Recently purchased home is unbearably noisy, How do I protect my Investment?

Question

I recently bought my first home in Thousand Oaks, CA—a huge milestone for me. I’ve lived here my whole life and worked hard to buy a house in my parents' neighborhood, which is the most sought-after area in the city. Having lived nearby for years, I thought I knew the area well.

The house itself is stunning, and the property is beautifully landscaped—truly a dream home in many ways. However, there’s one major issue I overlooked: noise. The house sits near a freeway junction and a busy street, and while my previous rental was also close to the freeway, something about this home's elevation makes the noise unbearablyintrusive. It’s subtle but constant, and I can’t seem to tune it out.

I’m exploring every possible way to mitigate the sound, but the reality is that I can’t change the home’s proximity or line of sight to the roads. I’ve heard from many (non-experts) that I’d need to stay for at least 5-7 years to avoid taking a significant financial hit, but that feels like a waking nightmare given how much this issue affects me.

Financially, renting it out isn’t an easy solution either. My interest rate and purchase price wouldn’t allow for positive cash flow unless I charged an unreasonable rent—or put about $500K toward the principal, which isn't ideal.

I’m a high earner, so I’m weighing my options:

• Take the loss ($60K-$100K), buy another house, and chalk this up to a hard lesson learned.
• Refinance, put more money into it, and rent it out long-term—even if it’s not immediately profitable.
• Invest my money elsewhere and try to make peace with staying here for several years.

Would love to hear thoughts from anyone with experience in real estate, financial strategy, or noise mitigation. Is there a smarter way to approach this? I am new to BiggerPockets, so if I am in the prong place please point me in the right direction

Benjamin Aaker · Answer

Hi Martin and welcome to the forums. Not to put too much stock in hindsight, but wasn't the noise there when you toured the place? Was something mitigating the noise at that time that you could use now?

Are you certain you would have to sell at a loss? Lots of areas have been appreciating. You might want to talk to a banker and real estate agent before deciding.

People in my area live right next to train tracks and there are loud trains shaking the place at all hours. Somehow they manage to live with it. Could you do so if it meant saving 60 to 100k as you estimate? Also, a tenant might be willing to live with it where you are not and you might just become a landlord.

Rick Albert · Answer

Martin,

People live near freeways all the time and for literally years. Thousand Oaks has become increasing popular and has a lot going for it (major pharma, university, etc.). No one can predict the future but generally speaking you are probably fine over the long run.

Did your Realtor not mention the proximity to the freeway? I'm not blaming, but this is generally a discussion item. Doesn't change anything other than to keep in mind going forward.

In terms of what to do, for some people the noise is unbearable, for others it may not. You will be surprised. Especially on the rental side where prospective tenants may not care because they aren't living there long term.

I live near a freeway where sometimes you hear it. You can replace the windows. We switch to dual pane and made a world of difference. If you want to spend the money you can consider triple pane. Maybe it's triple pane for the windows facing the freeway noise and double everywhere else. You could do things like outdoor speakers, waterfalls, etc.

Visually, unless you are in an HOA or other restrictions, maybe you can hedge the backyard for added privacy.

The goal for most people is to keep the property, not sell. Especially at a loss. I wonder if a mid-term rental makes sense. You can charge more, the furniture is already there, and if the house is stunning then it could get attention. There are executives that go to the Thousand Oaks area and need a place to stay.

I would not dump $500K into the mortgage to refinance. For $500K go buy another income producing asset to offset any losses you might have. Basically dollar cost averaging.

Hope this helps and happy to brainstorm.

Obed Calixte · Answer

Have you explored upgrading the windows and doors as needed? If the home has single pane windows, it would be great opportunity to upgrade to double or triple paned windows.

Solid curtains, water fountain in the backyard, adding trees at the property line nearest the freeway, white noise generators are all other options.

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

You will probably need to stay for 2 years to avoid Capital Gains. Unless you sell for what you have in it, and break even? What does your Realtor say? Ask another as well to make sure.

If it really is untenable for you, then take the loss. You could build a block wall like they do on freeways, but why put a bunch of money into the place? You'll probably always hear the noise now that you know about it.....

Martin Zitzelberger · Answer

@Jules Aton I disagree, I am in love with the house and property. If it wasn't for the noise I would stay for as long as I could.

Jules Aton · Answer

Sounds kind of like buyer's remorse as much as the actual noise. I'd look into sound reducing alternatives before you throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Martin Zitzelberger · Answer

@Benjamin AakerSure, there are a handful of reasons this was overlooked. When I purchased the home just before fall, the roads weren’t visible until the leaves dropped. During all my tours, neighborhood dogs were barking—not something that bothered me, but it likely distracted from the overall noise.

The truth is, it was an oversight, and unfortunately, I’m now dealing with the consequences. I was eager to buy a home at the time, and while I’m not certain I’d sell at a loss, I’m also unsure of the best way to evaluate the financials. Since I’ve only owned the home for a few months, I want to make sure I’m running the right numbers before making any decisions. And as far as being a landlord. That sounds great although like I mentioned, The property would not cashflow unless I put a significant amount of money into the principal.

Many friends have told me that I will get used to the noise. I unfortunately will not get used it as I have had similar experiences in the past.

Recently purchased home is unbearably noisy, How do I protect my Investment?

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