Concerned About Noise? Check Levels With These Tools Before You Buy A Home!

Concerned About Noise? Check Levels With These Tools Before You Buy A Home!

If you are in the market for a new home and are concerned about noise levels, you want to make sure that any property you are considering has the peace and quiet you are looking for before you make an offer. But how exactly do you do that?

An article from REALTOR® Magazine outlines two key tools potential Buyers can use to consider noise levels of properties before they seriously considering touring or buying the home, including:

• Realtor.com’s noise indicator feature. In addition to other key data would-be Buyers need to know about properties (like price and proximity to schools or grocery stores), Realtor.com now offers data on noise levels for their listings. The noise indicator feature considers noise from three major sources—traffic, airports, and neighborhood noise (for example, noise from nearby restaurants)—and assigns one of three noise ratings to a property: low, medium, or high.

• The National Transportation Noise Map from the U.S. Department of Transportation. If you are most concerned with traffic noise surrounding a potential property—both air and on-the-ground—the National Transportation Noise Map from the U.S. Department of Transportation can be a helpful tool to leverage. This heat map allows you to type in an address to get an idea of the area’s decibel level—or take a larger view of a particular neighborhood, town, or city’s noise levels.

Bottom Line

If noise is an issue for you, it is important to do your due diligence and get a clear idea of a property’s noise levels before you move forward with a purchase—and with these two tools, you have what you need to do your research, gather information on just how noisy (or quiet!) a property might be, and make the right decision for you and your family.