What's keeping you up at night?

What's keeping you up at night? If you're a New Yorker, your answer is likely to be "stress," or "worry," or "overwhelming anticipation for what lies ahead." But what's missing from those responses? Noise! Even though we live in one of the busiest cities on earth, bustling with taxi horns, police sirens, and drunken street quarrels, it seems most New Yorkers can adapt...  for the most part.

 

When attending open houses, many house hunters listen carefully for the street noise, especially if the apartment is on an avenue, rather than on a typically tranquil side street. They compare the noise with the windows open to that with the windows closed, and they imagine themselves going about their daily tasks and sleeping with that background noise. This ritual is completely natural, and often helpful, but it also helps to keep a few things in mind.

 

1) New Yorkers, by and large, can get used to pretty much anything, least of which is a bit of street noise. I live on a rather busy street, and I don't even notice the multitude of sirens passing my window every evening.

 

2) Pay attention to where the bedroom is. It's often in the back, away from the street, so street noise won't be a problem while you're sleeping.

 

3) For extreme cases, sound proof windows offered by companies such as City Quiet and Cityproof can work miracles. I had a client who rented a place on Sixth Avenue, on the fourth floor of a walk-up, in which both bedrooms were facing the avenue... and he wanted to make one of them a massage parlor. I thought he might be a bit nuts, but he had City Quiet windows installed, and you could hear a pin drop in that apartment... if it weren't for the mood setting nature sounds emanating from his stereo.  

 

4) To minimize street noise, seek out high-floor apartments. If the view clears the building across the way, there will be no reverberating noise bouncing into your windows.

 

5) Pre-war buildings with thick walls are more likely to provide noise insulation between apartments. Some newer condo buildings are paying more attention to this as well. Renters... your job will be a little more difficult. 

 

6) During the winter, your windows are usually closed. During the summer, your windows are usually closed with the air conditioner running. 

 

7) Nothing could be worse than your partner's snoring.

 

A bit of noise is ultimately part of the New York experience, and there are usually ways to muffle it. And if not, you'll probably get used to it... just ask a neighbor. But! If you're an insomniac who needs utter serenity to catch a bit of shut-eye, then be sure to tell your broker, and he or she will know how to adjust the search. 

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