How does it affect property value when the city builds a light rail in front of your house?

Question

The bus company has released plans to build a light rail on the street right in front of my house. How is this going to affect my property value?? Are they going to try "iminent domain" and tear my house down to build this thing?? They have a neighborhood meeting scheduled for 2 weeks from now, but I want some info. before i go to it.

Answer 1

How fortunated you are ! Your property value would increase, having a lightrail line in front of your house is a great thing to occur !

A shame was not to do it before but the British Fascists copying what Mussolini did in Milan, torn away the trams network in Great Britain deepening the depression, leading the world to wars, installing the so-called Fourth World, new poverty created with the worst life conditions.

Now, you will also have to endure the Angels Revenge with Climate Change !

Answer 2

Trams? Generally they increase value, are quiet (about the same noise as a bus). But, the construction process will be noisy and obtrusive but it nomally takes just a few weeks before everything is back to how it was, the Trams would run in the road, so you may have on street parking restricted

Answer 3

It sounds like SAD but fairly easy wall-writing to read to me just using common sense. My driveway can only be entered from the street. Soo...IF I got word that train tracks were being installed on my street, that tells me there will be no way to enter my driveway or garage. So the rest is easy to figure out. I TRULY feel your pain because that could easily be my street.

This is all the result of long ago but apparent "very secret" PRE-PLANNED overcrowding we're seeing everywhere. It's all about MONEY and to h**l with you and me because they can tear both our houses down and build 50-60 apartments in the same space and we can both go live in a trash dumpster as far as our politicians care!!

Answer 4

"convient to public transportation."  

It's a selling point!  

Seriously, I'd think it depends on the city and their acceptance of public transportation.  In Chicago and NY it'd add tremendous value.  In Houston, it'd have the opposite effect.

Answer 5

Light rail, as the name implies, are not the thundering fright trains that literally show up on Richter scales.  

It usually uses already existing infrastructure (the streets), so I don't think the eminent domain n***s will be knocking on your door.  

Usually electrically powered, there are no engines to hear, no exhaust fumes to endure.

Indeed "close to transportation" is an amenity more and more will look for in the near future, a great selling point, as pointed out by "Manny" above.  The potential drawback?  Having a "stop" immediately in front of your house.  This is too "close to transportation", and people waiting will effect your privacy.  Aside from this, I can't see too many downsides, but progress never occurs without risk.  

Overall, I think I would welcome the improvement, keeping in mind I don't know your exact circumstances.  I would go to the meeting in support of the idea.

Good luck.

Answer 6

You will have a blight on your house and the value of the house will drop.  Have they told you that your house is to be compulsorily purchased?  You can go to the Town Hall (Civic Centre) and ask to see the plans so then you will have an idea of what is going on. We have this problem living near Heathrow airport and the three villages, Harmondsworth, Sipson and Harlington are going to be more or less wiped out. There is a blight on these houses and the price has dropped drastically.

Answer 7

I the city plans to route trains in front of your house your property value is going to suffer.

Answer 8

This happened to a friend of mine also. Everything seemed fine and thought she wouldn't have to move. But there was a public hearing and they eventually changed the zoning on the property.. She didn't have any other home owners in her area and none wanted to fight it and go to court. Apparently if the light rail is built within a certain amount of feet from a residence, there was a possilble danger (like getting out of the driveway, noise level besides some others). So now she's just waiting to see if the city is going to make an offer to buy her out or maybe some private developer. She's having a hard time finding out anything as it's all "unofficial" yet. But it  looks like her land is worth some $ to businesses now. So maybe you should try to sell it and get some help from a realtor who may have some connections to find out the city's future plans in your area. It's the red tape bureaucracy that hinders you most of all. It's stacked against private owners, and maybe you can talk to some neighbors and get organized as a group with some power behind you when you want answers. Good luck!

Answer 9

It depends. most likely the value will go down. The bus or train will makes plenty of noise that will affect you or the buyer. There will probably be alot of people surrounding your house or your neighborhood all the time due to the bus stop or train stop. Buyers hate property like this kind. On the other hand, the property might worth more or better. Because you now have a convienence transportation. for many buyers, that can be a plus. as overall, the value of property will go down. i feel sorry for you. good luck