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demeron

Help for my now-defective property?

demeron
10 years ago

The construction behind our house is almost complete-- 60,000 square feet of nursing home/rehab. The utility area is catty-corner to our lot. The buffer space is only about twenty feet with a single row of densely planted arborvitae. The back of our house now looks out over air conditioners, generator, dumpsters, parking lot, parking lot lights-- you get the drift. All the lights burn all the time. There doesn't seem to be any attempt to dim the lights after 11 pm. We do have light trespass laws in our township and the lights are shielded, but that hardly matters since we are directly overlooking the brightly lit space. They did plant a number of trees around and I suppose in 15 years, it may be more tolerable, but right now it's like living 50 feet from a stadium or a shopping mall. I am a deeply domestic person, so needless to say it's been pretty stressful to look out over blazing ugliness every night. My plan is to sell in two years, because life is too short to get angry every night over callous commercial neighbors. I am getting an appraisal to get a sense of how much to discount the house. Is there anything else I can do to make the house more appealing to buyers, or for that matter, to me? Is there anyway to soften the dreadful views without putting waxed paper over the windows? I've already put in new landscaping that will eventually help a little, but nothing is going to block out a 25 foot light pole 20' off the property line.

Comments (10)

  • nightowlrn
    10 years ago

    I am sorry for your loss of view. The good news is few people tour a home at night - don't make a big deal about it to anyone.

  • lazy_gardens
    10 years ago

    "Is there anything else I can do to make the house more appealing to buyers,"

    Sell the location - convenient for staff at the complex, for example.

    Trellises and fast-growing vines will cut the view quickly, as will fast-growing shrubs and tall perennials.

  • otterkill
    10 years ago

    Can you market it as a commercial property....maybe a physicians office?

  • Debbie Downer
    10 years ago

    I have commercial neighbors but not quite as large scale as yours. Sometimes it pays to talk to the owners about alternatives to make it more liveable for the residential neighbors - different fixtures, better shielding, lesser wattage light bulbs, timed to go off after 10 or 11 p.m. Chances are they just dont know what a hideous retina-searing eyesore those lights can be - they just go with whatever the contractor specifies. If a fixture is well sheilded then that means they really dont need the high wattage as the light is all directed downward. It might help to do some research beforehand about options for retrofitting the fixtures (instead of having to replace them entirely). there are some dark sky organizations easily googled that can help. Also if there's more neighbors than just you involved that can have a bit more clout. Assume they want good neighbor relations and go from there.

  • peegee
    10 years ago

    Can you qualify for a tax break? Not sure if that would be in your favor having a lower tax assessment in valuing the home, but some may feel a break every year on the tax bill may be worth the tradeoff. I feel for you though as I would be heartbroken to go from tranquility to that...although I might prefer the parking lot to neighbors....

  • ncrealestateguy
    10 years ago

    If you are selling in two years, then do not waste the money to get an appraisal now. It will be meaningless. Also, if and when you do get an appraisal, realize that most appraisers do not take into account such items as floor plan, exact location, proximity to commercial space... all things that do affect price.

  • scarlett2001
    10 years ago

    I don't have any advice, but my heart goes out to you.

  • Acadiafun
    10 years ago

    One suggestion for now is decorative privacy windows. I put in three when my neighbor (bless her heart) decided to breast feed when washing dishes without curtains on her windows. I think she was very talented to accomplish that, but as much as breast feeding can be a thing of beauty- in this case it wasn't.

    And when you have to move because your neighborhood peace is gone another thing you can do is to start looking at other neighborhoods. This gives you the mental break to dream of a future happy place. It makes you feel less trapped. Good luck, and sorry about your situation.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Decorative Windows

  • nightowlrn
    10 years ago

    Off topic, but why do builders build, and buyers buy, those big windows in front of a tub? I can see if you live in the middle of nowhere. But, really, the majority do not. Our houses have all had high windows in the bathroom for light. But, as we are looking a houses to build or buy right now, those sill huge windows are what I am seeing. Just silliness. Just because a plan shows big windows at the tub doesn't mean it will work.

  • ellendi
    10 years ago

    If you have trouble selling, would you consider renting it. As lazygardens suggested, it is a convenient location for staff at the nursing home.