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Pros and cons of corner property

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  • Feb 23rd, 2020 3:17 pm
Jr. Member
Jan 11, 2017
111 posts
9 upvotes

Pros and cons of corner property

Hi Guys, need your inputs on pros and cons of one property I am looking for.

Location is North West Brampton

Its a corner lot 2800 sqft. Newly built 2 years old. Very well kept. Double Garage.

Sidewalk but there is a bus stop in front my opposite side of house. So I believe it will be cleared by city.
Big back yard, one side fencing is done by city.
Front yard is fenced by city I think as the fences are steel spindles.
Side of house with garage is facing inside street which is bus route. Other side of house or I would say the entrance is facing a busy Mayfield road.
25 replies
Deal Fanatic
Nov 17, 2012
5381 posts
4998 upvotes
Toronto
Bus route is the thing you should be thinking about, not that it's on a corner.

If the bus is on the quiet road and the other one is Mayfield (just looked at the road on Google Maps) why do you want to buy there?'

Location, location, location. Old rule, but true. I always marvel at the 'Sold' signs on house facing really busy streets. I know there isn't a ton of choice out there and competition is fierce, but I'd keep looking.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Dec 10, 2008
5211 posts
2024 upvotes
This was pretty easy to find on Realtor.ca based on the info you gave, just FYI

The house lacks privacy off the other road making it feel exposed. But the biggest issue is what they did to the front of the house. You have to park your car and then walk around to the "side" to enter through the main door. tt gives a poor appearance from both views.
Let's hug it out
Deal Addict
Feb 19, 2019
2347 posts
4020 upvotes
Stouffville ON
Not a fan of corner lots at all.
Traffic, noise from cars stopping, people cutting across you lawn (often walking with dogs), larger lot with lots of unusable space on the front, more property taxes.
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Deal Guru
User avatar
Feb 23, 2008
12939 posts
1862 upvotes
Brampton
Too much sidewalk to clear in the winter. Too much grass to mow. Too much traffic making it difficult to back out of the driveway. Also when the plow comes it will push more snow in front of your driveway from the turn on the road.
Lets Go Blue Jays!!!
Deal Fanatic
Nov 17, 2012
5381 posts
4998 upvotes
Toronto
Find a different spot. Corner lot, major roads, power lines looming overhead, odd entrance configuration...

Only 1500 sq ft is accounted for in the room dimensions while they claim the place is 2900. Where are the other 1400 sq ft? How big are the halls and wasted space that they represent half of the house?

Even my 1400 sq ft (+ finished basement) semi in the Junction area has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

In the same price range in Toronto (might have to add $200K), you'd be paying $2,000 a year less property taxes and getting higher appreciation of the investment.

Not trying to turn this into a 416 vs 905 debate, but this is about location and I think you can do better and make a better investment.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Oct 6, 2010
15881 posts
10565 upvotes
Toronto
yeah, transit traffic, lots of snow clearing, no thanks
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Member
Nov 30, 2015
453 posts
242 upvotes
GTA, ON
Another consideration would be what would happen to Mayfield Rd a few years from now. Will it become 5 or 6 lanes in the future? Also will there be a bus stop/bay in front of the house once Mayfield Rd is widened to handle increased population and traffic? That could/will bring the roadway closer to the house.
Deal Fanatic
Jan 21, 2018
9652 posts
10924 upvotes
Vancouver
Police crime analysts say houses on corner lots are more frequent victims of burglary, because the availability of more exit options makes burglars more comfortable. And there can be more traffic accidents at intersections, resulting in unfortunate things like a car through your fence - or through your wall.

But personally I have a different issue: our house is at a T-junction in what was a quiet residential neighbourhood when we moved in. The street that T-junctions with ours was a dead end. Then the city decided that they needed another traffic route for cars leaving the local town centre, so they opened up the T-junction street and made it a through route to the town centre. Traffic jumped 100x within a few months. Now there is constant horn honking and frequent vehicle and pedestrian accidents. We sometimes can't get out of our driveway. The city's reaction to the accidents was to festoon the intersection with pedestrian-controlled traffic lights with loud beepers and voice announcements for the blind (if any), and super-searingly bright LED street lights that turn night into day for everyone near the intersection. And every other service piled on with new junction boxes, cellular micro-transmitters, and big coils of spare wire left hanging on poles. Because hey, it's an intersection that's already ruined for the residents, so a little more won't make it much worse.

Don't live at an intersection, even if it seems to be really quiet right now.
Deal Guru
Feb 9, 2006
13378 posts
8308 upvotes
Brampton
Pro:

Lots more outdoor area for you to maintain so if you like gardening or being outside mowing the lawn and shoveling you'll get some physical activity.

Would I buy another corner lot again? No
But if it's a nice location it's not so bad. My area is quiet.

No one cuts across my lawn even tho there's a sidewalk one side of the house and a mailbox near the other.
Deal Fanatic
Dec 5, 2009
5768 posts
3612 upvotes
Hey OP. Don’t let people taking about clearing snow bother you if you really love the house. Just add a couple hundred bucks to your budget for a snow blower.

As to your main question about corner lots , there are pros and cons to it but I think most people prefer not to have one. On the other hand that may be factored into the price so supply and demand plays a role. Same thing for buying on a major road that someone posted about being surprised that these even sell (lol). Obviously all things being equal people would rather live on a quiet street , but this all gets factored into the price.
Sr. Member
Jan 14, 2008
842 posts
594 upvotes
Toronto
to add to the above, that area will see a further price appreciation this spring as soon the new pre-construction subdivision across mayfield road is released for sale by the builders at a much higher price and marketed as mayfield west "caledon"

however the subject property, if its the one at 368 robert parkinson, seems its going to have much traffic getting in and out of the driveway, imo.
Jr. Member
Jun 6, 2018
105 posts
50 upvotes
I just sold my corner lot.
The big pro was the city plowed the sidewalks as it is on a feeder street.
People cutting the corner didn't happen either as it has a big picture window facing that way.
My 2 big sore spots about it were...lots more lawn (city owned boulevard) that I had to cut the grass(any flowers planted had a tendency to get stolen in the night), and feeder streets have a tendency to attract street racers which results in property/boulevard damage when they lose control. And yes , in the 10 years that we were there, we observed the wreckage from 4 different incidents.
If I find myself living near a bend in a road again, I'll be sure to place some concrete planters in strategically placed locations.
Deal Addict
Jan 12, 2017
1741 posts
1040 upvotes
In general, unless priced lower (doesn't seem like most sellers are willing to drop their price), there is no pro to a corner lot.

Long list of cons already listed in this thread...
BeamerDreamer2000 wrote: Hi Guys, need your inputs on pros and cons of one property I am looking for.

Location is North West Brampton

Its a corner lot 2800 sqft. Newly built 2 years old. Very well kept. Double Garage.

Sidewalk but there is a bus stop in front my opposite side of house. So I believe it will be cleared by city.
Big back yard, one side fencing is done by city.
Front yard is fenced by city I think as the fences are steel spindles.
Side of house with garage is facing inside street which is bus route. Other side of house or I would say the entrance is facing a busy Mayfield road.
Deal Guru
Jan 25, 2007
12695 posts
7861 upvotes
Paris
senasena wrote: , more property taxes.
Property taxes are a function of estimated house price, not that old stupid formula for amount of curb space etc.
Deal Addict
Mar 27, 2015
1550 posts
677 upvotes
Thornhill, ON
I live on a corner lot and would buy one again. The biggest plus is no neighbour on the one side, more sunlight and a bigger lawn, albeit most of it is city-owned. We have a sidewalk out the front that the city plows. The negatives are we seem to draw questionable types who like to park their cars in front of our backyard, sit there for hours and do god-knows-what.

In your case, the bus stop would be a dealbreaker. There will always be garbage flying around, and if there's a shelter the homeless could move in.
Deal Expert
Jan 15, 2006
21392 posts
23733 upvotes
Richmond Hill
Corner lot with bus shelter and busy road... Not much to really think about here.
Deal Expert
Aug 2, 2004
38392 posts
12016 upvotes
East Gwillimbury
BeamerDreamer2000 wrote: Its a corner lot 2800 sqft. Newly built 2 years old. Very well kept. Double Garage.
The listing says 2908 Sq Ft

Personally, I prefer corner lots because I want more outdoor living space.

But after seeing the listing. I don't think this house is a good buy. Mayfield is a busy street. The front yard with the metal fence is not really ideal. Terrible view. The second floor is all broadloom. The driveway is not private (sidewalk) etc.

For 1,049,900$, you could do better

If you don't mind the sidewalk and want to be in that neighbourhood. Look at 22 Summer Valley Drive. It is also a corner unit and 100,000$ cheaper. House is in immaculate condition.
Member
Aug 23, 2014
478 posts
264 upvotes
Mississauga, ON
icantfigureoutausername wrote: I live on a corner lot and would buy one again. The biggest plus is no neighbour on the one side, more sunlight and a bigger lawn, albeit most of it is city-owned. We have a sidewalk out the front that the city plows. The negatives are we seem to draw questionable types who like to park their cars in front of our backyard, sit there for hours and do god-knows-what.

In your case, the bus stop would be a dealbreaker. There will always be garbage flying around, and if there's a shelter the homeless could move in.
This. I live on a corner lot and I like it. One less next-door neighbour, more sunlight, I also like how corner houses look for some reason.

I don’t mind the extra mowing and shoveling time - I think of it as exercise anyway.

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