The bearish outlook on corner lots – less privacy, more dog poo!
Oh sure, you’ve got a bigger lot and neighbors on only two sides, but the cons far outweigh the pros.
In fact, besides often being more expensive to buy, here are 21 additional reasons why corner lots just aren’t worth it:
Jim Klinge
Klinge Realty Group
Are you looking for an experienced agent to help you buy or sell a home?
Contact Jim the Realtor!
CA DRE #01527365, CA DRE #00873197
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We sold a home with Jim and Donna and from beginning to end they were consummate professionals. Their initial walk through the property resulted in a list of items to be repaired or updated. They supplied a list of vendors and job quotes to do the repairs and updates. We originally wanted to sell ‘as is’ and just get it over with. They gave us a selling price for ‘as is’ and options for doing a few updates/repairs to doing it all with the selling price for each option. We agreed to do all they suggested and we sold for the exact price they predicted. For every dollar spent we got back more than $2 back in the selling price. And they got that price in a rising interest rate environment! Donna and Jim are extremely detailed and guide you through ever aspect of the sale. There were no surprises thanks to their guidance. We couldn’t be more pleased with their representation. Thank you Donna and Jim, Jerry and MaryTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We have known Jim & Donna Klinge for over a dozen years, having met them in Carlsbad where our children went to the same school. As long time North County residents, it was a no- brainer for us to have the Klinges be our eyes and ears for San Diego real estate in general and North County in particular. As my military career caused our family to move all over the country and overseas to Asia, Europe and the Pacific, we trusted Jim and Donna to help keep our house in Carlsbad rented with reliable and respectful tenants for over 10 years. Naturally, when the time came to sell our beloved Carlsbad home to pursue a rural lifestyle in retirement out of California, we could think of no better team to represent us than Jim and Donna. They immediately went to work to update our house built in 2004 to current-day standards and trends — in 2 short months they transformed it into a literal modern-day masterpiece. We trusted their judgement implicitly and followed 100% of their recommended changes. When our house finally came on the market, there was a blizzard of serious interest, we had multiple offers by the third day and it sold in just 5 days after a frenzied bidding war for 20% above our asking price! The investment we made in upgrades recommended by Jim and Donna yielded a 4-fold return, in the process setting a new high water mark for a house sold in our community. In our view, there are no better real estate professionals in all of San Diego than Jim and Donna Klinge. Buying or selling, you must run and beg Jim and Donna Klinge to represent you! Our family will never forget Jim, Donna, and their whole team at Compass — we are forever grateful to them.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. WeI had the pleasure of working with Klinge Realty Group to sell our home in Carmel Valley, and I cannot recommend them highly enough! Jim and Donna demonstrated exceptional professionalism, offering expert guidance on market conditions and pricing strategy, which resulted in a quick and successful sale. Communication was prompt and we were well-informed throughout the entire process. For anyone looking for a dedicated and knowledgeable real estate team, look no further! ---Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Donna and Jim Klinge of Klinge Realty Group have our highest possible recommendation. From Donna and Jim’s first visit to our house through closing their advice and counsel was candid and honest in all dealings. They kept us fully informed throughout the process. The house sold less than three days after listing with a two-week closing. My wife and I have sold several houses during our lives. This was by far the best experience. Klinge Reality is a premium service realtor. You can’t make a better choice for someone to sell your home fast and for top dollar.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Donna and Jim provided exceptional support and professionalism throughout the entire process. We couldn't have been happier with their efforts. They made our house shine, and thanks to their expertise, it sold above the listing price in the very first weekend! Truly a fantastic experience from start to finish.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. This year has been difficult on our family, mainly due to having to sell our home. Thankfully we knew God had a plan for us and working with the Klinge team was a key part of it. It was an obvious decision to work with them again after such an amazing experience when purchasing the same home we needed to sell. The challenge was, how will we do this in so little time with so much going on? Jim and Donna held our hand every step of the way. Whenever an unexpected issue arose they found and provided a solution. Never once did we feel pressured to make a decision and the Klinges were always reassuring after providing the information that the decision was ours to make. Despite the curve balls, they never panicked and exemplified the “can do” attitude, making us feel optimistic and taken care of. Their expertise and professionalism was superb. But of all the reasons to work with the Klinges, the most impactful and valuable is their compassion and genuine care for their clients. We pray that we can one day purchase our forever home and you better believe that Jim and Donna will be representing us - as long as they will have us of course. Thank you again Klinge team! Your execution, experience, and care are unmatched.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Jim and Donna were fantastic! Jim understanding my needs, recommending potential places, pointing out the pros and cons of each property was invaluable. Then when the offer was accepted Donna’s organized guidance through the inspections, paperwork etc made the whole process seem effortless. So grateful that I had them on my side!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We first found Jim through his blog at bubbleinfo.com, which really showcased his knowledge of SoCal real estate. Since then we've done three transactions with Jim and Donna, and they are an incredible full service agency, with Jim's deep market insight and Donna's deft contract and project management. We trust them implicitly in their analysis and strategy, which is based on years of experience. They're always available and on top of things, and we strongly recommend them to anyone.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The Good The Klinge Realty Group operates like a finely tuned machine, with a very personal touch. We contacted them on a Sunday and they were talking to us about our family and our needs on our living room couch the following day. They carefully listened to us and worked with us to identify the best and quickest path to listing within 2 weeks to take advantage of the low inventory conditions in our South Carlsbad neighborhood. They knew our tract specifically and had many previous sales there over the years - they came prepared with a thorough analysis of comparative sales and recommended a pricing strategy that they felt confident would yield offers the first weekend on the market. The Great Over the next two weeks Donna coordinated a range of vendors who she knew from experience could get the preparation to list work we needed done on time and with high quality. Our light tune-up involved excellent experiences with their stagers, landscapers, contractors, electricians, and plumbers. Throughout this period Donna's daily communication was clear, concise, and responsive. Any time we had questions Donna picked up the phone or texted immediately - but almost always, she answered our questions before we even knew we had them. The Outstanding We had a tricky situation with a shared fence that could have delayed our escrow. Donna used superb mediation skills to negotiate the terms of replacement and was personally on site with the fence contractor to make sure everything went smoothly. The fence looks great and escrow closed on time. The Truly Exceptional Our house came on the market on a Wednesday and between then and Monday morning Jim was personally at all three open houses. He was in constant communication explaining potential buyer reaction and strength. As he predicted offers began to come in on Saturday and each one was incrementally higher than the last. At the end we had 5 offers, 4 of which were over list, and the final accepted offer was $100,000 over list. In addition to being over list it included rent back terms that met our needs. The Recommendation For all of these reasons we would strongly recommend The Klinge Team to anyone wanting to sell in North County Coastal San Diego. I had been reading Jim's bubbleinfo.com blog for 15 years and knew when the time came to sell that he would be our first call. Jim Klinge is not your standard realtor. He is keenly aware of market conditions and sales strategies. And, works his tail off - though not as hard as Donna . At this point he's gone from realtor to friend and I plan to have him over to grill and chill at our new place to talk real estate, but also just about life and raising kids in San Diego. He's more interested in relationships than his sales numbers - and that's why his sales numbers are so high. We have already recommended the Klinge's to some close friends and another successful sale is on deck right around the corner...Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We recently had the pleasure of working with Jim and Donna from Klinge Realty Group to sell our house, and we couldn't be more satisfied with the experience. From the initial meeting, they listened attentively to our needs and provided invaluable guidance on specific improvements to get our home market ready. Their responsiveness throughout the entire process was truly impressive. Anytime we had questions or concerns, they were quick to address them, ensuring we felt comfortable and informed every step of the way. What stood out the most was their team and extensive network of tradespeople, which made addressing any necessary repairs or updates seamless and stress-free. Thanks to their expertise and dedication, our house sold quickly and at a great price. We highly recommend Jim and Donna to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. They are a fantastic team who truly care about their clients and deliver exceptional results.Load more
How ironic that you posted this, JtR, and since bubbleinfo is my home page, it’s the first thing I saw this morning. Yep, I’m talking to a local builder whether to build or buy one of his homes which is 90% complete. It’s on a corner lot–and no, I don’t have a dog but may be cleaning up others who do if I choose the house…
Susie,
Buy a house in a cul-de-sac if you have a choice. There’s less traffic which both young people with kids and grumpy old men both appreciate. When you sell this will = a higher potential buyer pool.
I don’t know, yea in an HOA a corner lot is probably just a pain, but in an older neighborhood without HOA they can be very useful.
Especially if you have your own biz (not everyone works for QCOM ETC…)
The article assumes we all live in 4000 sqft houses on 20,000 sqft lots floating in a vast expanse of suburbia. However, having owned a corner lot house in LA, their arguments are irrelevant and wrong in a big urban city. When lots are only 5,000 sqft corners actually fetch a premium and are advertised as such – for example your garage doesn’t need to be in your back yard. Nothing most people living on Wisteria Lane would think about, but corners have very real benefits (and you want some sort of hedge anyway to keep the city out, so those issues are moot).
Great convo on bubbleinfo as always!
UPDATE: Just returned from 90-minute meeting with builder of the house (on a corner lot). He said “Yes” to all my Qs as to what could be changed. He’s been in business for 25+ years here and has a stellar reputation. He verbally gave me first right of refusal on the home.
Home I presently own happens to be on a cul-de-sac (with an premium east-facing backyard due to heat of summer). I bought it in late 2010. JtR featured it on bubbleino in January, 2011–like he was almost here. A friend did the video, and Jim added a voice overlay.
I have loved every moment in this home. What I haven’t loved is the “adventures” with a certain neighbor who built a home 2 1/2 years ago. This was my last home, or I thought it was. That said, I don’t see that neighbor ever moving.
Friends have chimed in and said, Why let ______ have that power over you? Why let _____ drive you away from this home that you love? I bought it at the bottom of the market and it has amazing upgrades.
Land prices here have skyrocketed in the last two years. The new home is smaller (1881sf vs 2,150sf) and lot is about 7,500-8,000sf vs. 9,147sf.
I called JtR about 3 months ago asking for his advice re: this neighbor and my dilemma. Of course, Jim had a funny quip over the whole situation. But then:
Me: *Tears in my eyes* But Jim, I love my home!
Jtr: And, Susie, you’ll love the next one”…
He’s right-as always. I will…
Chiming in one more time now that I’ve read the article and 21 reasons not to buy a home on a corner lot. The neighborhood this home is in just isn’t as the author of the article describes.
I love the location because the home is in a new phase that’s very deep in the subdivision and not near any busy roads. There are a couple other homes being constructed nearby (75-90% complete) but if I buy, I won’t be in the middle of a construction zone since so many homes are already completed.
#13 is the only reason that rings true to me. Yes, I will have to mow more grass. But seriously, it’s a positive. Who doesn’t want a good workout in the heat of summer?
Waiting to hear more of JtR’s comments. Are homes on corner lots more difficult to sell? Would you advise me not to buy this home solely because it’s on a corner, Jim? (Yes, I can privately send you photos of the new home–if you want.) 🙂
Wisteria Lane LOL,
Seems so much of SD is trying to be just that, nothing wrong with that just that probably 30 or more percent of the population could not live like that (they need space to park work trucks, boats etc.. maybe add a granny flat apartment).
I wonder just how many housing tracts are being built in SD that don’t have HOA’s. I think there will be a shortage of non-HOA communities soon where the other 30 or so percent can live.
Agreed, they are all different. Take ’em one by one.
Susie, we had a situation similar to yours; a problem neighbor in a small neighborhood. The cloud it cast on the neighborhood and everyone’s general happiness was palpable. We loved our house and everything else and tried to convince ourselves that the positives outweighed the negatives, but ultimately left. The second we were gone it was like a huge weight was lifted off our shoulders; we felt better both emotionally and even physically, we slept better, everything. It would have been nice to stay forever in our forever home, but almost 5 years later, even though we would have liked things to have been different, we don’t regret the decision to leave one bit. It’s hard I know. Best of luck with whatever you decide.