Would you buy a house on a stream/creek & little yard?
We saw a house last night that we love, love, love. It checks all of our "must have" boxes, except one. It is a corner lot of a fairly busy street (sits far back from the rd, essentially another whole lot size away) and on a stream/creek with a small yard that slopes dramatically down to the creek bed. It has a huge stamped concrete patio, 3 season room & what I thought was a huge side yard. I thought we would just fence the side yard & call it done, but it turns out the side yard belongs to the town & this property ends 5ft from the side of the driveway. The current owners' little girl plays out there now & it's a huge space that we'd have access to, but couldn't fence.
The lack of ability to fence it bothers me for 2 big reasons:
1. No "Safe" place for the girls to place protected from the street & creek. Not that I would just open the door & say "go play", but still...
2. No privacy - would feel pretty exposed playing out there I think, especially since the side street is busy.
Some things that I think offset it somewhat:
1. Huge playground that is just across the street & behind the school.
2. They could play on the large patio & in the 3 season room when we want more privacy.
Here are the overall positives:
1. The house is done. Move in ready, meticulously cared for - new siding, new electrical, waterproofed, new mechanics, roof, updated appliances & baths. We would only have to paint 2 rooms. There aren't really even any "in 5 years I want to do..." projects.
2. Location, location, location. Top schools, great neighborhood, walking distance to the village, several parks, a farmers market, elementary school, etc...
3. It checks every other box - sq ft, layout, character etc...
4. Best house we have seen in our price range, hands down.
So, can I live with a creek & playing in a side yard without privacy?
There is the possibility of asking the town if we could buy some of the land next to the house, but that would be a gamble & a big investment.
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Re: Would you buy a house on a stream/creek & little yard?
Is this your forever home? If so then probably yes. As long as you don't think the city will do anything with that land. (like build!)
In just a few years, your girls will be old enough to play responsibly in that open space - and even with a dense you can bet that when they are school aged they are going to be exploring the creek, etc.
I suppose I would also take into consideration my other options for houses to purchase now. Are there other good options?
That's a tough one. When we bought our house almost 7 years ago we did it on a whim-- we weren't actually looking to buy, we wanted to renovate our current house in the same neighborhood so I was going to open houses to get renovation ideas. Well, I saw our house and how *perfect* I thought it was and made DH come look at it and an hour later we were putting in an offer and ultimately got it.
Well....much of the house is as great as I thought it was. The biggest complaint we have is that it is on the busiest street in our neighborhood (which makes it unsafe even though it is a residential street, people fly up and down it and use it to cut through the neighborhood) and is one house away from a very busy road (so that makes it loud). Also, we have a small, really crummy yard. We finally got it fenced in last year which helped but it really is not ideal for kids just playing in it. We do have 3 playgrounds within walking distance and....well, we live inside the beltway so most houses don't have great yards.
So...not exactly the issues you mention, but close. In an ideal world, I would pass up the house for one that checked every single box. However, the HGTV addict in me feels like there just aren't too many houses that check every box. In theory you are supposed to by the worst house in the best neighborhood-- you've got the neighborhood BUT-- the things that make this house not the best are things you cannot change. I would prefer a house in that neighborhood with a better lot and problems inside that you can fix up to add value down the road. Does the neighborhood have homes turn over with regularity? I know some neighborhoods just don't have turnover when they are that great. How long has this house been on the market? If it's been there for a while I would probably take my chances for another couple of weeks and see if you can get into the neighborhood wtih a better lot first. During that time if you are still pining for this one, then it is probably worth making the sacrifice on the yard.
Good luck!
My biggest concern right now is about the town's rights to the side land. Do they actually own it? Is it an easement? What's the deal?
Part of the reason we loved our current house is the awesome big trees in the backyard that gave us a ton of privacy - until the electric dept cut them down because, under new law, they were too close to power lines
. See what I'm saying? I'd hate for something (anything, really), to happen so close to your home, especially If you plan on living there for awhile...
Sounds like a great house, though!
(Sorry for not directly answering your answer re the creek, hope you don't minmops opinion! As for that... I was wondering of its a style/ location such that there's any way it would look decent to protect the front yard - sweet little picket fence or whatnot.)
I think I'd be hesitant of the creek. We looked at a house that I loved that also had a creek that ran behind it. The yard was large and the back part sloped down to the creek. This part of town wasn't in a flood zone, but, the whole creek thing made Glenn uncomfortable so we passed on the house. Wouldn't you know, when we had that huge storm here last year and had 100 year flooding, this little creek rose halfway up their backyard (and, it wasn't even in a flood zone!) and they had a lot of yard damage and bug problems.
We also looked at a house that I loved (so so charming, lots of coolness!) that sat on a main road (and a corner), but, far back from the road with a very large front and side yard. Yes, it sat back, but, at the end of the day, it was still on a main road, and, we passed.
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I would probably pass as well because, like PP mentioned, the things that you dont like are things that can't be changed. I think it is a much better investment to buy a house that you can put some equity into. Also, how difficult will this house be to sell when the time comes. This might be your forever house but at some point you will need to sell it, right? What if they built something next door that is unattractive?
I would keep looking. If you still feel strongly about this house, then maybe go back and visit it again and take it from there.
-----Lisa-----
I see the stream/creek as a bonus, not a liability. At this age you couldn't tell the girls to go play outside anywhere - but by the time you could, I think you could also teach them about water safety. My husband, FWIW, would die of happiness if there are fish in that creek
To me the bigger issue might be the busy street, but if you scope it out and the traffic isn't that bad, then I might say go for it.
ETA: Ah, as Lisa mentioned, I'd want really good evidence flooding would not be an issue. Flood insurance is expensive and you'll probably be required to have it.
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i wouldn't- b/c in my town when we've had really bad storms- the houses near the creek that runs through town have had bad flooding.
i also wouldn't want to worry about the kids falling in, etc. I want my back yard to be a safe place for us to play without me having to worry a ton.
We live across the street from a school with a park. We LOVE that. I have met so many friends from going to that park. And our kids have met most of their friends that way too. Our road can be busy but it's school traffic so people are generally watching for kids. Our yard is a typical small city backyard (you might have seen it on facebook). We love that we can go back there and barbecue, play, etc. but it's not huge by any means. The park makes up for that.
It's hard to know the right answer from what you are describing. Could you fence the line between your property and the city's property? And could you put up a chain link fence at the back of your yard to block the creek for now?
I would check out insurance, and property taxes before making a decision. It does sound like there are many pros to buying, but the cons just require a little more thought.
I am so on the fence on this one. Will you ever find a house with everything...not likely. We bought a house we both loved in a great school district BUT I tried to talk hubby out of it. It is on a very busy road (cars going 40+). They also put in a development three houses over up on the hill. Thought is does not bother us sight-wise, we have had huge flooding issues. I would not wish that on anyone. One neighbor already sold, another going on the market in April. I would most certainly want to know what the history of flooding is for that lot. When we flooded insurance would not cover it because we did not have flood insurance, but we did not live in a spot where it was required or even suggested.
Though I love my house and I love my yard (huge), I still have a hard time with the neighborhood thing. Not totally the same issues, but gives you an idea of how something you think you might be able to work around could still bother you years later. BTW...hubby now gets what I was trying to tell him about the neighborhood. Ry cannot ride his scooter or trike anywhere safely!!!!!!! I would love the creek though as long as there were no flooding issues. Good luck making a decision.
My kids LIVE in our back yard so it would be a deal breaker for me at this point.
If they were 5-8 years older? Go for it.
Right now? I wouldn't.
It was really important to me that my kids grow up on a cul-de-sac where they can romp and play with neighbors and friends in relative safety without major car traffic or potential random passers by scoping them out.
It was equally important that they have a fun yard where they'd want to entertain their friends.
I LOVE that all the neighborhood kids are always in my back yard or we're all out in the cul-de-sac together while the kids play.
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Thank you everyone!! You all made some great points & gave us lots more to think about.
A picket fence around front is a definite possibility.
Calling the town & our insurance guy needs to happen before we even think about writing an offer.
At the end of the day, though, I still don't know if I can live with a compromise this big.
I'm late, as usual...but felt the need to add my two cents.
We just came from a yard that I could NEVER turn my kids loose in. Never. It was a huge hassle.
Now, they have a yard where I don't have to worry. It is a huge load off my mind. Naturally, at 2.5, I don't let her go outside unsupervised...but down the road? I'd love to be able to turn them out in fenced yard and watch from the kitchen window or whatever.
I get loving the house...but the yard is sooooo important when you have kids. I'd keep shopping...