Planes, trains, and automobiles

And trucks; none help a home’s price. 3 Meadow Wood Drive, for instance, in Belle Haven, sold for $3.245 million in 2005. The buyers took it down to studs for a complete renovation and placed it back on the market in 2015 for $5.995. Today it dropped to $3.995, and it wouldn't be surprising if it eventually sells for hat 2005 price, and all those renovation costs lost.

It’s certainly a nice house, and heck, the town appraises it at $5,155,700, but the appriser wasn’t looking at it with an intention to buy. Those that have viewed it with a buyer’s eye have been turned off by the looming presence of I-95 in the backyard, and that’s not good.

I’ve noticed over the years that owners of houses subject to traffic noise acclimatize to it after a few months and, years later, when it’s time to sell, they refuse to discount for the roar they don’t hear. Unfortunately, buyers seeing the place for the first time do notice, and they get back in their cars and drive away.