Homes that are located right next to commercial property...

[MrsRobinson]

We are in the early stages of house hunting. Hoping to buy some time this year. Anyway, a few of the houses we like and can afford are right next to the business district. As in, out the front door and front windows is a huge metal building and parking lot across the street, or a Wal-Mart Supercenter, or a mega church. I'm thinking that's the main reason they are so affordable because they are otherwise lovely homes. 

Would you ever buy a home with such a location? 

If you have bought a home with this type of location, was there anything you were able to do to minimize the unattractive view, give privacy, or block the lights at night? 

[Wheres Toto]

My mother lives with a strip mall and main commercial area over her backyard fence.  It is miserable for her - noisy, rats (any large retail location that sells or serves food will have rats, mice and roaches), the lights, having to worry about random people being around all the time, safety, traffic.  She hates it. 

[Bambam]

We had a home that backed up to a church building. So part of their land (think a super large back yard) and parking lot was behind our house. We liked it. There were cars in the parking lot on Sundays, but that was about it. Oh, whenever the Blessing of the Animals was - there was a large group of people and animals out there, but that was one Saturday (?) out of the year.  We never worried about the view because it really just looked like we had a huge back yard (that we didn't have to mow most of!). 

I'd be hesitant to purchase by or across from a Wal-Mart Supercenter just because of how crowded they get around the holidays/traffic. On the other hand, it would be easy to give everyone directions to your house, "Oh, we live just east of the Wal-Mart!"

 

[MrsRobinson]

13 minutes ago, Where's Toto? said:

My mother lives with a strip mall and main commercial area over her backyard fence.  It is miserable for her - noisy, rats (any large retail location that sells or serves food will have rats, mice and roaches), the lights, having to worry about random people being around all the time, safety, traffic.  She hates it. 

I didn't even think about vermin! Ick! Ick! Ick! 😱 

I did think about random people hanging around. The house with the metal building and parking lot across the street definitely attracts teens with skateboards and the like. We are over there weekly for one of the kids extracurriculars so I'm very familiar with that area. 

The house has FOUR bedrooms though! 😩 And a huge back yard... and a basement... and a garage... and beautiful real hardwood floors! 😫 

[Annie G]

My parents bought a house next door to a hair salon and then a very popular bbq place was next to that. Within sight were other businesses. I was a teen when we moved there, but honestly it didn’t bother us as all. Our back yard was private, and we planted hedges and trees so when we were out back we didn’t see any of that. They lived there for 30 years. 

It wasn’t ideal but it was what we could afford and very convenient as far as getting to places. When they decided to move close to my sister the house sold within a week for the asking price. (which is impressive to me since our house has been on the market for 5 months!)

[J-rap]

I think it would depend on exactly how close, and what the commercial property was.  For example, I might not mind a mega church if everything else was perfect.  I mean, they probably aren't going to hold tailgate parties or become a gang hangout.  And, for much of the week, I'd guess activities are less.  I don't think I'd want to be right next door to a Walmart Super Center though.

The metal building that attracts kids with skateboards.  Well that's better than a strip club!  Of course ideally you probably wouldn't want a "skate park" next to your house.  But, sometimes we do what we have to do and just figure out a way to make it work, and if that's the worse it gets, and everything else about the house and convenience (and obviously price) is perfect, I could probably put up with that.  One thought though...  Have you driven past it on a Saturday night?  You might want to do that to see if the skating scene changes to a party scene or something.

[MrsRobinson]

Okay, it dawned on me that a friend of mine lives across the street from a big grocery store so I chatted with her for a minute and she said the two things she's doesn't like are the parking lot lights and the constant grocery bags and other trash blowing into their yard. She loves her house though. Huge living room, home office, play room, garage. 

So, basically, she was no help! Lol! 🙃 

You guys are right, I need to lurk at night and on the weekend to see what goes on at various times.

[Arcadia]

My condo’s “backyard” is Canon, Samsung, Light Rail headquarters and we picked this location because we are surrounded by potential employers and decent high frequency light rail system. Supermarket with pharmacy, library, dental, optician, hair salon, cafes and restaurants, cellular providers and a hotel is just across the street.  It’s great for our family because I don’t drive and my husband prefers not to drive. We are used to urban city living so bright lights, road noises and UPS/DHL/FedEx trucks don’t bother us. 

[MrsRobinson]

17 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

My condo’s “backyard” is Canon, Samsung, Light Rail headquarters and we picked this location because we are surrounded by potential employers and decent high frequency light rail system. Supermarket with pharmacy, library, dental, optician, hair salon, cafes and restaurants, cellular providers and a hotel is just across the street.  It’s great for our family because I don’t drive and my husband prefers not to drive. We are used to urban city living so bright lights, road noises and UPS/DHL/FedEx trucks don’t bother us. 

Yes, that would be a huge change for us. We live on the very edge of town in a quiet cul-de-sac subdivision where the space between houses is big and other than our one subdivision neighbor, we are surrounded by fields and farmland. The cows get loud seasonally but that's a different kind of loud, haha! 😁 

[historically accurate]

I live behind an old KMart; it's been closed (so empty) for about a year and a half and it is now being remodeled as a Lumberyard. Honestly, I don't even really notice it. Some things we have run into: it draws neighborhood teens who hang out and sometimes make trouble, weirdos drove and parked behind it or dumped garbage while it was closed, and the parking lot lights can be blinding at night. 

[MrsRobinson]

14 minutes ago, beckyjo said:

I live behind an old KMart; it's been closed (so empty) for about a year and a half and it is now being remodeled as a Lumberyard. Honestly, I don't even really notice it. Some things we have run into: it draws neighborhood teens who hang out and sometimes make trouble, weirdos drove and parked behind it or dumped garbage while it was closed, and the parking lot lights can be blinding at night. 

Hopefully, with the new occupant, the weirdos and trash dumping will stop. Its so sad people behave that way. 

[Bluegoat]

Yeah, I have lived in quite a few places like that.  I would say there are trade-offs, but it can work out well.  

I would look into noise at night.  I personally find certain kinds of noise bother me more than others.  A lot of drnk people - annoying.  A regular bus or train - after a while I didn't notice.  In fact I found I really liked certain kinds of industrial activity when I would hear the trains changing in the train yard early in the morning, or the work at the container pier, or foghorns - it always made me feel like getting up and doing something useful.  On the other hand, for some reason being able to hear highway noise really annoyed me.

I generally like being near smaller retail.  Something like a big Walmart I might not enjoy - I just can't enjoy looking at giant parking lots, and Walmart buildings are really ugly in a weird way - I find they make me feel like a gazelle with no where to run if a lion appears.  Too open.

Something else can be smells.  Where I am now I occasionally smell the Burger King a few blocks away, which is not a problem.  When I lived near an industrial bakery it often smelled quite nice in the street.  On the other hand, I lived near a brewery and when they were boiling I found the mell overpowering.  I lived near a coffee roster too and while I liked the smell, it gave my roommate a headache.

The worst retail/housing combo I knew was my friend who lived over an aquarium shop.  They constantly had crickets in their apartment, chirping and chirping and chirping....

 

[Catwoman]

My biggest concern would be resale value, as well as how much longer it would take me to sell that house than it would to sell a similar house in a regular residential neighborhood. Aside from traffic and road noise, things like the street being too busy for kids to ride a bike could be a big concern to many families with kids, and even letting kids play out in the front yard or the driveway could be a safety risk because kids can dart into the street without thinking to grab a ball that’s rolling away. People with pets could be hesitant for similar reasons — if the dog or cat slips out of the house and run out into the street, it would be far more dangerous on a busy street than on q side road.

The advantage of being right near a big store like a Super Walmart is that you can stroll over there and do your grocery shopping, and if you accidentally forget the milk, it’s only a 2 minute walk to go get it. 🙂 

[elegantlion]

My apartment is about two blocks from a hospital, fire house, and ambulance service. I did not consider how noisy the sirens would be, both coming and going. Another issue is the medical helicopter that often flies over at night - it's noisy and it makes me sad to know why it's being used. It can be hard to have windows open in the summer. 

I have lived next to small businesses before, in this case houses turned into businesses. That wasn't so bad as the traffic was light and they closed in the evening. 

I wouldn't want to live near a business that received heavy traffic at all hours. 

 

[MrsRobinson]

1 hour ago, Bluegoat said:

Yeah, I have lived in quite a few places like that.  I would say there are trade-offs, but it can work out well.  

I would look into noise at night.  I personally find certain kinds of noise bother me more than others.  A lot of drnk people - annoying.  A regular bus or train - after a while I didn't notice.  In fact I found I really liked certain kinds of industrial activity when I would hear the trains changing in the train yard early in the morning, or the work at the container pier, or foghorns - it always made me feel like getting up and doing something useful.  On the other hand, for some reason being able to hear highway noise really annoyed me.

I generally like being near smaller retail.  Something like a big Walmart I might not enjoy - I just can't enjoy looking at giant parking lots, and Walmart buildings are really ugly in a weird way - I find they make me feel like a gazelle with no where to run if a lion appears.  Too open.

Something else can be smells.  Where I am now I occasionally smell the Burger King a few blocks away, which is not a problem.  When I lived near an industrial bakery it often smelled quite nice in the street.  On the other hand, I lived near a brewery and when they were boiling I found the mell overpowering.  I lived near a coffee roster too and while I liked the smell, it gave my roommate a headache.

The worst retail/housing combo I knew was my friend who lived over an aquarium shop.  They constantly had crickets in their apartment, chirping and chirping and chirping....

 

To the bold: You are my people! I agree with all of this! Dh thinks I'm crazy for actually liking any kind of noise. 

To the italics: that is hilarious! Not to your friend, I am sure, but I doubt very many people would think of crickets when considering an apartment above an aquarium. 😂 

The more I read responses here, the more I think it really will depend on the type of commercial activity. Dh and I are leaning toward "no" on the house that's across from Wal-Mart. Which is a shame because its beautiful.

The other two are still strong contenders but I do want to see what its like at night. Fortunately, they are both empty so I could probably park right in the driveway for a few minutes. 

Who knows, we might not end up buying any of these houses and waiting for a later spring market inventory. Like I said, early stages but, when your realtor takes you to three different homes all right up against the business district, you start thinking, "well if this is the only option I can afford, how could I make it work?"

[Catwoman]

If you really love the house by Walmart, maybe you should see if you can buy it at an exceptionally low price. 

You would need to get a great deal on it, because it won’t be the easiest to sell when you decide to move, and you don’t want to end up losing money on it. But if you love it and can get it at a great price, it might end up being the perfect house for you. Don’t be afraid to make a very low offer. The worst thing they can say is no.

How long has the house been up for sale?

[MrsRobinson]

11 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

How long has the house been up for sale?

It was listed 5 days before Christmas so while its been on the market longer than houses usually last here, it has an unfair time frame because nobody is looking between December 20th and New Years, lol. 

[Catwoman]

13 minutes ago, MrsRobinson said:

It was listed 5 days before Christmas so while its been on the market longer than houses usually last here, it has an unfair time frame because nobody is looking between December 20th and New Years, lol. 

 

The sellers might be starting to get nervous if they haven’t received any offers yet, and their Realtor is probably suggesting that they lower the price. And if they have received early offers but haven’t accepted them, they might be warming up to the idea now that more time has passed.

If you make an offer, you have to get past your natural hesitation to not want to hurt the seller’s feelings by making a very low offer, because one day you will be that seller and the location could hurt you. 

One thing to check on — is there any possibility of getting the house re-zoned to commercial or office in the future when you want to sell it? That could add a lot of value for the right buyer, and a highly visible location across the street from Walmart could be pure gold for a professional office or a home-based business.

Edited February 17, 2019 by Catwoman

[MrsRobinson]

10 minutes ago, Margaret in CO said:

No way! I'm unhappy that I can see lights out my back windows now, and they're over a mile away! Noise? Nope! Traffic? Nope!

I know, right? I'm milling around my house now, tidying up and as I look out the windows on one wall of the house, I can see a bright street light and a sprinkling of little porch lights from neighbors along our street. The boys do need blackout curtains to get to sleep. 

But the windows on the other three walls? Fields, cow pastures, dark, and quiet. I will miss that very much. 

[MrsRobinson]

9 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

 

The sellers might be starting to get nervous if they haven’t received any offers yet, and their Realtor is probably suggesting that they lower the price. And if they have received early offers but haven’t accepted them, they might be warming up to the idea now that more time has passed.

If you make an offer, you have to get past your natural hesitation to not want to hurt the seller’s feelings by making a very low offer, because one day you will be that seller and the location could hurt you. 

One thing to check on — is there any possibility of getting the house re-zoned to commercial or office in the future when you want to sell it? That could add a lot of value for the right buyer, and a highly visible location across the street from Walmart could be pure gold for a professional office or a home-based business.

😨 Yikes! I don't want to be that person! Lol!

I looked up the zoning map for our city and it doesn't look like we'd be able to change anything. The house is in a subdivision, its just on the outer edge of it, which happens to be right across from Wal-Mart. We would actually be looking at the parking lot, side entry/exit, and side wall of Wal-Mart, if that makes sense. So we wouldn't pull in and out of the driveway onto a 5 lane road. Its just a regular city street. But man, its RIGHT THERE, lol.

[amyx4]

Our first house was on a corner lot. The house faced the residential street and our driveway ran along the back of a small commercial building. It was an insurance office so mostly Mon-Sat. 9-5 business with only 3-4 parking spots. For many years, all was fine, until the new owner put a public payphone very near our driveway. Zoning-wise there was nothing we could do. The payphone attracted all kinds of activity, noise and chaos on the weekends. 

Once you are interested in a house, I would go to the city/town building department and ask "worst case scenario". Could the nearby property be turned into anything at all? An Amazon warehouse that loads/unloads trucks all night long? etc.

I read something recently that suggested asking the previous, previous owners when you are looking at an unusual property.

[MrsRobinson]

8 minutes ago, amyx4 said:

Our first house was on a corner lot. The house faced the residential street and our driveway ran along the back of a small commercial building. It was an insurance office so mostly Mon-Sat. 9-5 business with only 3-4 parking spots. For many years, all was fine, until the new owner put a public payphone very near our driveway. Zoning-wise there was nothing we could do. The payphone attracted all kinds of activity, noise and chaos on the weekends. 

Once you are interested in a house, I would go to the city/town building department and ask "worst case scenario". Could the nearby property be turned into anything at all? An Amazon warehouse that loads/unloads trucks all night long? etc.

I read something recently that suggested asking the previous, previous owners when you are looking at an unusual property.

That's wild that a payphone would attract so much attention! 

Dh wants to voice our concerns to our real estate agent and get her perspective. See if she thinks its worth waiting a little longer to see what comes on the market or if we should try to snatch one of these houses for a song. 

[Pen]

It depends hugely on the specifics.

 I think do your research.  

Talk to neighbors.  Hang out at many times and days of week.  Listen to noise levels.  Look at what’s happening in area.

Talk to people at the businesses.  

Talk to police department.

 Talk to zoning department.  

In some cases it could be horrible.

 In others it could be great and put you in walking distance of jobs or amenities for yourselves or your kids.

Value over time could go either way depending on what happens. 

 

[Pen]

Noise, Privacy etc can depend a lot on specifics too.  I lived in New York City and got used to a fair bit of noise and lack of privacy.

we have friends who live on a commercial street in a city near us who have front rooms (living kitchen dining) facing busy road and business area, but put focus on things in room like a fireplace, curtains that allow light, but distort visibility (both ways).    Bedrooms are at rear of house overlooking a lovely yard where they put in a fountain, koi pond, plants, picnic table, privacy fencing as needed...  It has seemed very homey and nice to me.

[amyx4]

11 hours ago, MrsRobinson said:

That's wild that a payphone would attract so much attention! 

Dh wants to voice our concerns to our real estate agent and get her perspective. See if she thinks its worth waiting a little longer to see what comes on the market or if we should try to snatch one of these houses for a song. 

At that time, payphone=drugs.

[MrsRobinson]

9 hours ago, Pen said:

Noise, Privacy etc can depend a lot on specifics too.  I lived in New York City and got used to a fair bit of noise and lack of privacy.

we have friends who live on a commercial street in a city near us who have front rooms (living kitchen dining) facing busy road and business area, but put focus on things in room like a fireplace, curtains that allow light, but distort visibility (both ways).    Bedrooms are at rear of house overlooking a lovely yard where they put in a fountain, koi pond, plants, picnic table, privacy fencing as needed...  It has seemed very homey and nice to me.

One of the houses has a huge 1/2 acre backyard with lots of open space and trees. I was telling dh, we could make that backyard an inviting obvious spot to congregate and maybe that would minimize what's going on across the street and answer family and friends unavoidable questions of "why on earth would they buy a house here?!" 🤣

[MrsRobinson]

2 minutes ago, amyx4 said:

At that time, payphone=drugs.

Gotcha. 

Did the house take an  unusually long time to sell?

[amyx4]

I encouraged you to speak to the who ever handles zoning because I know of a small town that had very little zoning. There was a commercial strip mall that had residential homes across the street. The restaurant in the strip mall applied for a "strip club license" and the town had to give them the license because the town had no zoning rules for strip clubs.

Edited February 17, 2019 by amyx4

[amyx4]

2 minutes ago, MrsRobinson said:

Gotcha. 

Did the house take an  unusually long time to sell?

The payphone was gone by the time we sold the house because of cell phone usage.

Edited February 17, 2019 by amyx4

[Pen]

1 minute ago, MrsRobinson said:

One of the houses has a huge 1/2 acre backyard with lots of open space and trees. I was telling dh, we could make that backyard an inviting obvious spot to congregate and maybe that would minimize what's going on across the street and answer family and friends unavoidable questions of "why on earth would they buy a house here?!" 🤣

 

Check it out.  If issues tend to just be visible / aesthetics, lots of people at certain times, that might be excellent.  1/2 acre yard with trees sounds very nice!

If there are safety or health issues it might be not so good.  

Light at night tends to be easy to deal with using blackout  curtains.  

Sound harder, but can be mitigated with pink noise or other ways.  The friends house I mentioned is very noisy at front all hours due to busy street, but remarkably quiet at back where bedrooms are.  

If the commercial thing created danger or health impacting pollution problems I’d avoid that.  

 

[Pen]

Does the front yard have enough room to put in trees that would give flowers in spring, fall colors in fall, with perhaps an evergreen privacy hedge beyond?

or needing less space, a wood fence with climbing roses or similar suited to the area?

[MrsRobinson]

3 minutes ago, amyx4 said:

I encouraged you to speak to the who ever handles zoning because I know of a small town that very little zoning. There was a commercial strip mall that had residential homes across the street. The restaurant in the strip mall applied for a "strip club license" and the town had to give them the licence because the town had no zoning rules for strip clubs.

Dh and and I are cracking up laughing because after reading this silently to myself, I looked up at dh and said, "all the strip clubs are outside city limits, right?" He gave me the craziest look and started cracking up! 

"Uh, why do you want to know? Why do you think I'd know?!!" 😂 

[Carrie12345]

Though I’m much more of an acreage and wildlife person, I could imagine life in a “town business” district. My grandparents lived above their bar, surrounded by small businesses and light manufacturing on a major road.

Walmart style?  Only as the last alternative to homelessness.

[KungFuPanda]

I wouldn’t do it. Your house would akways smell like whatever the commercial kitchen next door was making. I wouldn’t mind being next to a normal sized church, butva mega church would probably have a school all day and events/services on evenings and weekends. It would be constant. 

[May]

They say the 3 rules for real estate are: location, location, location. If you had to resell, in a good market, it probably would sell. In a slower market, you might have to wait awhile. DH and I have seen to many of our friends and acquaintances having to sell at a time not of their choosing. It was so stressful for them. Good luck in whatever you decide🌺

[SKL]

It depends on the neighborhood.  It could be great or awful.  When I was a teen, my folks bought a house in the commercial district of town (on a state highway), but it was a small town and quite peaceful.  They still live there.  It's great to be able to walk to everything so easily.  Plus, when they wanted to open up a business attached to their home, they had the right.  🙂

As a younger kid, we lived in a city neighborhood, the 4th house down from the "main road" where there was a gas station etc.  It was fine.  I think even living right next door to the gas station (which had an empty lot separating it from the houses) would have been fine.  Again, convenient to the bus stop and shops etc.

I would not like it if there were criminal activities or dumping nearby, or a ton of noise or lights all night.  I'd have to see the neighborhood to decide.

Edited February 17, 2019 by SKL

[MrsRobinson]

Okay, well we sat in the driveway facing the street (the house across from Wal-Mart) and ate our fast food lunch today. 

Sunday is a busy day for Wal-Mart and this the the first day in three days the roads were not icy from 2 rounds of winter weather. So it was very busy. 

Honestly, it wasn't too bad. It looked like people naturally slowed as they drove by the row of houses of which this house is part of.

It was okay enough that we are scheduled for a 2nd showing tomorrow plus an after dark showing to see what the parking lot light situation is. I've been texting our agent this afternoon and she was super helpful. This is what she suggested. (I always worry I'm taking too much of their time. Silly, I know.)

If we are comfortable with it, we are going to offer pretty low and see what happens. I would love the house with the 1/2 acre yard but it did need a little work, whereas this Wal-Mart house (lol🙄) is totally move in ready (and gorgeous inside). 

And, guys: I hate Wal-Mart!!! 😂 I only go in there when I absolutely have to!

 

[milovany]

While I don't think I would do it myself, I do have fond memories of visiting my dad's aunt, uncles and cousins at their house on a very busy street in Victoria BC, and right next door was a small corner market.  Granted, that's not Wal-Mart, but the home was obviously not in a quiet little neighborhood.  We loved visiting them, remembering to stay away from the street, and running next door to get some Canadian candy.  🙂

But thinking longer term -- these houses aren't selling fast for a reason and you're going to have the same issue some day.  Resale should always play into the decision when purchasing a house (not make the decision, but play into it).  I'm sure this has already been said above. 

[Pen]

18 hours ago, MrsRobinson said:

Okay, well we sat in the driveway facing the street (the house across from Wal-Mart) and ate our fast food lunch today. 

Sunday is a busy day for Wal-Mart and this the the first day in three days the roads were not icy from 2 rounds of winter weather. So it was very busy. 

Honestly, it wasn't too bad. It looked like people naturally slowed as they drove by the row of houses of which this house is part of.

It was okay enough that we are scheduled for a 2nd showing tomorrow plus an after dark showing to see what the parking lot light situation is. I've been texting our agent this afternoon and she was super helpful. This is what she suggested. (I always worry I'm taking too much of their time. Silly, I know.)

If we are comfortable with it, we are going to offer pretty low and see what happens. I would love the house with the 1/2 acre yard but it did need a little work, whereas this Wal-Mart house (lol🙄) is totally move in ready (and gorgeous inside). 

And, guys: I hate Wal-Mart!!! 😂 I only go in there when I absolutely have to!

 

 

Pay attention to noise as well as light.  My experience in cities is that light is easier to block with blackout curtains.  

I don’t like Walmart either and think the aesthetics would probably bother me especially since living rurally for many years now.   Though nowhere near as bothersome as a brick wall I once lived with a few feet away from my windows on an adjoining NYC building.  Nor perhaps as bothersome as a skyscraper that a childhood home backed up against at one point

otoh, generally I have found that Walmarts seem pretty safe, including if needing to find a safe parking lot to rest in during a drive.  

And it could be convenient to know that most items frequently needed (toilet paper, toothpaste, perhaps even pharmacy or eyeglasses type items) are available across the street.  Good for Konmari approach of not storing excess  back up supplies.  

And teens / young adults at home, if you have any,  or will have, might be able to get work experience without needing a car or someone to drive them—at Walmart or, I assume if Walmart is near then so would be some other businesses.  

Remotely possible, you or someone in family might find it interesting.  I once lived with a shipyard view and found it fascinating.  

[Farrar]

My mom's house is bordered by an auto garage. The garage is across the street from a small grocery and strip mall. It's fine. She has a good fence. She likes that she's a two minute walk to the grocery (and it'll be even better as she ages because she'll still be able to hobble over there even after we take her keys... lol). I'd say it's mildly annoying for her but definitely worth it. But she's in an area that has mixed use. That's something that I didn't see brought up so much. I feel like it's one thing to be next to commercial property when you're in an area that has lots of small commercial lots around an older neighborhood... and something else to be in a suburban enclave but be at the very edge where you abut a large commercial development - like a strip mall of big box stores.

I agree with others that the mega-church could be okay, though I know someone who lives in a small neighborhood across a local highway from a mega-church and she says that it's a huge PITA on Sunday mornings because they have to have people out directing traffic on the local highway and sometimes it takes time to get out of their tiny neighborhood. Though she likes her neighborhood fine, so it must not be that big of a drawback.

[Pen]

A mega church might be pretty nice to be near if one’s own family went to it and could walk over.  

[MrsRobinson]

22 minutes ago, Pen said:

A mega church might be pretty nice to be near if one’s own family went to it and could walk over.  

Oh my goodness! If it was by the building where we worship, I'd buy it in a heartbeat! No need for this post! Lol! It is very small though. Nowhere near mega church scale. 😁 

36 minutes ago, Farrar said:

My mom's house is bordered by an auto garage. The garage is across the street from a small grocery and strip mall. It's fine. She has a good fence. She likes that she's a two minute walk to the grocery (and it'll be even better as she ages because she'll still be able to hobble over there even after we take her keys... lol). I'd say it's mildly annoying for her but definitely worth it. But she's in an area that has mixed use. That's something that I didn't see brought up so much. I feel like it's one thing to be next to commercial property when you're in an area that has lots of small commercial lots around an older neighborhood... and something else to be in a suburban enclave but be at the very edge where you abut a large commercial development - like a strip mall of big box stores.

I agree with others that the mega-church could be okay

Your mom's location sounds lovely. But yes, the bold is more along the lines of what we are dealing with. Everyone wants to be deep into the subdivision and the houses on the main road are seen as undesireable. But they are there and people live in them! Lol! 

The house by the mega church (and strip mall and 2 carwashes) was our least favorite. We just found ourselves talking about the other two houses and not talking about that mega church house at all. It had a beautiful backyard but I didn't like the kitchen at all. It was very dark and cave-like. I couldn't imagine preparing and eating 3 meals every day in there with my family. 😲Who knows? We may revisit it if the other doesn't pan out. 

[Farrar]

The house my mother had before that was catty corner to her church (a small neighborhood style church). So just a cautionary tale if you think living next to your church would be great. Any time she wanted to skip church, she had to hide inside and leave all the lights off on Sunday morning! I was in town once for it and it was actually pretty funny. She kept being like, don't go to the front of the house, stay in the back!

[Pen]

Want to bring this sort of thing to your attention— lots of patterns and versions exist with more or less visibility.  I am planning to try some on a bathroom window where people can see in in place of curtains or blinds  that we now   I am hoping it will give privacy with more natural light

[Pen]

Link:  http://Rabbitgoo 3D No Glue Static Decorative Privacy Window Films for Glass Non-Adhesive Heat Control Anti Uv 35.4in. By 78.7in. (90 x 200CM) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RDVD7CC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nbZACbCG8KN1J

[Pen]

Cannot seem to make links work at this time.  

It is static cling privacy film. You can probably find it with words .  Some is just to look like frosted glass — quite plain; some patterned like bamboo , or other designs ; some to catch light in prism like rainbows...

[MrsRobinson]

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

The house my mother had before that was catty corner to her church (a small neighborhood style church). So just a cautionary tale if you think living next to your church would be great. Any time she wanted to skip church, she had to hide inside and leave all the lights off on Sunday morning! I was in town once for it and it was actually pretty funny. She kept being like, don't go to the front of the house, stay in the back!

Lol! 😂 

Fortunately, ours is very supportive and non judgmental when we aren't able to make it but I may feel more guilty if I was right next door. 😊 

[MrsRobinson]

8 minutes ago, Pen said:

Cannot seem to make links work at this time.  

It is static cling privacy film. You can probably find it with words .  Some is just to look like frosted glass — quite plain; some patterned like bamboo , or other designs ; some to catch light in prism like rainbows...

I just used the phrase from the link to look it up on Amazon. It looks pretty cool. I saved it to my list for the future. Thanks for the tip!