85085 23rd and Peak View (real estate, buying a home, neighborhood)

[mike.main]

Hey all,

I'm back in the market searching for a home and found one that we like. I need your advice on several items as this is our first home so my experience is lacking.

1) This house has a backyard that's on the other side of what I believe is a semi busy road (North Valley Pkwy). Would this be a deal breaker for you?

2) It's a house with an East-West exposure. What's the impact of that and how important is that when making a decision on buying a home?

3)This house is priced perfect for what we can afford but should I be alarmed that it's a lot lower than the base price that's listed on the builder's website?

Thank you in advance for any help/advice you can provide.

Mike

[azdr0710]

quick comments....

you may know a N/S exposure is a bit nicer...in the winter, the S windows really heat up the place nicely and, year-round, the S windows give nice light all day long....N windows are usually protected from direct sun and can give some light, albeit darkish, without worrying about too much heat in the summer.....

if you buy this place, you'll probably want to keep the west window coverings closed (kinda dreary) all afternoon in summer because of heat gain....east windows are nice year-round....

check comps of very recently sold houses in the 'hood....compare apples with apples, of course....somebody else will need to comment if the "builder's price" listed is even realistic these days

[asugraduate]

Without giving away my exact location, my home backs up to North Valley Pkwy. I too have an East/West exposure. I can tell you that the traffic noise is quite a bit. I bought before there was even a road, and after that it was just two lanes. Now, it's practically a freeway. My walls sometimes rattle as semi-trucks drive by, and we sometimes hear motorized scooters or some similar vehicle zip back and forth at 2AM.

Our rooms where we spend the most time in the evening get very warm.

I don't know if either of these two things would be a deal breaker for me. My next door neighbors are driven crazy by the traffic noise, and had they known about it ahead of time, they would never have bought their home. Another neighbor put up sunscreens and said they do a wonderful job of keeping their home cooler.

We had our house appraised not too long ago, and it was valued about $18,000 less than what we paid. However, other people in the area bought a lot higher than I did. Their homes are about $125,000 less than what they paid. I don't think I'd worry too much about what the builder's website says versus what the list price is, but I can't say I know much about real estate.

I like the neighborhood, and other than the traffic, it seems pretty quiet to me. I love that there are bike lanes to ride my bike in, and I love how people say hello as I pass them when walking or riding. I think some of the benefits outweigh the traffic noise and heat. Others may feel differently, but I guess it depends on what you're looking for.