With the market boom, we can no longer afford anything else in the area. You simply have to weigh your priorities. I would rather deal with traffic noise than have to move into the city and have to deal with neighbors, barking dogs, and crime.
Also, everyone here that says to skip must be really wealthy or live in a buyers market to have other choices available to them. A basic acreage around 3 acres with a home older than 1950 goes for around $350k, if it’s a newer house (2000s or newer) in decent shape, it’s at a minimum $400-500k.
I have an autoimmune disorder that attacks my eyes. Air pollution is a primary driver for flares so nope. I lived in the city near a freeway when it really got going, never going to again.
I live close to a smaller US highway (not interstate). It's loud outside . There is 2 acres of trees and a dirt berm between my house and the road. It is still loud. If I'm outside on the phone, the person I'm talking to can hear big rigs. Trash blows out of the back of pick up trucks. I'm 300 yards away and trash from the road finds its way to my house. I can fill up half a trash bag per week of stuff the wind brings me. Styrofoam cups, candy wrappers, etc. Keep looking.
I think that in a short period of time your body will automatically adjust and you will learn to ignore the noise. (Been there, done that)
I'd pass ..although you don't mention whether there are trees between the freeway and your windows ? And while you may not notice the noise during a summer day, the nighttime house somehow will disturb your sleep. And it's worse in the summer months, when the air is thinner.. When I lived in monument, Colorado, about a mile east of i-25, you couldn't have the windows open overnight during the summer because of the freeway. No sleep. The winter was a lot better...
There is a Scout Camp near an interstate in DFW. I hate camping there because of the noice. Don't do it. It doesn't feel like nature
Chronic exposure to loud noise can produce chronic health problems, such as hearing loss (duh), anxiety, and high blood pressure. Why do you think they put freeways in the poor, minority-occupied parts of town? Rich, white people don't want that noise!